Amazon Moves slew of PS4/XBOne games and Movies behind Prime

[R3P0]

Amazon has some serious ca hones here, they just moved a slew of PS4 games behind the prime wall.

http://www.amazon.com/Grand-Theft-Au...keywords=GTA+V

Want it tomorrow, April 23? Order within 4 hrs 52 mins and choose Saturday Delivery at checkout. Details
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com exclusively for Prime members. Details



Amazon Statement below

One of the benefits of Amazon's Prime program is that it gives members exclusive access to some items. This selection includes a rotating roster of popular video games, Blu-rays, and DVDs. Non-Prime members in the US can't buy titles like Oscar-winning "Birdman" on Blu-ray or "GTA V" for PS4 from Amazon.

Non-Prime Amazon UK users at IBTimes UK can confirm that Dishonored: Definitive Edition, Elder Scrolls Online, Assassin's Creed Syndicate, Far Cry Primal, Battlefield Hardline, Minecraft, Shadow of Mordor and Rainbow Six: Siege are among those effected by the change across various platforms.

[Goodintentions]

so its okder games that most of who wanted to begin with already have.

[Havok83]

Amazon can go screw themselves I wonder how many customers they have lost over the years. Probably doesnt matter bc the amount they've gained from pushing Prime, buffered that. I started shopping with them less when they started collecting tax, then raised Prime to $35, and now $49. Now all this Prime exclusive crap is BS. They really are becoming anti-consumer.

[Chrissaywer]

Originally Posted by Havok83

Amazon can go screw themselves I wonder how many customers they have lost over the years. Probably doesnt matter bc the amount they've gained from pushing Prime, buffered that. I started shopping with them less when they started collecting tax, then raised Prime to $35, and now $49. Now all this Prime exclusive crap is BS. They really are becoming anti-consumer.

I only use Amazon when a movie is coming that I know ain't going to be carried in stores.

[Destinys Memory]

Have said it before, will continue to say it:

If you shop Amazon with any amount of regularity and are not already a Prime member, you're doing it wrong.

Plenty of other options available if you feel Prime is "too expensive".

[ArmyOfDarknessAW]

With the prices they offer I couldn't care less. I pay to be a member of Sam's Club and I get a cheaper price for a larger amount than I would at another store. They just seems to be shifting to that type of way of thinking. I know most will disagree.

[Psybits]

wow...just wow

Oh well...I get all my games from BestBuy anyway because of GCU and rewards points.

So the question now is...will BestBuy pricematch Prime only pricing?

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Havok83

Amazon can go screw themselves I wonder how many customers they have lost over the years. Probably doesnt matter bc the amount they've gained from pushing Prime, buffered that. I started shopping with them less when they started collecting tax, then raised Prime to $35, and now $49. Now all this Prime exclusive crap is BS. They really are becoming anti-consumer.

They cannot control states forcing them to collect tax.

USPS raised rates, thus even with their discount shipping in general is higher so they raised their rates to get better shipping rates.

Prime Exclusive is helping deter buyers from just getting an item that isn't making them any money and is not cost effective to mail at standard rates.

While the changes are crappy for non-Prime members, people should realize a business is in it to make a profit and if they wish to continue to expand their business they have to make some changes that keeps them in the black. If they continue one thing and stay in the red they won't be around long.

[silentblu]

Testing to go members only?

[Mavrick]

Haha I read this earlier. They already have the cheek to charge for delivery to non prime members when it's been free for as long as I can remember and now they paywall actual products too? This is crazy, I'm a retailer and make money by selling products to consumers, but I'm not going to sell this product to you. Not unless you pay us for the privilege first.

Yeah, that's not how retail works.

To be fair I rarely if ever shop on Amazon now, mainly because they charge for delivery now and I never get it before release date unlike other online retailers I shop at.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

Haha I read this earlier. They already have the cheek to charge for delivery to non prime members when it's been free for as long as I can remember and now they paywall actual products too? This is crazy, I'm a retailer and make money by selling products to consumers, but I'm not going to sell this product to you. Not unless you pay us for the privilege first.

Yeah, that's not how retail works.

To be fair I rarely if ever shop on Amazon now, mainly because they charge for delivery now and I never get it before release date unlike other online retailers I shop at.

When I joined Prime, only extra slow delivery was ever free, and release day delivery was never offered to non-Primes. And as was mentioned, a lot of states have forced them to collect sales tax. And most states with sales tax, even before that, if you adhered to the laws, required you to declare such purchases and pay sales tax. They just did not enforce that for individuals. But the business got audited for that, and our accountant always makes us pay sales tax on items shipped from out of state.

Membership retail is common in North America. Sam's Club is probably the best known for this. There are others. They're not very attractive if you don't buy common big-brand products in bulk, I think.

