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I also love Prime.

However, the real prices on Amazon are not always the lowest and the quality is not always the best. The best Prime perk is, of course free 2-day shipping. This is because shipping has become outrageously expensive even while fuel costs have dropped.

I would like to see an analysis of shipping costs. How much goes for pensions and salaries in the big shipping companies and in the USPS? Why do these costs keep climbing?

A lot of non-Prime items offer their own free shipping, as do many sellers across the web. Others go to lengths to keep these costs reasonable. I find myself choosing other retailers more and more.

Shipping costs have always been used to boost margins. Since manufacturers and wholesalers have negotiated discounts, standard shipping rates add a significant margin. There is nothing devious about the practice, unless a person doesn't look at the total invoice cost. Amazon's "free" shipping is often built into the price as non-Prime vendors may offer the same item at a cheaper cost--all of which is relayed to the purchaser.

What is not always apparent is Amazon's "Dynamic" pricing. Is it just CRM, or Big Brother meets the Open Market?