I can't sign up for Prime. They don't offer it in the country I'm in.
So this amounts to saying that they don't want my money. Very well; there are other options.
Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
31–40 of 145 posts
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#32Only seems to be the US site, at least for now!
It really makes no sense though!
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00KL4AROO/ref=s9_simh_g...
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#33Wait, what? This is ridiculous. Amazon is a shop first and foremost, and this is exactly the sort of thing that I'll drive me to other alternatives. It's especially silly for games, where the console manufacturers offer their own stores (both for digital and physical copies of the games). Heck, if you're buying them digital, it's about as little friction as using Amazon, since they have your payment details from othe…
It's not just games: I tried to buy a Panasonic bread machine on Amazon UK back in January but it was a 'Prime Exclusive'.
I bought it instead from Argos nearby for the same price.
A few days later it was no longer 'exclusive'. Presumably just more Amazon psychological experimentation.
Edit: model is SD-2500
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#34To be honest people shouldn't be complaining they can't get it from Amazon, but getting it from someone else It's that simple
Why not both? Complaining is useful to the target of the complaint (if they care to pay attention) and often gets results. I don't understand why so many people seem to think that complaining is somehow not a legitimate reaction to this sort of thing.
It is certainly a legitimate reaction
But as much as I like Amazon I'm not going to give them free consulting in such a divisive decision
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#35I can't sign up for Prime. They don't offer it in the country I'm in. So this amounts to saying that they don't want my money. Very well; there are other options.
Highly unlikely that they're going to implement this in countries that don't have Prime.
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#36I don't get it. As an incentive to sign up for Prime it makes no sense; Prime needs to offer me things I can't get elsewhere (or at least not for the same price), not return to me things that I can easily get elsewhere. I just spot-checked Amazon US's price for GTA 5, 39.88 [1], and it's the exact same price at Wal-Mart [2], so it's not an exclusive deal or something. (Nor did I spend several minutes hunting for a co…
My guess: - They cost more than the free shipping threshold, giving shipping away free - New games are low profit to begin with - Amazon sells enough of these that they are already in every distribution center - Every unit Amazon ships probably arrives in a "Prime" amount of time anyway, giving away expedited shipping for free This is just bringing some video game sales into alignment with what Amazon wanted Prime to…
> Every unit Amazon ships probably arrives in a "Prime" amount of time anyway, giving away expedited shipping for free
Just to add a note that this isn't always true. Sometimes they withhold shipping even though they have the item in stock at the nearby distribution center.
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#37I don't get it. As an incentive to sign up for Prime it makes no sense; Prime needs to offer me things I can't get elsewhere (or at least not for the same price), not return to me things that I can easily get elsewhere. I just spot-checked Amazon US's price for GTA 5, 39.88 [1], and it's the exact same price at Wal-Mart [2], so it's not an exclusive deal or something. (Nor did I spend several minutes hunting for a co…
My guess: - They cost more than the free shipping threshold, giving shipping away free - New games are low profit to begin with - Amazon sells enough of these that they are already in every distribution center - Every unit Amazon ships probably arrives in a "Prime" amount of time anyway, giving away expedited shipping for free This is just bringing some video game sales into alignment with what Amazon wanted Prime to…
Granted I don't buy video games with Prime, but my orders with free shipping due to price threshold tend to be significantly slower than Prime, often taking weeks for items of all Prime eligible items. I live in one of the 10 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S.
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#38Earlier quoted context omitted.
I never got Prime before because the cost would amortize to an expensive shipping rate for me based on how many orders I make. And I didn't need the other Prime benefits. But their hard selling it to the point of hostility to non-Prime customers (higher prices) has added an element of stubbornness to my objection to it. Both Prime and ordering on Amazon in general.
Once a user has Prime, they tend to order more from Amazon.
Well sure. If loyalty programs didn't overall favor the merchant, they wouldn't be offered.
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#39Is there a reason for non-console players to even buy in DVD form anymore, instead of Steam or similar markets? I mean, I get that if you live in Canada or Australia your bandwidth sucks and you have caps, but for most cases download speeds are way faster than DVD shipping speeds.
I've heard a few people express concerns around whether they actually own Steam games, and whether those games might suddenly be pulled or otherwise made unavailable without the courtesy of a purchase price refund.
I'm not entirely unsympathetic, but on the other hand, to the best of my knowledge that's never actually happened, so...
Re: Amazon blocks non-Prime members from buying certain video games
#40This seems oddly customer-hostile, which is something I've grown to expect from tech companies but not Amazon in specific. One can't help but wonder if the damage this does to the brand outweighs the strategic gains through Prime subscriptions. After all, selection and availability is a huge part of Amazon's secret sauce to success, more so than customer service, shipping speed, or any other concern. If customers los…
Amazon is the only place I have seen blatant user-targeted dark patterns. "Order within the next hour to ship today". Four hours later: "order within the next 2 hours to ship today". Never mind the lowest-bid delivery acting like this is the first package they've ever handled (a phone call, really?), or email spam from checking a price.
I believe a short time after a company acquires a reputation, customers develop a blind spot and you can count on reality being the opposite of that reputation.