Amazon...now $25 min purchase

[Phil in ocala]

Your Account Amazon.com
Message From Customer Service
Hello,

Add-on Items can be purchased as part of orders that have at least $25 of items shipped by Amazon, excluding gift cards and textbook rentals. You can tell if a product is an Add-on Item by the "Add-on Item" badge found on the item detail page, when searching for items, and during checkout.

To order one of these items, include it in an order with $25 or more of the millions of items shipped by Amazon, excluding gift cards. The order can be made up entirely of Add-on Items or can be a combination of Add-on Items and other products.

 

[Apple_Robert]

This has been policy for a long time.

 

[Phil in ocala]

did not know that....I think that sucks.

 

[mollyc]

Yup, this isn't new. Only certain items are considered Add-On. You can still usually buy a $5 book, for instance, with no shipping if you are a Prime member. Anything directly from Amazon.

It actually works out better this way, because previously you would have had to pay shipping on these items, as they typically come from third party sellers. As part of a "bundle" you don't have to pay any shipping.

ETA: looks like this has been around since 2012.

https://www.reddit.com/r/amazon/comments/yaeo5/wtf_add_on_items/

 

[ActionableMango]

I'm pretty sure this policy is due to my friend, who would second-day-air a $1.50 pack of cotton balls, back when it was free to do so via Prime.

 

[samiwas]

did not know that....I think that sucks.

It's a minimum $25 purchase in order to get an add-on item shipped for free. It's not a $25 minimum overall. I can still go on and order any number of items for well under $25. But, if I want to order a 2-pack of Sharpies, they aren't going to ship those for free unless I spend enough money on the site.

 

[drewsof07]

They did make a change to at least count the add-on items toward the total. When Add-ons were new, you couldn't order $25 worth and qualify for free shipping.

 

[Huntn]

If they don’t care if customers buy Add Ons, that’s their problem. I won’t buy extra to qualify to buy an add on, which would be silly. You are ordering something that most likely goes in a box, either include it or add a nominal shipping fee to cover it.

 

[LizKat]

Amazon is forever tweaking this or that policy with respect to shipping fees. They're now moving to a subscription fee model with their Prime Pantry setup.

It used to be if you were a Prime member then you could use "Prime Pantry" as a filter to shop for a range of shelf-stable / nonperishable grocery and household items, fill up a box that maxes out at 45 pounds with certain dimension restrictions as well (they use an appropriate size box for smaller orders) and they'd ship it for a fixed $6 fee. Ground shipping, not guaranteed two-day. So it would be 1-4 days.

Now Amazon is rolling out a subscription model... where Prime members can sign up for a separate membership in Prime Pantry, incurring a monthly fee of $5, and then if you load up on at least $40 during a "Prime Pantry" expedition, the shipping is free... still ground shipping, so 1-4 days. And same as before, items not marked "Prime Pantry" that you stick in a cart while trying to load up a Prime Pantry box will get shipped separately, not in the pantry shipment.

"It's complicated",,, yeah. If you limit your choices to pantry items, but you don't spend the $40 pantry box minimum, even if you opt in for the monthly membership of $5, then a pantry box will now ship for $8.

Yep, that's the punchline. One box ships for 8 bucks now, not 6, unless you opt for a $5 per month sub (and make the $40 min buy). I guess if you expected to shop Prime Pantry a few times a month it could seem reasonable. The caveat is that Prime Pantry stuff is not generic, it's brand names so you're already possibly paying a little more for stuff if you sometimes buy store brands at a supermarket. Clearly this gig is about convenience, not your budget.

Walmart on the other hand does keep it pretty simple and offers free shipping for $35 of groceries not marked "In Store Purchase Only". All you need is an online account and plastic to pay for the order. It's also your option to pick it up curbside at a specified local store free of extra charge.

