Posted on 04/28/2018 1:28:24 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Free two-day shipping may be enticing, but it doesnt necessarily justify the higher price tag for an Amazon Prime membership.
Amazon AMZN, +3.60% raised the annual fee for its Prime membership program for the first time since 2014 but that doesnt necessarily mean its less of a bargain for most consumers.
The online retailer announced that it will hike the annual fee for a Prime membership in the U.S. by 20% to $119. The change comes as Amazon revealed that it now has more than 100 million people globally who are members of the program. In January, Amazon raised the price of monthly memberships from $10.99 to $12.99 per month. The price change will go into effect starting May 11 for new members and starting June 16 for existing members when they renew.
Amazon said that it was upping the price of a Prime membership to offset the costs the program incurs, thanks to free shipping and digital content streaming. Since we increased the U.S. annual price of Prime four years ago both the value of Prime and the cost to offer it have increased significantly, an Amazon spokeswoman said in an email. We still believe that Prime is disproportionately more valuable than the fee.
But consumers who are considering Primeand those who are already memberswill need to closely evaluate whether the membership is still worth it at the higher price. Ultimately, that decision will come down to how much benefit each individual consumer derives from the program, whose perks range from free two-day shipping on Amazon purchases to free online photo storage and free audiobooks from Audible.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
In addition, I still buy from ebay on occasion, but have had far more shipping and quality problems on ebay than ever on Amazon. Plus, with knees that barely work anymore, the quick shipping and quality on Amazon are lifesavers for me. We also live in a small town where there is very limited shopping for anything, and online orders make life much more livable.
AND, it is nice to not have to deal with bored and/or rude clerks.
Me too...best service anywhere for us
Havent figured out how to get report yet but quick guess says weve likley spent north of 10000 a year on average for last 10 to 12 years
I’m with you....my 70 year old carcass is a lot happier not dealing with traffic and shopping lines. Especially at Xmas time!!!
Thanks...only thing is I’ve looked at walmart numerous times and think i have bought maybe 3 items from them in last few years...they just dont have the brands and items we buy
Good for you.
.
[[We purchased a $700 Nikon digital camera through one of Amazons third parties, and it turned out to be a gray market ticket with costly issues]]
I bought a $3600 camera with same issues- was defective- had to have it repaired three times- then they told me they were done repairing it- Still doesn’t work right- and I’m expecting the electronic board in it to crap out again anytime- Worst purchase I’ve ever made- Canon refused to stand behind their product even though the issues were due to known (yet hidden) defective components-
The issues didn’t rear their ugly heads until after the return policy- so i was out that option as well
Gray market sucks
You guessed wrong. You are the one extolling the virtues of a company owned by a one world socialist that uses his WaPo to attack our president. Not only that, but Bezos has cheated most states out of billions in sales tax revenue used to build his empire at the expense of millions of US citizens. I drive a Nissan made in Japan and an F250. When I can avoid doing business with antiamerican fascists like Bezos, I do it. Your obsession with saving a few bucks speaks to your code of conduct.
[[ “I bought a $3600 camera with same issues- was defective- had to have it repaired three times- then they told me they were done repairing it- Still doesnt work right-...” ]]
Oh, dear, that’s a piece of change. Did Canon repair your camera for no charge the first three times?
Ours, too, broke just after the refund period. I sent it to Nikon proper [cost me 20+ dollars] to get an estimate, and they were going to replace the camera with a refurbished one, but after seeing the serial number, she told me it was gray market, that Nikon will not touch it.
She told me to tell Amazon to instruct their 3rd party people to make it very clear what customers are purchasing. I did so, and Amazon dropped the distributor, but never gave me my $$ for defective merchandise that they led me to believe was in good order.
And to think I almost purchased the Ricoh equivalent ::sighs::
I suspect I will let my Prime membership expire this summer.
[[Did Canon repair your camera for no charge the first three times?]]
Yes they were paid by canon - first one was to replace the defective shutter mechanism which spewed oil all over the sensor- the replacement was also defective- same issue occurred- this was a documented defect that canon knew about and did nothing to rectify- other than replacing with the same faulty mechanism- Second time was also to replace mechanism- the third was to replace defective failed electronic board in the camera after 3 months of use
I’m almost positive my camera was gray market- but Canon didn’t seem to mind that it was gray market I guess- at first- then they told me no more repairs if something should go wrong- The fact was that the parts i n question were known defective parts- so at first they replaced them free of charge- with more defective parts lol-
I’ll not but canon again- not after that ordeal- they should have stood behind their flagship camera model (Canon 1DX)- but they refused to make it right- They even got sued by a fella for the same issues- I believe canon lost the suit- Canon did issue a recall (which is when I got mine ‘fixed)- but all the recall did was to use the same faulty parts-
So now i have to ‘clean’ all my photos with ‘spot remover’ in photoshop as there are many dozens of spots on each photo- especially when the sky is visible- the spots really show up there- I clean the sensor- but it only stays clean a few days- the oil from the faulty mechanism just recoats it again soon after- Very frustrating- Also I’m just waiting for the electronic board to die again- it’s showing signs it might- like camera shutting off for no reason-
Very dissapointed with canon
I honestly don’t know if I still want it.
I hate Bezos as it is and I know one can’t avoid EVERY lunatic liberal’s product, but this price increase may give a reason to abandon amazon.
Do you use microsoft? Gates is big birth control (i.e., abortion advocate)
You use any Apple products? Google? Walmart? (they sell black lives matter t shirts)
Hypocrisy thy name is Neoliberalnot.
It makes you sick.
Here’s 10 bucks. Get a life.
You get more than free two day shipping. You have access to hundreds of movies and old TV shows, and Prime Music. If you don’t use the movies and music features and only shop occasionally, then it may not be worth a subscription.
Be aware that if the card previously used with Amazon is no longer viable, Amazon has been known to track down any other credit card issued to a subscriber and charge the renewal fee to that account.
[[ “Ill not but canon again- not after that ordeal- they should have stood behind their flagship camera model (Canon 1DX)- but they refused to make it right- They even got sued by a fella for the same issues- I believe canon lost the suit- Canon did issue a recall (which is when I got mine fixed)- but all the recall did was to use the same faulty parts-” ]]
Because of your story, I will not purchase a Canon again either. Spotting all of your images? ::shaking my head::
What I found with Staples is that their online prices are MUCH different that what you find in the store. Walk in the store and price something. Then look up the price online.
I saved $20 doing this buying toner. Told them to match their own price.
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