Is Amazon Prime Really Worth it?

Megalith

Megalith

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I would imagine that Prime is totally worth it if Amazon is your primary go-to retailer, especially now that perks for non-members are steadily changing for the worse or dissolving altogether.

...it has since expanded quite a bit into a slew of varied services that run the gamut from books to movies to, yes, additional shipping perks. This gradually increasing range of services was precipitated by a price hike in 2014 from $79 per year to $99 per year. In response to this adjustment, many Prime users really started to wonder if it was worth keeping their membership. Now that question is even more difficult to answer, because Amazon Prime’s value hinges not only on how many items you order, but also how much use you get out of its other services. Here we’ll take a look at everything that Amazon Prime encompasses in 2016 and try to figure out if it’s really worth it.
 
I actually never use any of the other services. Yep, amazon is my primary go to and It is worth the $99/year just for the shipping alone(have had to use 1 day shipping several times).
 
Is it worth it to someone other than myself? No clue. That would be for each person to decide.
For me the math was easy. It has more than covered what I would have paid in 2nd day shipping fees already this year. I have occasionally used prime to watch some movie or TV show that is not currently on Netflix as well. So for me, it has been a bargain at $99. As always YMMV.
 
I can't justify it for everyone. For me it's awesome I make it up in shipping within the first few months of the year.
 
$8.25 a month, after division. I watch enough movies or shows for that. I use Prime Music (Beatles albums recently added, time travel ,,), often with shipping amazon prices are good. I have no problems with deliveries. I use Kindles, so handy on tablet.

Bad. Rental or buy movies, shows, or seasons is a temptation. There are good deals that can be addictive. Daily deals temptations.
 
Prime is only worth it if you order like a madman from Amazon otherwise it makes little difference...for cord cutters all that Amazon Video stuff is actually a good deal
 
Here in Canada the cool features are stripped out and the two day shopping takes 3-6 days. The same as most of the normal non-prime free shipping.

Prime is basically $70 a year to store photos.

Not worth it.
 
polonyc2 said:
Prime is only worth it if you order like a madman from Amazon otherwise it makes little difference...for cord cutters all that Amazon Video stuff is actually a good deal
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I don't think you know the typical millennial Amazon Prime member. These are the guys Amazon probably hates. They order 100s of orders a year and their typical order is a twin pack of toothpaste which costs Amazon a fortune in shipping.

As for me, Prime is not worth it (and that is why I am not a member). I go to retails stores for toilet paper and toothpaste and just about everything else. For electronics, sometimes I match Amazon at retails stores.
 
Depends on how often you use it...

Around 10 orders a year and it would have paid for itself. Amazon are banking in you thinking you think about this many BUT if you order only 7 times they make $
 
Between the 2 day shipping and 20% discount on new video games, I've already gotten more than $100 of value from Prime in 2016.
 
No idea if it is worth it to you. I work from home and use amazon prime music every day. Most music subscription services are around $10 a month so even if I used none of the other services I feel like I get my moneys worth. But I also use prime video at my computer and have a fire stick on the TV in the bedroom. I order about 10-15 times a year from amazon but the free shipping is last on my list of perks of prime.
 
Yes, worth it. Music Streaming service + Video Streaming Service + Pre Order Discount (I think??) + free 2 day ship means you can buy anything from toothpaste to generators and totally justify the purchase :)
Cheap for $99 a year.......
 
Quite worth it to me since I haven't had cable for several years. The free video with Prime is excellent and it is one of the few sources for 4K content--that alone is worth the price. The shipping perks are nice as well.
 
Worth it for me. I got it years ago, long before the additions of Video, music, and kindle books.

It's my go to online order site. I'll check other sources, but 9 out of 10 times they win out due to pricing and or availability. Even if they are a few dollars more on occasion I tend to buy from them for the shipping and the points on my Amazon card. Between using it to order stuff for work and home, I order A LOT OF STUFF. I've already had 33 orders in 2016 alone.

