Hey team,
I like buying from Amazon for things like Xbox One games, Nintendo Switch games as I find them to be the cheapest 99.9% of the time, however these purchases are above $39.00 so I generally get free postage anyway. So is there any point getting Prime Membership?
Thank you
Ben
I buy the coke for my parents so they don't have to haul it home, I buy stuff for myself like timtams pc bits, games, food items you can't get other places, random deals.
Parents, me and my neighbour share my prime sub.
I use music.
I like to think I've got a very active sub lol
By "share" - do you all use the same account to buy stuff?
Nah movies. That said the parents could buy stuff off account if they wanted. Usually just tell me to though.
I feel guilty for having nearly 200 orders in the last financial year.. sometimes just one small item
Next time i should try to make amazon prime worth my money, purchase my groceries on amazon, and order each item separately to get multiple boxes and free delivery. Very environmentally friendly.
You have problem with recycled packaging? :0
Yes it's worth it for the free & fast delivery, as well as the free delivery from the US Amazon. The other benefits are the cherry on top.
should read 'the free delivery from the US Amazon through Amazon.au' because most of the yank deals never show on Amazon.au nor the uk deals or any other deals - we're locked in.
That's definitely not true, I use camel camel camel on the US site, and price drops etc. come through.
only some of them - and that is an undisputable fact. which is why you didn't write all of them.
i definitely agree, the us amazon free delivery is the bargain upon bargain it cost like at least 30 usd but free. Amazon music, video, book together with the free delivery is the bargain upon bargain imo. One spotify cost $7/month but nothing else.
The free international shipping over $39 is great too, I like saving 10% for subscribe and save AND service is amazing. I complain about stuff and they just refund me and tell me not to return it. I freaking love being able to buy anything and have it come super fast.
The free international shipping over $39 is great too,
$49 it is. But still good.
Was $39 at some point! Then free around Christmas!
That's true.. It's $49 now.
Love Prime! I buy from amazon more than ebay so it works out best for me.
I love Prime because of their excellent customer service. Secondly, Competitive Pricing with free quick delivery. Thirdly, great bargains.
Have to concur with this but customer service is Amazon itself, no need for Prime. During Covid I got many items arriving earlier than expected. Amazon also has many items delivered next day. Customer service is excellent, just contact them.
Yes, I even got items shipped from US before the expected date.
I agree.. amazing customer service; just not comparable with any other company - probably Amex and ING are the only other companies I respect for their customer service based on my experience. No more than 1-2 mins of wait time in chat/ phone 24x7.
Prime is convenient for buying items/gifts and having it delivered for free to family/friends especially when they’re located in another state/city. Even small stuff like $1-$2 children’s books put a huge smile on my niece’s face.
Other common stuff I’ve purchased for family/friends are toilet paper, hand sanitiser, toys, food, etc.
Other common stuff I’ve purchased for family/friends are toilet paper, hand sanitiser, toys, food, etc.
Yup.. it's so convenient to navigate through the toys or books on the website sitting in your couch rather than visiting a crowded aisle in a store physically, add to it the advantage of reviews, description, price comparison, etc etc. I wish Amazon AU widens its collection in every category though..
eBay has already lost their plot with their silly deals and price jacking. Amazon prime is just so worth it!
Amazon Prime works on the sunken cost fallacy, you end up buying tons of cheap crap you would not have purchased had you never been a member because you need to use your membership. It is worth it only if you have the willpower to stop yourself buying stuff you would have never had bought were you not a member.
Another way to look at it is that those without will power are subsidising it for the rest of us 🙂
Amazon Prime works on the sunken cost fallacy, you end up buying tons of cheap crap you would not have purchased had you never been a member because you need to use your membership.
It's just the online version of impulsive purchase behavior that one would exhibit in physical stores. It's not a huge trouble though as after a few months of experience you generally realize what you actually need and what you don't.
I got both Ebay Plus and Amazon prime
For Ebay Plus, 0 benefit and also a lot of issues with product quality (due to the lack of honest product reviews)
Amazon itself and Prime is a yes: good product review system, easy return (bring the item to return kiosk, even no label printing is needed), many free delivery items, free delivery for domestic and international with purchases meeting minimum, and also Amazon video on my smart TV.
return kiosk
What is return kiosk? Does it work for items sold and fulfilled by Amazon only?
