Amazon Prime --- Worth It?

[5thwheeleroldma]

Little uncertain which forum. Is the Amazon prime worth it? Not every thing you purchase is eligible, right? Not everything is eligible for 2 day shipping? Are the books in the free Kindle lending library really good, or just junk? I wonder if all theses exclusions would apply to most things I might purchase, or only to a rare few.

I just paid $35 shipping for a couple things, but not sure if they would have been "free". I figure saving the $99 annual fee might be close for me, but not sure.

[Aridon]

You get free super saver shipping on orders over $35 so unless you NEED it in 2 days, Prime isn't really worth the money spent.

If you want streaming Netflix is better is almost every say with the exception of Nickelodeon shows.

[scbwr]

We use the Prime benefits a LOT! We do a lot of streaming, and I've ordered lots of stuff eligible for the Prime free shipping. The free Prime books are certainly not the best....so that depends on what you like to read. If they still offer a free trial period, take advantage of it and see if it will work for you!

[Simplygib]

I love Prime. Not crazy about the price increase but I will renew anyway. I rarely stream Amazon movies and don't have a Kindle, but I buy lots of things from Amazon and 95% of the time find what I'm looking for is Prime eligible. The fact that you can share the membership with up to 4 household members (not necessarily family) is a big benefit as well. I share the membership with two others. At $33/year each, it's a no brainer considering the amount of things we buy from them.

[knshook]

I love Amazon Prime and the price increase doesn't change my opinion. I like the Kindle lending library, streaming movies -but most of all I love the convenience of being able to order and know that it will be here in two days, and in some cases 1 day. If I need to return an item they have great return policy....often free. I ordered an Atlas that I didn't like because it wasn't easy to turn pages. When I went online to start return they told me that because I was a good customer I could keep the atlas at no charge. It was only a 17:00 item but they didn't have to do that. I have even found items that I couldn't find anywhere else e.g I couldn't find Nestle Coffee Mate-Hazelnut (sugar free) in any store in our area.; it seemed they all stopped carrying it at the same time.I went online and found the product -so I ordered six and it cost less than what I had been paying when available in our area. I've had the same good fortune with other products. It's also great way to send gifts to far away family members; I store their addresses on my account and when I order I pick correct address and it's shipped....great if you happen to forget a birthday,etc until too late to shop. It's happened! IMO,Amazon has the best customer service of any business!

[kjburns]

I think it's worth every penny. There are so many obscure things I find there instead of searching local stores and I don't have to leave the house. They have warehouses nearby so many deliveries are next day, including a heavy exercise bike I bought there. Even with the free shipping, their prices are usually the best I can find.

[Gunship_Guy]

It's worth it to us. We just renewed at the $79 rate but it will go up to $99 next year.

We order a lot through Amazon. I'm guessing over 90% of our online purchases are through them, including most every rv-related purchase. In fact, I'm having 6 packages of rv stuff delivered to us this week. We've more than recovered the $79 fee in shipping alone. The streaming movies included with Prime are also a plus.

We've been Prime members since the day Amazon started the program. Will continue.

Adding to what zesty said above...I ordered tools from Amazon that were suppose to be delivered in 2 days. On day 4 I called inquiring as to where they were. They apologized and sent another set. Turns out, we weren't home on day 2 and FedEx left the package with our neighbor. The neighbor forget it was in their garage and brought it over after the second set arrived. I called Amazon to send the second set back. They told me to just keep it.

[zesty]

I'm a big fan of Amazon and their Prime service. Other than the reasons already listed, Amazon stands by what they sell. Returns are easy and if something breaks later, they'll be reasonable about making it right.

A couple extreme examples:
They replaced a Kindle three times, it was abused and out of warranty a couple times. They replaced car seats after a wreck, for free! We didn't complain or push for these replacements. We just called to ask and they offered. I'm an Amazon lifer.

[mlts22]

Worth it for me, although I try to shop locally when possible to keep the shops in business.

