Amazon Canada raises Free Shipping to $35 - Blu-ray Forum

uther · 09-23-2016, 12:12 AM

In case you did not read it in the other sub-forum:

http://business.financialpost.com/fp...rlier-u-s-move

Guess doing your own shipping is expensive.

Dex Robinson · 09-23-2016, 04:47 PM

Well, it's a bit unfortunate but I guess the writing was on the wall.

This will mean I have to "stretch" out orders for free shipping. I sometimes do that now...for example, I put "Salems Lot" (released a few days ago) in the same order as It Came From Outer Space and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken which come out next month. I'll have to do more waiting and order juggling.

Amazon has some oddly inefficient shipping practices. For example, I ordered a valve core tool as and "add-on" item for $2.38. But when the full order was shipped, I got a couple of Blu-rays from Ontario and the tiny little valve core tool shipped in a separate box (not envelope...but a box) from Richmond BC.

Do you remember back when amazon used to allow you to edit orders so that you could add and subtract items to an order before it shipped? That was very convenient. It you ordered something one day and then found something else the next day, you could combine them into the same order. Maybe it was too convenient.

erlinmeyer · 09-23-2016, 04:58 PM

Next thing you know, they'll raise Prime to $99 from $79.

uther · 09-24-2016, 01:39 PM

I am worried that Zeus, BB, WM & Hmv ($1) will increase the free shipping threshold as well.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dex Robinson

Well, it's a bit unfortunate but I guess the writing was on the wall.

This will mean I have to "stretch" out orders for free shipping. I sometimes do that now...for example, I put "Salems Lot" (released a few days ago) in the same order as It Came From Outer Space and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken which come out next month. I'll have to do more waiting and order juggling.

And Salems Lot is now $14.99 on Amazon Canada. Like you I wait but the prices go up and down a lot.

Quote:

Originally Posted by erlinmeyer

Next thing you know, they'll raise Prime to $99 from $79.

I was thinking that when I read the free shipping threshold changed.

ArrestedDevelopment · 09-24-2016, 04:54 PM

Our prime doesn't include streaming video and music like the US version. With that in mind, it's definitely not worth the $80 IMO.

uther · 09-24-2016, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArrestedDevelopment

Our prime doesn't include streaming video and music like the US version. With that in mind, it's definitely not worth the $80 IMO.

Amazon is probably thinking it's worth a $100+ now.

GP Legend · 09-24-2016, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ArrestedDevelopment

Our prime doesn't include streaming video and music like the US version. With that in mind, it's definitely not worth the $80 IMO.

The Canadian Amazon site doesn't even have digital music, which is even more pathetic.

Brandon K · 09-25-2016, 09:41 PM

It's annoying for sure. $25 was great. $35 is harder to hit.

It was a problem at $25 too but I guess I didn't notice it as much - when you have items that are priced just below $10, $15, $20, etc, you end up with a cart that's just cents shy of hitting the $35. They should really allow something like $33-$35.

Yeah, I definitely remember being able to add to orders that hadn't been shipped. Wanted to do that today, but customer service rep told me it wasn't possible.

I order way too much from Amazon, and yet for free shipping "group my items together," I always receive items separately. Perhaps they're shipping them from different distribution locations. But they would save a ton of money by consolidating my shipments.

They would also save a ton of money by packaging things correctly so that they don't get damaged. I don't want to know how many items I've returned to Amazon over the years. If they spent 2 more seconds to think about packaging things logically to protect them, I can only imagine they'd save... well, a lot of money. And then they could give us back the $25 free shipping.

uther · 09-25-2016, 10:52 PM

More like $10 Free Shipping would of been great.

uther · 10-02-2016, 11:08 PM

At least amazon has done one thing right, the giftcards now have larger print so I no longer literary need a magnify glass to read them.

rdodolak · 10-03-2016, 02:12 AM

At least it's not $65 CAD.

uther · 10-03-2016, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rdodolak

At least it's not $65 CAD.

For now.

llj · 10-03-2016, 07:07 PM

I guess for smaller purchases it's the marketplace for me now. Hopefully they don't raise the 3.49 shipping for those too.

uther · 10-04-2016, 01:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by llj

I guess for smaller purchases it's the marketplace for me now. Hopefully they don't raise the 3.49 shipping for those too.

Will you save or lose money doing that?

llj · 10-10-2016, 05:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uther

Will you save or lose money doing that?

It depends. The benefit of free shipping is buying multiple items and not having to pay a shipping charge for each item. But if it's $35 now and you're not spending that much per order, you might as well go for the marketplace where a: you don't have to pay HST and b: if you're getting 1 or 2 items, the marketplace sellers shipping charge for each item compared to the shipping charges Amazon requires you to pay is likely negligible for an under $35 purchase

Dex Robinson · 12-06-2016, 11:44 PM

I have to wonder what amazon.ca is up to with free shipping. Ok...it's free...I realize that doesn't put me at the front of the line but, nevertheless, it used to be pretty dependable. I'd get something a couple of days after ordering.