When I did the return they have a list of many returning points, the closest was only 5 minutes from my house so I just brought my item there, and that was it. There were a variety of returning method so I chose the easiest for me. Note that not all items are returnable or having free return so check before you buy. I'm not sure about items not fullfilled by Amazon but the same applied: check before you buy
The return experience was easy and didn't waste anyone's time. I had returns on ebay before and it took multiple checks and communication back and forth even when the issue was obviously in the product. The longest time with my ebay took more than 1 month and it was terrible. That's why with the experience with Amazon I found it easy. Hope they keep the good work.
What’s the minimum spend for overseas purchase?
Amazon US only - $49 min spend + the product should be covered in Amazon Prime.
its worth it, you get free prime videos, shows and also free prime music.
Dont forget free Kindle books too each month
Personally we have saved hundreds and hundreds of dollars in postage plus the streaming service has an increasing amount of decent new and old stuff. I watch some of the old Australian shows like Rush and Water Rats and also there are a few movies and Jack Ryan is pretty solid.
I order a fair bit of stuff from the US and postage is free when spending over $49 and usually the postage from the US is quite high.
I have ordered single items during the last few months like a bottle of hand sanitizer on its own for $5.99 and has it delivered next day.
I have ordered a bulk pack of toilet paper for the in-laws who live down the south coast and had it delivered for free.
It depends on your personal circumstances, but we have found it provides the biggest return on investment for any individual spend we make each year for the last few years.
Depends entirely on your shopping habits. Amazon prime video is garbage, but it is at least a tiny benefit on top, I made the mistake of subscribing for a year before calculating out whether it was worth it, I definitely am on the losing end of the equation as I prefer to shop around and find the best price and that is rarely amazon.
definitely worth it… I am more happy than crappy ebay plus..
Amazon prime have better new tv shows then Netflix. I got both but some how prime has popular show. Grand tour, good doctor, anger management many more.
Upload is really good - I highly recommend it
There's free shipping, videos, and books (via kindle/pc/phone). They videos on soccer and the Australian cricket team are good. The team from Top Gear have their own series, its more of a travel show. There's also about 2000 free books and 2 million songs.
This week for example I bought some flash drives that were send from mail, I'm reading a book on The Secret Life of Trees,. and looked at some cricket videos.
The documentary videos look like they were shot on expensive cameras probably 4K.
Also not many people really know or use it, but you can buy from Amazon US at US prices and get discount or free shipping. This includes electronics. Here's a list of laptops that you cam import for free using prime : https://www.amazon.com.au/s?k=laptop&rh=p_n_prime_domestic%3…
So yes its worth it.
Also not many people really know or use it, but you can buy from Amazon US at US prices and get discount or free shipping.
It works for $49 min spend though, plus the prices aren't the same as what you see on Amazon US site for the same products (after conversion to AUD) - they are generally higher. But I agree, at least one has access to all those products with reliable shipping/ service. No headache or risk involved.
Because of GST.
common myth - you only get access to a fraction of the goods available on amazon .com through the au site -and quite often even these cost much more. its a contrived segmented market featuring price fixing.
It has to be sold and shipped by Amazon US, so maybe that's why you don't see the same range.
@Munki: really - glad you thought of that - but if it doesn't show going through amazon.au then you don't get free shipping via prime do you?
@petry: Yeah I think you still have to go through Amazon.com.au (where your account is recognised as having Prime) and find items where the seller is Amazon US. This makes it a bit tricky to search for items though and quite annoying to be honest.
@Munki: the majority of america only amazon bargains are not available through amazon.au and never have been …. as you are well aware
Go to amazon.com rather than amazon.com.au . When searching click on "Amazon Global Store".
@ColonialBoy: and that way you don't get prime free shipping which only occurs by going through amazon.au, and of course most amazon.com bargains will not ship to australia anymore because of market seperation and price fixing.