[RV_CONUS]

Tried the free intro a couple of times, did not pay for me.

I use the wish list function for things I don't need right away, and when it meets free shipping eligibility, I may order it then or wait until there is something I reallllllly need then take items from the wish list to meet free shipping. Works for me.

If I need something in an emergency, I look locally! Price comparison is also important. Sometimes Amazon is cheaper, sometimes, Not!

Anyway, that's how it works for me. I don't do much streaming, although the bluray is setup for internet access through my cellphone hotspot.

Every-body's needs are different!

Where you sit depends upon what you see!

[Iraqvet05]

It's still worth it to me. I place small orders on a regular basis that wouldn't qualify for the non-Prime mimimum of $35 to qualify for free shipping. I can even send Prime shipments to family members who don't shop on the internet. My wife is a big Kindle user and the kids ocasionally find something to watch on Prime video but to me, the content on Prime video does not compare to Netflix or Hulu...most of the content on Prime video is old.

[Jayco23FB]

Its worth it for me. I can order small parts the are not available locally. Normally the cost of shipping would prohibit buying small (electronic) parts online.

[AprilWhine]

I think it's a bargain! 😉 Have been a member since Prime only covered free two day shipping.

Let's break it down:

I am an active traveler and don't want to just sit in one place waiting ten days for a package. I usually order several things a month from Amazon but if I only ordered twice a month and upgraded to two day shipping, assuming it cost $5 per shipment that would work out to $120 per year.

Amazon streaming video is comparable to Netflix streaming, which costs $8 per month or $96 per year.

If you own a Kindle, you are also eligible for the Kindle lending library, one book per month, and the Kindle first program, a free ebook to keep once per month. The lending library is not new releases but had many best sellers: Kindle Lending Library. Kindle First is a choice of one of four books offered pre-release. I figure this is worth at least $5 per month or $60 per year.

And none of these cover the intangible advantage of not burning gas to go to a store. We were in an RV park in Pt Mugu, CA when the water pump failed on the bus. Two days later, we had the very rare part in hand without going all over on a wild goose chase.

So for me, I'm getting $276 worth of goods and services for $99. If you tend to stay parked for long periods of time, don't watch streaming video and/or don't own a Kindle, it might not be worth the price to you.

[fj12ryder]

Prime isn't worth it to me. There are enough things I plan to buy, but don't need immediately, that I can hit $35 for free shipping. I hate paying for shipping, and paying for Prime is paying for shipping. Their selection of movies is very limited, and I have plenty of books from the library so their Prime lending isn't a plus for me.

The other thing is that Amazon isn't always the cheapest place to buy. Many time you can beat their price even with the free shipping. If you have Prime I think you may just go ahead and order from them without checking to see if they are the cheapest. If I can't find an item with free shipping at Amazon I will buy elsewhere, since they are almost always higher than other places when you don't figure in free shipping.

[Teamfour]

I only pay $45 since I am a college student (yes at 54 years old). I use Amazon Prime a lot, so even at $99 it would be worth it. It is great for large items where the shipping would be $$$.

Edited to add: one of the Amazon shipping warehouses is a couple of miles from me. If I order on a weekday, I typically get delivery the next day. I even ordered an item once on a Saturday, and it was delivered by courier Sunday morning. The warehouse tends to use a courier instead of regular carrier for their local orders.

[jcpainter]

How much you will order is definitely the key. Another factor to consider is how you travel. I joined several years ago because we were changing locations frequently and it was comforting to know we could receive ordered items in two days.

Also, it's amazing how many things you can find and order through them. I buy almost everything (except food an clothing) from Amazon. The streaming videos are nice when we have good internet service (at home or at our winter location where we have DSL). You can also download (instead of streaming) rental videos so you can watch while you are on the road when you don't have suitable internet service or good TV.

One more thing, you can add family members to your Prime service for no extra charge.

I hated to see their recent price increase, but we all know what shipping prices have done in the past few years . . . so it's understandable that they can't operate in the red and stay in business.