If you're not inclined to use either of these services very often then the Walmart option can seem attractive. I resorted to that a couple times during the spate of nor'easters we had, when I couldn't even dig my car out of the snow no matter that the guy had finally managed to plow the driveways. They delivered via FedEx to my back porch in 2 days both times.

 

[jerwin]

Amazon is trying to move away from a model in which Prime makes economic sense towards a model in which Prime is sold for its convenience factor.

Hey-- it worked for Ticketmaster.

 

[BarracksSi]

I'm pretty sure this policy is due to my friend, who would second-day-air a $1.50 pack of cotton balls, back when it was free to do so via Prime.

WHY do people do this? Is the pharmacy really too far away? I think some gas stations sell cotton balls, too.

If your friend is disabled and can't leave the house, then I take my comment back... but it bugs me when people order stuff online -- and through a behemoth like Amazon -- instead of going down the road to the store and sustaining the local economy.

 

[ActionableMango]

WHY do people do this? Is the pharmacy really too far away? I think some gas stations sell cotton balls, too.

If your friend is disabled and can't leave the house, then I take my comment back... but it bugs me when people order stuff online -- and through a behemoth like Amazon -- instead of going down the road to the store and sustaining the local economy.

I can answer that. Well not really for cotton balls, but in general. It's convenience and price.

For example buying quality pet food...going to the pet store costs more and takes an hour of my day. On Amazon it costs less, doesn't use my car, and takes 3 minutes. In fact, since I use "subscribe and save", it takes 0 minutes. On Amazon I can look through the reviews and see things like warnings about a pet food made in China very badly (or whatever)...I won't get that at a physical store.

Arguably it is also more efficient for packages to be delivered on a truck that's already doing the rounds then it would be for me to make individual trips to each of the stores I need to get items from. That's less traffic, less gasoline, less pollution, less car maintenance, and less risk of an accident.

Also there are many items not available locally or even in the country, so I don't have much choice but to go online. I find myself frequently ordering from Amazon UK, France, Germany, and Japan. Just yesterday I got a shipment from Amazon UK for items not available here.

And lastly I happen to be in Seattle, so in my case it's moot since Amazon IS the local economy, in a huge way. Three of my friends have either worked there or currently work there. Amazon is a major employer, it has revitalized pockets of Seattle, and it sponsors/donates to many local things. (Also, because Amazon has always been in my state since day 1, purchasing from Amazon instead of from "brick and mortar" has never been a way for us to avoid paying sales tax.) On a related note, if you order from "smile.amazon.com", 0.5% of the purchase price goes to a charity of your choice (over 1 million to select from), which includes local charities.

 

[kazmac]

Amazon is forever tweaking this or that policy with respect to shipping fees. They're now moving to a subscription fee model with their Prime Pantry setup.

It used to be if you were a Prime member then you could use "Prime Pantry" as a filter to shop for a range of shelf-stable / nonperishable grocery and household items, fill up a box that maxes out at 45 pounds with certain dimension restrictions as well (they use an appropriate size box for smaller orders) and they'd ship it for a fixed $6 fee. Ground shipping, not guaranteed two-day. So it would be 1-4 days.

Now Amazon is rolling out a subscription model... where Prime members can sign up for a separate membership in Prime Pantry, incurring a monthly fee of $5, and then if you load up on at least $40 during a "Prime Pantry" expedition, the shipping is free... still ground shipping, so 1-4 days. And same as before, items not marked "Prime Pantry" that you stick in a cart while trying to load up a Prime Pantry box will get shipped separately, not in the pantry shipment.

"It's complicated",,, yeah. If you limit your choices to pantry items, but you don't spend the $40 pantry box minimum, even if you opt in for the monthly membership of $5, then a pantry box will now ship for $8.

Yep, that's the punchline. One box ships for 8 bucks now, not 6, unless you opt for a $5 per month sub (and make the $40 min buy). I guess if you expected to shop Prime Pantry a few times a month it could seem reasonable. The caveat is that Prime Pantry stuff is not generic, it's brand names so you're already possibly paying a little more for stuff if you sometimes buy store brands at a supermarket. Clearly this gig is about convenience, not your budget.