On Dec 3, I ordered two BDs. Both were in stock. Today (Dec 6), I got an email from amazon.ca. Both discs are still in stock (yay, no supply issues). And the delivery date is Wednesday, Dec. 28.

Huh? 25 days to deliver two IN STOCK Blu-rays?

At this point, there is very little incentive to order from amazon.ca. Their prices are generally about the same as many marketplace sellers but I preferred amazon because the truck trip from southern Ontario to Winnipeg was only two days. If it takes 3 to 4 weeks to get something from amazon, I may as well buy it from ImportCDs (or whoever).

BTW, yesterday (Dec 5), amazon.ca delivered my BD of Commando Cody. Pre-ordered on July 14, released on September 13. I only had to wait 8 weeks.

Brandon K · 01-20-2017, 08:26 AM

I usually have very good delivery times with Amazon.ca. Definitely haven't had the issues you've had Dex - that's insane. For a while now, they're delivering directly from some local distribution center or what-have-you in my area.

I do get occasional weirdness though.

Like I'll order a big order and get free shipping, and they'll split it up into half a dozen little shipments - at the same time - rather than shipping it all together at once. I suppose maybe they're shipping from different distribution centers, but that's got to eat out of their profits.

On the other hand, I'll order a big order and they won't ship it for a week. Then I'll place another order, and suddenly they'll ship them both together. It's as if they were waiting for me to place another order. They know me too well, I keep ordering stuff

I'll keep ordering with Amazon because their replacement policies for defective discs are SO hassle-free.

baheidstu · 02-04-2017, 05:41 AM

Amazon.ca are funny. I've been pre-ordering a lot of stuff and in order to get the free shipping, I've been adding in stock titles from my wishlist. Each and every time, I click that I'm willing to wait for the full order to be ready and each and every time, they send the in-stock item immediately. I don't have Prime and yet I've been receiving these items in two days. That's great, but isn't the whole point of saying I'm willing to wait so that they save money on sending stuff? Like I said, Amazon are funny.

JoeDeM · 02-07-2017, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by baheidstu

Amazon.ca are funny. I've been pre-ordering a lot of stuff and in order to get the free shipping, I've been adding in stock titles from my wishlist. Each and every time, I click that I'm willing to wait for the full order to be ready and each and every time, they send the in-stock item immediately. I don't have Prime and yet I've been receiving these items in two days. That's great, but isn't the whole point of saying I'm willing to wait so that they save money on sending stuff? Like I said, Amazon are funny.

I had a friend that worked at the warehouse, and he told me they do this so that they can charge your card for the in stock items right away, and get them out the door (cash flow), I don't think they really care about the shipping, the $35 limit is just to entice you to spend more.

uther · 02-08-2017, 03:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

I had a friend that worked at the warehouse, and he told me they do this so that they can charge your card for the in stock items right away, and get them out the door (cash flow), I don't think they really care about the shipping, the $35 limit is just to entice you to spend more.

And to fork over $80 for Prime.

09-23-2016, 12:12 AM	#1
uther Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	Amazon Canada raises Free Shipping to $35 In case you did not read it in the other sub-forum: http://business.financialpost.com/fp...rlier-u-s-move Guess doing your own shipping is expensive.

09-23-2016, 04:47 PM	#2
Dex Robinson Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2012 Location:Winnipeg, Canada Trading Score:1	Well, it's a bit unfortunate but I guess the writing was on the wall. This will mean I have to "stretch" out orders for free shipping. I sometimes do that now...for example, I put "Salems Lot" (released a few days ago) in the same order as It Came From Outer Space and The Ghost and Mr. Chicken which come out next month. I'll have to do more waiting and order juggling. Amazon has some oddly inefficient shipping practices. For example, I ordered a valve core tool as and "add-on" item for $2.38. But when the full order was shipped, I got a couple of Blu-rays from Ontario and the tiny little valve core tool shipped in a separate box (not envelope...but a box) from Richmond BC. Do you remember back when amazon used to allow you to edit orders so that you could add and subtract items to an order before it shipped? That was very convenient. It you ordered something one day and then found something else the next day, you could combine them into the same order. Maybe it was too convenient.

09-23-2016, 04:58 PM	#3
erlinmeyer Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Jun 2009 Location:Minnesota 4K collection:713 Blu-ray collection:5088 DVD collection:427 MA collection:1726 Digital collection:1776 iTunes collection:2606 iTunes music:732 Prime collection:1300 Blu-ray reviews: 9 Trading Score:11	Next thing you know, they'll raise Prime to $99 from $79.

