Black Friday - Amazon.com Prime product price increases?

[Anonymous]

I'm a big user of ebates, amazon.com prime, and any other good online deals I can locate. Is it just me or has others noticed that the "free shipping" part of the prime membership is not as valuable as it once was? My sense is that amazon is backing back into the sale price the cost of shipment. So a case of dog food at the Petstore is $14.00 but the same case on amazon.com prime is $28.00. Or, for example Sodastream refills are as high as $14.95 on amazon.com but are (same size) $6.99 at local hardware store. Are others noticing this as well? Since I usually wait a while before putting in a large order, I get the feeling I am paying far too much in hidden shipping fees for items that are often shipped back to me in one box. Thoughts?

[Anonymous]

I havent noticed that at all. We only order things that make sense from amazon though - so things that are cheaper on there. Not everything is.

[Anonymous]

I think you are correct. I checked prices about a year ago and came to that conclusion.

[Anonymous]

Yup. I've noticed that too. Still, the the quick shipping is pretty valuable.

[Muslima]

I have been having issues with Amazon prime lately ( missing the 2 days shipping almost every time), showing items as delivered when they were never received. I am even thinking about canceling after years of basically doing most of my online shopping with them. Also, I've noticed that some items are very overpriced on Prime which is why I compare prices of things I am not familiar with on other sites first. They also do charge higher for the same item on Prime as opposed to if you're not a prime customer, I guess they do make you pay for that 2 day shipping after all, in addition to the prime fees. I am still using it because of the digital content, and mostly convenience but it's getting worse and worse by the years....

[Anonymous]

if you are a Prime member, are the prices reflected differently than for non-Prime members?

[Anonymous]

I too thought items were overpriced and decided I may as well go to the store to get certain products instead of buying them on Amazon. Between high prices and Amazon not delivering my packages on time (or at all) I dropped my prime a few months ago.

[Anonymous]

I have definitely noticed this, although I tend to see it from 3rd party sellers, not Amazon.com itself. It's the "marketplace," where Amazon fulfills the 3rd party orders, where the full cost of that Prime shipping is frequently folded into the price. You really have to be careful on Amazon - the 3rd party sellers are frequently a very bad deal and sometimes you have to dig to get your order from Amazon directly.

[Anonymous]

I've also gotten some "fakes" through third party sellers. I no longer completely trust Amazon. And I also keep in mind that many companies pay for good reviews - which is a bummer. It means I have to check other sites for reviews to double check what I'm purchasing.

[Anonymous]

It says right on the specific product pages on Amazon that Prime products may be more expensive than the same ones without Prime.

[Anonymous]

I have also noticed this which is interesting given the cost of Prime and the amazon ap that allows you to easily do a price compare when at a brick and mortar store.

[Anonymous]

Muslima wrote:I have been having issues with Amazon prime lately ( missing the 2 days shipping almost every time), showing items as delivered when they were never received. I am even thinking about canceling after years of basically doing most of my online shopping with them. Also, I've noticed that some items are very overpriced on Prime which is why I compare prices of things I am not familiar with on other sites first. They also do charge higher for the same item on Prime as opposed to if you're not a prime customer, I guess they do make you pay for that 2 day shipping after all, in addition to the prime fees. I am still using it because of the digital content, and mostly convenience but it's getting worse and worse by the years....

I call bullshit.

[Anonymous]

I don't have Prime for that reason. It doesn't make sense unless you leave in the boonies with little access to brick-and-mortar stores.

[Anonymous]

I think its always been the case that Amazon has ridiculously awesome prices on some things and ridiculously expensive prices on other things.

If you are a smart consumer you use them for the great prices and go elsewhere for other things. For common household items, I've found its generally hard to beat walmart.com.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Muslima wrote:I have been having issues with Amazon prime lately ( missing the 2 days shipping almost every time), showing items as delivered when they were never received. I am even thinking about canceling after years of basically doing most of my online shopping with them. Also, I've noticed that some items are very overpriced on Prime which is why I compare prices of things I am not familiar with on other sites first. They also do charge higher for the same item on Prime as opposed to if you're not a prime customer, I guess they do make you pay for that 2 day shipping after all, in addition to the prime fees. I am still using it because of the digital content, and mostly convenience but it's getting worse and worse by the years....

I call bullshit.

Not the first poster but it is true. Why would you think the poster would make it up? Amazon states on an item's page "Note: Available at a lower price from other sellers, potentially without free Prime shipping."