Walmart on the other hand does keep it pretty simple and offers free shipping for $35 of groceries not marked "In Store Purchase Only". All you need is an online account and plastic to pay for the order. It's also your option to pick it up curbside at a specified local store free of extra charge.

If you're not inclined to use either of these services very often then the Walmart option can seem attractive. I resorted to that a couple times during the spate of nor'easters we had, when I couldn't even dig my car out of the snow no matter that the guy had finally managed to plow the driveways. They delivered via FedEx to my back porch in 2 days both times.

Amazon get more skanky by the month. I never use pantry anyway, but thank you for posting this. Recently discovered they raise and lower prices depending on location and income of the user. Nice that Walmart gave you that option and delivered during those Nor'Easters. We're due for another storm on Wednesday. What season is this anyway?

 

[NoBoMac]

It's convenience and price.
[...]
On Amazon it costs less, doesn't use my car, and takes 3 minutes.
[...]
And lastly I happen to be in Seattle, so in my case it's moot since Amazon IS the local economy, in a huge way.

I used to purchase an eye health supplement from Target, their generic "Up & Up" version of it. For a year or two now, the Targets usually do not have them in stock, and when they do, are pricier than Amazon for similar quantity. Now spread this "problem" out across other products. Bad inventory management/shelf stocking, I'm now driving to some other Target to see if they have it. Rinse/repeat at that Target. And even their online site is not good on reporting actual inventory, to help minimize driving around. So as ActionableMango stated, in a couple of minutes, I can get what I need and cheaper in a somewhat more eco-friendly manner.

Though I try to do my best to support local economy (eg. getting my coffee from the little guy that's roasting their own beans vs. the behemoth from Seattle), at times, the local store(s) make it difficult to spend more with them than already spending.

And the "local economy" gets a little murky, imo. Some variables to throw into the mix are what is that retailer paying their employees? Affordable health insurance? Vacation/PTO policy? Is the retailer donating back to the community? Some do better than others, but the bulk of the money is most likely going back to a corporate HQ that is probably not in the local area.

In the case of Amazon, they are becoming more a part of the "local economy", what with the giant warehouses they build across the country, local delivery persons to get the package to the door. And don't forget, they now own Whole Foods, so, they are brick & mortaring in communities.

 

[BarracksSi]

I used to purchase an eye health supplement from Target, their generic "Up & Up" version of it. For a year or two now, the Targets usually do not have them in stock, and when they do, are pricier than Amazon for similar quantity. Now spread this "problem" out across other products. Bad inventory management/shelf stocking, I'm now driving to some other Target to see if they have it. Rinse/repeat at that Target. And even their online site is not good on reporting actual inventory, to help minimize driving around. So as ActionableMango stated, in a couple of minutes, I can get what I need and cheaper in a somewhat more eco-friendly manner.

Though I try to do my best to support local economy (eg. getting my coffee from the little guy that's roasting their own beans vs. the behemoth from Seattle), at times, the local store(s) make it difficult to spend more with them than already spending.

And the "local economy" gets a little murky, imo. Some variables to throw into the mix are what is that retailer paying their employees? Affordable health insurance? Vacation/PTO policy? Is the retailer donating back to the community? Some do better than others, but the bulk of the money is most likely going back to a corporate HQ that is probably not in the local area.

In the case of Amazon, they are becoming more a part of the "local economy", what with the giant warehouses they build across the country, local delivery persons to get the package to the door. And don't forget, they now own Whole Foods, so, they are brick & mortaring in communities.

Sure...


... but a $1.50 pack of cotton balls?

 

[jeyf]

Shopping on amazon is harsh, eBay can be better. eBay product descriptions are better. eBay "buy now" is stress free.