09-24-2016, 04:54 PM	#5
ArrestedDevelopment Banned Top contributor Member since:Jul 2009 Location:The O.C. 4K collection:491 Blu-ray collection:1624 DVD collection:68	Our prime doesn't include streaming video and music like the US version. With that in mind, it's definitely not worth the $80 IMO.

09-25-2016, 09:41 PM	#8
Brandon K Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Dec 2015 Location:Canada 4K collection:40 Blu-ray collection:1016 DVD collection:23 Blu-ray reviews:13 Trading Score:8	It's annoying for sure. $25 was great. $35 is harder to hit. It was a problem at $25 too but I guess I didn't notice it as much - when you have items that are priced just below $10, $15, $20, etc, you end up with a cart that's just cents shy of hitting the $35. They should really allow something like $33-$35. Yeah, I definitely remember being able to add to orders that hadn't been shipped. Wanted to do that today, but customer service rep told me it wasn't possible. I order way too much from Amazon, and yet for free shipping "group my items together," I always receive items separately. Perhaps they're shipping them from different distribution locations. But they would save a ton of money by consolidating my shipments. They would also save a ton of money by packaging things correctly so that they don't get damaged. I don't want to know how many items I've returned to Amazon over the years. If they spent 2 more seconds to think about packaging things logically to protect them, I can only imagine they'd save... well, a lot of money. And then they could give us back the $25 free shipping.

09-25-2016, 10:52 PM	#9
uther Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	More like $10 Free Shipping would of been great.

10-02-2016, 11:08 PM	#10
uther Blu-ray Guru Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:1	At least amazon has done one thing right, the giftcards now have larger print so I no longer literary need a magnify glass to read them.

10-03-2016, 02:12 AM	#11
rdodolak Blu-ray Prince Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 4K collection:880 Blu-ray collection:3733 DVD collection:939 MA collection:338 Digital collection:1099 iTunes collection:75 Prime collection:11 Trading Score:20	At least it's not $65 CAD.

10-03-2016, 07:07 PM	#13
llj Power Member Member since:Sep 2012	I guess for smaller purchases it's the marketplace for me now. Hopefully they don't raise the 3.49 shipping for those too.

12-06-2016, 11:44 PM	#16
Dex Robinson Blu-ray Guru Member since:Feb 2012 Location:Winnipeg, Canada Trading Score:1	I have to wonder what amazon.ca is up to with free shipping. Ok...it's free...I realize that doesn't put me at the front of the line but, nevertheless, it used to be pretty dependable. I'd get something a couple of days after ordering. On Dec 3, I ordered two BDs. Both were in stock. Today (Dec 6), I got an email from amazon.ca. Both discs are still in stock (yay, no supply issues). And the delivery date is Wednesday, Dec. 28. Huh? 25 days to deliver two IN STOCK Blu-rays? At this point, there is very little incentive to order from amazon.ca. Their prices are generally about the same as many marketplace sellers but I preferred amazon because the truck trip from southern Ontario to Winnipeg was only two days. If it takes 3 to 4 weeks to get something from amazon, I may as well buy it from ImportCDs (or whoever). BTW, yesterday (Dec 5), amazon.ca delivered my BD of Commando Cody. Pre-ordered on July 14, released on September 13. I only had to wait 8 weeks.

01-20-2017, 08:26 AM	#17
Brandon K Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:Dec 2015 Location:Canada 4K collection:40 Blu-ray collection:1016 DVD collection:23 Blu-ray reviews:13 Trading Score:8	I usually have very good delivery times with Amazon.ca. Definitely haven't had the issues you've had Dex - that's insane. For a while now, they're delivering directly from some local distribution center or what-have-you in my area. I do get occasional weirdness though. Like I'll order a big order and get free shipping, and they'll split it up into half a dozen little shipments - at the same time - rather than shipping it all together at once. I suppose maybe they're shipping from different distribution centers, but that's got to eat out of their profits. On the other hand, I'll order a big order and they won't ship it for a week. Then I'll place another order, and suddenly they'll ship them both together. It's as if they were waiting for me to place another order. They know me too well, I keep ordering stuff I'll keep ordering with Amazon because their replacement policies for defective discs are SO hassle-free.

02-04-2017, 05:41 AM	#18
baheidstu Banned Top contributor Member since:Jun 2012 Blu-ray reviews:2 Trading Score:36	Amazon.ca are funny. I've been pre-ordering a lot of stuff and in order to get the free shipping, I've been adding in stock titles from my wishlist. Each and every time, I click that I'm willing to wait for the full order to be ready and each and every time, they send the in-stock item immediately. I don't have Prime and yet I've been receiving these items in two days. That's great, but isn't the whole point of saying I'm willing to wait so that they save money on sending stuff? Like I said, Amazon are funny.

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