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Is Amazon Prime worth its new $119 price tag?
MarketWatch ^ | 4/27/18 | Jacob Passy

Posted on 04/28/2018 1:28:24 AM PDT by LibWhacker

Free two-day shipping may be enticing, but it doesn’t 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 doesn’t necessarily mean it’s 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 Prime—and those who are already members—will 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 ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: amazon; ecommerce; increase; price; prime
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To: LibWhacker

Gotta say, I’ve ‘saved’ well over $700 in shipping costs, this year, alone.
Is there anything I bought via Amazon Prime that I could not have purchased elsewhere? Other than Kindle books, nope. But, living 25 miles from even small town shopping, it’s very easy to find things via Amazon that I may not find more locally.
I’ve used the video resource a few times; watched some movies that I would maybe not have easily found at other outlets. But none were gotta-see movies.
I did get a good price deal on many things, from dietary supplements to bare tools for the shop, from books to toys for the grandkids.
That free shipping makes it even more enticing, of course.

I think, though, that $119 is getting too steep. I’m good at $99. I’ll have to think this one over a bit.


41 posted on 04/28/2018 4:58:20 AM PDT by PubliusMM (RKBA; a matter of fact, not opinion. Mr Trump, we've got your six.)
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To: LibWhacker
I know it's easier said than done, but shipping is free with orders over $35 with NON Prime accounts. With some planning ahead and discipline you can save the $120. Other than watching Bosch on Prime Video we really don't use the streaming services. We may just dump Prime this year and just go with the Monthly plan Nov./Dec. for Holiday shopping.
42 posted on 04/28/2018 4:58:38 AM PDT by DAC21
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To: pepsionice

Alibaba is more like Ebay than Amazon, and all of the vendors are in China.


43 posted on 04/28/2018 4:58:40 AM PDT by yuleeyahoo (Those are my principles, and if you do not like them...well I have others. - Groucho Marx)
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To: LibWhacker

I definitely get my money’s worth, but I’ll be looking at Wal-Mart’s jet.com and doing a comparison over the next year. 10 bucks a month isn’t bad. I hate shopping, and the ability to go online, order, get it in two days is something I’ll pay for.


44 posted on 04/28/2018 5:00:51 AM PDT by ameribbean expat
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To: LibWhacker

“...whose perks range from free two-day shipping...”

Deceptive language.

1. The two-day shipping isn’t “free.” You’re paying $119 a year for it.
2. The use of the phrase “two day shipping” implies you’re going to get it in two days. Not true. “Two day shipping,” to Amazon, means two days AFTER they bother to ship your item to you. THAT may take a week or more.


45 posted on 04/28/2018 5:00:58 AM PDT by Pravious
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To: Manuel OKelley

Shipping is free from Walmart if you order $35.


46 posted on 04/28/2018 5:03:55 AM PDT by Wm F Buckley Republican (?)
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To: LibWhacker

I don’t care if Amazon paid me to become a member. Jeff Bezos is the enemy and I for one, will not make deals with the devil.


47 posted on 04/28/2018 5:05:31 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Google Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC ...)
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To: ameribbean expat

I like Wal-Mart mail ordering. Half the time they send me 2x the amount of stuff I ordered. Once I ordered Berkely polarized fishing glasses, a nice rimless design with amber lenses. They sent me six pairs in different lens coloring. $150 in sunglasses for a $25 order.


48 posted on 04/28/2018 5:05:49 AM PDT by Justa
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To: LibWhacker

I just gave it up before they announced their price increase.

Seems like they usually price their best prime deal at just a hair better than what a more direct/third source offers. And I don’t buy so much that those hairs better add up sufficiently.


49 posted on 04/28/2018 5:14:08 AM PDT by 9YearLurker
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To: mlizzy

I bought two 6 TB bare drives to populate a NAS server. One was legit, one was gray market. The merchant was crooked. Even though there were lots of complaints about the merchant, Amazon did not discipline them or fire them. That is the most disappointing thing I’ve found on Amazon — the failure to properly manage third party vendors even in the face of big complaint volume.