The shield being the most obvious case in point recently
Prime video and occasional buying is worth it. Free ebook offers and prime music
I subscribed when there was an Amex cashback and have been pleasantly surprised by how useful it is. Will pay full price when my year is up. Another benefit is free Kindle books, smallish selection but it's enough to keep me going.
I subscribed when there was an Amex cashback and have been pleasantly surprised by how useful it is.
Same here. I wish the Amex offer is back this year though.
Different one - I got charged the $59 for the year and it triggered the Amex bonus of 590 points. Not as good as last year with actual cash back, but no complaints.
I have found it great for what i purchase. If I need to build up the $39 for shopping as you mention, I just keep items in Save for Later til I have enough then purchase. It depends on how quickly you want the item(s).
Shame I cannot use Indian Prime account for shopping :(
works for music and video only.
Its great free shipping even when you just want a packet of timtams ….
Free shipping , Free kindle books , Free Music , Free Tv & Movies , Free Games. Well worth it imo .
no regret, free shipping, amazon prime movies and video. and also feel much more superior compared to my wife's ebay plus =)
I had it for a few months and found it to be worth it. Considering you could pay $6.99 for shipping on any one item, as long as you buy one thing a month (with free shipping) that cost is basically covered. If you have a need to buy multiple things that value is even better. Its also kept me away from ebay as well which has been garbage lately for any deal.
Amazon as a website I just dislike the Filtering options when searching.
Something like eBay filters and Sorting results makes me satisfied, and I can see cheap niknaks/alternatives from overseas/CN.
So more often than not if I'm going to make Amzn my main ho then I still need to compare from other websites first.
For me I find the lighting deals pathetic compared to the past . Netflix kicks Primes A$$ although I enjoy about 1 decent new release film around once a month .
Very easy to get to minimum spend , adding no cashback on items I'm interested in .
Prime is behind the ball right now and I use to spend truck loads with them but are find cheaper nowadays at the sources they copy specials from with gift cards .
Still the membership is worth it for the early access deals
Worth it just for Amazon prime Video alone, especially if you pay the annual fee.
Worth it to me.
Cashback is good.
Amazon collection point at local news agency, very convenient.
Amazon Prime streaming.
And I subscribe to 1 free Twitch channel.
Ebay Plus is trash compared to Amazon prime.
It's nice being able to buy small items here and there without having to pay shipping.
I don't generally like all these subscriber models but prime would be the one I pay for without thinking about it. It gives me prime video for some tv content and the amount of shipping I save is easily worth it.
You also get to make a new friend in the delivery driver who comes to your house daily.
You also get to make a new friend in the delivery driver who comes to your house daily.
This!
My postie has become so good friend of mine :D
When I buy stuff on eBay for home deliv, the same postie comes in his van too lol
Worth it imo. You get Amazon Prime streaming, Twitch Prime, Amazon Music and free delivery on domestic orders under $39. I also find Amazon to match the catalogue specials of most national brands and supermarkets (Coles, Chemist Warehouse, JBHF, HN, etc) when the item is available on Amazon. Agree that the packaging is generally excessive as others have mentioned though.
It's been definitely worth it if I consider time and effort to go to (and find parking at) Coles, Woolies, Chemist Warehouse etc particularly in current pandemic times, as I get the goods delivered at home for the same prices, in addition to some special deals/ products which you can't find easily otherwise. Plus less risk as you're staying home. Most importantly, you don't have to worry about minimum $39 spend to get free shipping on a lot of items. Even a $5 item can be shipped for free if it's covered in Amazon Prime.
I am a big fan of Amazon but after reading this, I will definitely be reducing my shopping by significant amount.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-27/amazon-australia-ware…
What are they doing there , it doesn't look very automated as US operations are .
They must enjoy paying the extremely high OZ wages .
On the bright side they have huge choice to find efficient workers at least .
totally worth it.
prime membership is a staple. once you go prime, you never go back
Prime video, free postage on orders and twitch prime make it worth it for me.
Prime music is pretty poor and not as good as an unpaid Spotify account imho.
Well worth the money for the subscription. I pay annually so only $59 and I purchase a lot of the kids games when they come out as they are usually cheaper. You also get Prime movie and tv show, music, twitch and free book offers as well.
