131–140 of 151 posts
It sounds like Amazon is losing $11 per year on Prime customers, so why do they continue this promotion?
"Losing" was the wrong word there. They are spending $11 to acquire $500 of increased business. Even with a 3% profit margin, that's a net gain.
"82% of Prime members buy on Amazon even if the item is less expensive somewhere else" The supposed "source" referenced another study (sans link), so I can't get the answer to the obvious question: Was "less expensive" computed using the marginal cost to the customer of this particular purchase? Meaning, do other sites offer the widget for a few dollars less but charge a lot for 2nd day shipping? I'm a Prime customer…
I'm personally fine with NOT buying at a cheaper merchant somewhere else because I know: - Amazon ships fast - Sending things back to Amazon is free and fully automated - If something breaks in a year, Amazon will usually replace it without a big hassle - I don't have to get another account at another merchant that will save my password and credit card data in plaintext - Amazon packaging is great - ... There is more…
"82% of Prime members buy on Amazon even if the item is less expensive somewhere else" The supposed "source" referenced another study (sans link), so I can't get the answer to the obvious question: Was "less expensive" computed using the marginal cost to the customer of this particular purchase? Meaning, do other sites offer the widget for a few dollars less but charge a lot for 2nd day shipping? I'm a Prime customer…
In addition to the free shipping on 2 day delivery or the $4 next day delivery we purchase a lot from amazon on our chase/amazon credit card due to the 3% cash back on purchases from amazon. We pay the card off every month and then by the time Christmas rolls around we have tons of points to redeem. We also typically buy gas (2% back) and a few other large recurring monthly expenses on the card for the 1% cash back.…
The 2% gas (& food?) / 1% everything is the same as any other (good) card.
Also yes, pay it off immediately. Not paying off any credit card immediately is insane, because the interest rates on basically all credit cards is abysmal. There are a lot of credit cards that will have 0% intro periods, but then the standard 10~15% rate after that. I've never seen one with an actual low interest rate (and if you think about it, why in hell would anyone offer such a card?) - correct me if I'm wrong though.
Treat it like a debit card, but enjoy the benefits of building a credit score.
Luke has some good stuff out there, but it's all guts. Very little to none formal work.
"82% of Prime members buy on Amazon even if the item is less expensive somewhere else" The supposed "source" referenced another study (sans link), so I can't get the answer to the obvious question: Was "less expensive" computed using the marginal cost to the customer of this particular purchase? Meaning, do other sites offer the widget for a few dollars less but charge a lot for 2nd day shipping? I'm a Prime customer…
I think the other thing that's missing from this is that Amazon's customer service is really very good. I'll spend the extra dollars buying something from Amazon than, say, one of their third-party merchants, because I know Amazon will take care of me if anything bad happens.
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In addition to the free shipping on 2 day delivery or the $4 next day delivery we purchase a lot from amazon on our chase/amazon credit card due to the 3% cash back on purchases from amazon. We pay the card off every month and then by the time Christmas rolls around we have tons of points to redeem. We also typically buy gas (2% back) and a few other large recurring monthly expenses on the card for the 1% cash back.…
The extra 2% back (assuming 1% from another card) is nice. While I do this as well, it does not end up making an impact on most stuff when I run the numbers. Combined with the shipping & customer service convenience though... :) The 2% gas (& food?) / 1% everything is the same as any other (good) card. Also yes, pay it off immediately. Not paying off any credit card immediately is insane, because the interest rates o…
I've been a Prime member since its inception and am always amazed at how much time and money I save by not having to leave the house to shop.
Books, electronics, cleaning supplies, toothpaste - anything I can get through Amazon, I get through Amazon.
Bonus - now the Prime membership includes Amazon Instant Video.
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You don't need to leave the house. When you return something Amazon gives you the option to drop off or have UPS pickup the package the next day.
As far as I know, they'll only do that for really expensive items. I've never been given the pickup option for my returns (the most expensive was worth a bit under $300).
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I generally wish I could go to the site and not even see non-Amazon warehoused items- effectively always keeping the "prime only" box checked. I like buying from Amazon, not the marketplace. It's also confusing for the non-savvy user.
There probably is an option somewhere for that. It's just that the Amazon site is so awfully designed and ugly... (For years I would read how Amazon pioneered A/B testing and measured statistics on every pixel of its site and tweaked out the wazoo, and I would wonder how this was possible given that the site was a chaotic mess that actively impeded me when shopping there - could my sense of what is effective and attr…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As far as I know, they'll only do that for really expensive items. I've never been given the pickup option for my returns (the most expensive was worth a bit under $300).
I've seen it for a variety of items, but I'm in downtown Manhattan- I suspect the economies of scale make a difference here.
I can order by 9AM and, for just $3.99, have it delivered that same day.
The first time I did this, I forgot I even had Prime, so I was ready to pay for that for 3-5 day shipping. What a pleasant surprise that was!