I’m struck by the number of complaints by conservatives about Bezos. He is the quintessential American success story and made it without government subsidies like Musk sucks up to make his fortune. Yes, Bezos’ politics are awful, but he has created an amazing enterprise that has changed the character of world wide retail in amazing ways. Early on he saw the e-commerce potential of the internet and took advantage of it. Whoever would have believed back when he was a BOOK seller that he would one day become the world’s richest man and make $12 BILLION in ONE day?


50 posted on 04/28/2018 5:16:40 AM PDT by ProtectOurFreedom
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To: Flycatcher; Chickensoup

Ditto. It astounds me to see so many freepers that place saving dollars above dealing with honorable Americans. In fact, it makes me sick.


51 posted on 04/28/2018 5:17:30 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Google Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC ...)
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To: CIB-173RDABN

Perhaps the one thing I like the best is there no hassle return policy. One email with complaint and a replacement is immediately sent out. Better than any brick and mortar store I have ever tried to return something to.””

BS? First Bezos is an international leftist pig. Obviously you have never shopped Walmart.


52 posted on 04/28/2018 5:19:53 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Google Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC ...)
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To: LibWhacker

Prime is still a good deal. Being able to use the Rewards Visa card to get 5 percent back on Whole Foods purchases alone is going to cover the extra free within a few months.


53 posted on 04/28/2018 5:20:33 AM PDT by erlayman (yw)
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To: LibWhacker
I have had a Prime membership for a couple of years. I think it's probably no longer worth it for me.

These days I use Amazon mostly as a way to research products by reading descriptions and reviews. Then I go to Ebay or somewhere else and buy the stuff. Walmart is actually pretty good for pricing and free and fast shipping.

I recently bought a Roku. There are many channels that offer free movies and TV shows. Amazon's selections are quite limited.

Amazon's music service (1,000,000 songs} sucks in comparison to GooglePlay (30,000,000 songs), which I already subscribe to.

Bezos is evil incarnate.

54 posted on 04/28/2018 5:20:38 AM PDT by KevinB (I do not care for this Obama fellow.)
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To: LibWhacker

I order stuff enough to cover the shipping.

I DO use the unlimited kindle to read trashy apocalypse series. They are fun.

Everyone has to do their own math. They will keep raising their prices until they switch to a monthly subscription service. Then they can inch up every year.


55 posted on 04/28/2018 5:21:51 AM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: ontap

I don’t like Amazons politics but I am addicted to it’s service. I have three or four deliveries each week so it is worth it to me!!!””

Yep, your soul has a cheap price. Sell to an international socialist pig.


56 posted on 04/28/2018 5:22:19 AM PDT by Neoliberalnot (MSM is our greatest threat. Disney, Comcast, Google Hollywood, NYTimes, WaPo, CNN, NBC, CBS, ABC ...)
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To: All

I enjoyed watching the Bosch series and the first season of Goliath.


57 posted on 04/28/2018 5:24:00 AM PDT by JonPreston (I post To: "All" because article posters rarely contribute to their own threads)
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To: Fai Mao

That is true, much easier to navigate Netflix than Amazon Prime streaming.


58 posted on 04/28/2018 5:27:00 AM PDT by ops33 (SMSgt, USAF, Retired)
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To: LibWhacker

I don’t like shopping so I use Amazon a lot, the wife likes to shop so she shops. My concern is Amazon benefits from people knowing more or less what they are getting because they’ve seen it in shops. So what happens when you can no longer see it because Amazon has broke all the retailers?

I know that’s a ways off, but for some products it may be closer than we’d like. I don’t know exactly where it’s headed but I think there’s cause for concern, and perhaps a little pause here and there.


59 posted on 04/28/2018 5:35:47 AM PDT by MrKatykelly (Hello)
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To: motoman

I’ve never really used Amazon a lot and still do a ton of my online shopping on eBay. And quite a few items on eBay are free shipping now.


60 posted on 04/28/2018 5:53:51 AM PDT by sheana
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