[Havok83]

Originally Posted by Groot

They cannot control states forcing them to collect tax.

USPS raised rates, thus even with their discount shipping in general is higher so they raised their rates to get better shipping rates.

Prime Exclusive is helping deter buyers from just getting an item that isn't making them any money and is not cost effective to mail at standard rates.

While the changes are crappy for non-Prime members, people should realize a business is in it to make a profit and if they wish to continue to expand their business they have to make some changes that keeps them in the black. If they continue one thing and stay in the red they won't be around long.

your point? The way it happens doesnt make a difference to me. The end results is I still pay taxes, which was an incentive to shop with them. Without that incentive, there really is no benefit to go to Amazon over a retailer like Best Buy or Target.

As for your second point. Ive never even seen Amazon use USPS. They use Fedex, UPS or that crappy Lasership (to save money, yet they are the absolute worst and reflects poorly on Amazon for continuing to use them)

The third point doesnt even make sense. Maybe it would with an expensive product but this right here is being tested on videogames, which dont even fall under their free shipping limit. They charge quite a bit for shipping as is so they arent losing money from a sale of GTA V for example as listed in the OP

Yes its their business and they can do as they please, just like I as a customer can choose not to deal with them anymore. Looking at my order history throughout the years, that number has declined drastically.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Havok83

you're point? The way it happens doesnt make a difference to me. The end results is I still pay taxes, which was an incentive to shop with them. Without that incentive, there really is no benefit to go to Amazon over a retailer like Best Buy or Target.

As for your second point. Ive never even seen Amazon use USPS. They use Fedex, UPS or that crappy Lasership (to save money, yet they are the absolute worst and reflects poorly on Amazon for continuing to use them)

I agree with your point on the sales tax incentive. If I lived in a location where B&M shopping was more convenient, I would have given up on it, too. But most of what I purchase from Amazon is not otherwise conveniently available here.

[Havok83]

Originally Posted by jsteinhauer

I agree with your point on the sales tax incentive. If I lived in a location where B&M shopping was more convenient, I would have given up on it, too. But most of what I purchase from Amazon is not otherwise conveniently available here.

I guess luckily for me, I live in a big city, so Im close to all the big retailers. Driving is of no issue for me and Id rather pick up items in store over risking the delivery man coming by and just dropping a box at my door step. I live in an apartment complex and that infuriates me to no end

[Naiera]

You're = you are.

[Clark Kent]

Originally Posted by silentblu

Testing to go members only?

That is where it looks like Amazon is going. They want to be the Costco of the Internet.

[Groot]

Originally Posted by Havok83

you're point? The way it happens doesnt make a difference to me. The end results is I still pay taxes, which was an incentive to shop with them. Without that incentive, there really is no benefit to go to Amazon over a retailer like Best Buy or Target.

As for your second point. Ive never even seen Amazon use USPS. They use Fedex, UPS or that crappy Lasership (to save money, yet they are the absolute worst and reflects poorly on Amazon for continuing to use them)

The third point doesnt even make sense. Maybe it would with an expensive product but this right here is being tested on videogames, which dont even fall under their free shipping limit. They charge quite a bit for shipping as is so they arent losing money from a sale of GTA V for example as listed in the OP

Yes its their business and they can do as they please, just like I as a customer can choose not to deal with them anymore. Looking at my order history throughout the years, that number has declined drastically.

Do you pay taxes? States require you to self-report sales tax on items you purchase out of state. If you were following the tax code you'd be paying taxes either way. Now the problem became that they added shipping centers and states got fed up with getting cheated out of sales tax, so Amazon in over half of all states collects it automatically. You are complaining you can no longer cheat your state out of money you should have been paying in the first place.

Next, USPS does final delivery for almost every single purchase I make on Amazon. UPS or FedEx does main shipping and it's transferred to USPS for delivery. The delivery charges are at a bulk rate, but regardless the price has went up so in turn they raised their rates on how little you can buy to offset the rate increase.

While they may no longer work for your needs, that doesn't make their practice wrong. As a seller I deal with customers daily who want their items quickly (2-3 days) but aren't willing to pay for that and expect me to eat the cost. If I raise the cost of the main product I lose sales, if I raise shipping I lose sales, there's no happy medium and you just learn you can't please everyone and make a profit for yourself.

[R3P0]

Originally Posted by Goodintentions

so its okder games that most of who wanted to begin with already have.

No its new games as well Fifa 16 being one of those titles.

[jsteinhauer]

Originally Posted by Naiera

You're = you are.

That's right. Your a genius.

[NARMAK]

This news was complete BS and hope they get shafted. I do have Amazon prime but only because I received a good offer to join and the delivery charges would add up.