I don't like Amazon Prime Video but I like not paying delivery fees from Australia or Amazon US. For some time, I was paying for Amazon Australia and Amazon US because the Prime Video US was much better. Then I cancelled the US and kept the OZ for the free shipping, and I buy quite often.
Why no poll?
They sent Oz boy JKK home and then sold his invention to Amazon for U$ 1.2 bn….
Worth it.
Plenty of cheap "subscribe and save" items to purchase… and then cancel after getting the cheap intro pricing on the first delivery.
Plus delivery is super quick. I live in the ACT and I'm almost certain they have local fulfilment.
I can order something and it's delivered less than 24 hours later (no exaggeration, LESS than 24 hours).
I used to laugh at people paying $50 for the "privilege" of Prime, but I've saved hundreds with it.
Prime Video is also good (I wouldn't pay for it, but its nice to have on top). I have Netflix so I can readily bounce between the two for greater variety.
I have Ebay Plus as well… but only because I wait for the $50 credit promo they give me to sign up to it.
I wouldn't pay $50 for that.
I think you’re intentionally misusing the subscription low price items based on your comment.
“…. then cancel after getting the cheap intro pricing on the first delivery.”
That's what we all do, why are you on ozb if you dont?
🙂
@kaleidoscope: I'm under no obligation to continue the subscription, just like they are under no obligation to continue the price.
If they continue the same price, I'll continue the subscription.
if ur future purchases will be limited to xbox games only then not worth it. But if you’re willing to make good use of it for what it is then totalky worth it.
I use prime video / prime music / subscription based purchases for recurring stuff like tp / baby formula and ofcourse save on shopping for sub $39 purchases. If they expand their selection of goods it will be even better. Hope they include family members to prime like in us&a
I shop at Aldi, and they don't have all the brands, so I pick up these items when Amazon price match colesworth, and its especially good for big items, such as cartons of soft drinks, nappies and toilet paper delivered straight to your door, saves lugging them around the shopping centre.
100% worth it. I like free returns too for Prime items.
I could be wrong, but I think prime also gets your faster shipping than > $39, which is a value add for me. I was researching a product on Wednesday night and the only place I could find it stocked was on Amazon. So ordered with prime delivery, it was shipped Thursday, arrived Friday and I've been using the product as part of a weekend project. That one experience alone is enough to cover this month's membership imo.
No brainer. Prime is totally worth it. Freeshiping in 2 days on any purchases. Don't forget the free international shipping over $49 too. I am a converter from ebay plus to primer. Haven't used a single Ebay plus deal since joining. I hate all the ebay deals with eligible items.
I subscribe on and off. I waste more money when subscribed.
Only if you routinely buy small items. Otherwise, no because their streaming service sucks imo.
While the streaming service is not as good as Netflix for content or functionality, I'm finding plenty to watch on there, and it works well!
Poll
My personal experience with Amazon has been amazing. As with all online shopping, it’s unavoidable and when you have run ins with damaged product etc but each and every time Amazon solved my problem promptly. It gives you a lot of confidence shopping with them especially for higher value items.
I’ve been on Prime and will likely stay as a member seeing Amazon continue to invest in Australia, creating jobs along the way.
investment? got tax breaks mate.
yanks put nothing into oz they just take.
haha - I can see your point. At least in the short term when they are building the mammoth warehouse in the west you’d expect some jobs been created. Ultimately you’d hope the profit is appropriately taxed before its paid to the HQ.
hope is no way to do business - tell the people you owe money 2 u hope to be able to pay em back.
hopeless way to run a country.. unless you ain't working for that country
I had a similar experience. Received a product that had obviously been dropped prior to being packed (nearly out of packaging, scuff marks on one side). Jumped on Amazon chat, described the situation, and within 5 mins they had another one on order for me. Didn't even need to send the old one back or take photos.
Amazon have a lot of issues, but as a customer' it's refreshing knowing that I won't have to jump through 50 hoops at every customer service interaction, which is becoming more and more rare.
I've had maybe 30 deliveries from amazon over the last year, mostly cheap vinyl records and random computer parts so i feel like i'm getting my money's worth.