I often pay the extra for the Next Day delivery for items I need fast. I'm also in an area with Same Day Delivery often being an option. The shipping benefit alone is worth it.

I do use the Prime video frequently as well. It's not as good as I wish, but I also subscribed to Netflix for years, and I was never satisfied with them as well. I'm currently a HBO Now subscriber, but honestly, after this years Game of Thrones Season, I'll probably cancel it until next year. There is almost never something on that service that I can't see with Prime. GoT is the ONLY reason I have the account. I got tired of waiting a year to see the latest episodes.

Prime Music is decent. I use it fairly regularly. Between this and a free Pandora account, I'm pretty content.

I also used my Prime account to get the Echo when they were in Beta for $99. A device that I got on a lark, but has since become something I use on a daily basis. I listen to Prime music playlists on it all the time.

Like the original article said. It really boils down to the individual. It may not be worth it for some, especially if they are already paying for other services. For me, It's awesome.
 
I think it's worth the $50/year I pay. I use the Prime TV every now and then if Netflix doesn't have what I am looking for.
 
Here's the scary part. There was a time when asking this question wasn't even necessary. It was a no brainer.

But, with all the constant manipulation lately, increases in shipping costs (even though shipping costs have subsided), raise in the cost of prime, shipments not happening like they should, etc, it's a fair question to ask.

For some, including me, the answer is a yes (but getting closer every year it seems to no), and for others it's no right now.

If they keep fucking with it I'll drop them in a heartbeat.
 
It's worth it for me because I'm still riding the grandfathered family share thing so everyone pays roughly $25/year for their share.
 
its worth it to me, i order enough for it to pay for itself. the shipping is really the only thing i actually use from it
 
Definitely worth it to me. I put in at least 100 orders a year to Amazon, and I'd say at least 95% of them with Prime 2-day shipping. On top of that I use Amazon Prime Instant Video at times as well. And lastly, I now get $20 off pre-orders for games as well.
 
naib said:
Depends on how often you use it...

Around 10 orders a year and it would have paid for itself. Amazon are banking in you thinking you think about this many BUT if you order only 7 times they make $
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10 orders a year? At 100 bucks, I'd have to order at least 20-30/year to justify it for shipping...and even then it's a stretch. I have it, because I split it with enough people that the cost is essentially $20, but even then it's barely worth it and the value only exists because they sit on non-prime order for 3-5 days.
 
Totally worth it for me and I only use it for shipping. Over 300 orders placed in 2015. Not to mention I'm sharing with four family members and whatever they ordered as well.
 
What are you guys ordering that can't wait for regular free shipping?
 
As a cord cutter I will gladly pay $99 a year for Prime versus $70 a month for cable. The free 2 day shipping and music stream is just a bonus for me.
 
Meeho said:
What are you guys ordering that can't wait for regular free shipping?
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Shampoo, toothpaste, dish sponges, floor mats for a car, cat food, pocket tool, AA batteries, video games, HEPA air purifier, new kitchen cups, key rings, new water cooling fan... Shit I had a box of pencils delivered via Prime a few months ago, can't beat that for trivial items.

That is just some of the stuff I can think of off the top of my head so far in 2016. When I realize I need something, I'd rather just hit a few buttons on my phone and get it in two days instead of making a trip to the store (and paying more). On a few of the items I paid for overnight shipping or Saturday delivery as well. The Prime fee is for the convenience and also so I can get items when I need them and not wait up to 10 days like a scrub. Plus I get a bigger selection on Amazon compared to any store, happy to pay $99/year for te service.

Is it worth it for everyone? Of course not. Just like I walked by 5 pound boxes of clementines for $2.99 at the store today and didn't buy them. Meanwhile some people were buying two and three boxes since they are usually $7 or $8 a box. Also note I didn't stand there and try telling people that clementines aren't worth it, while a lot of anti-Prime people feel the need to tell everyone else why it isn't worth the $99.
 
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Meeho said:
What are you guys ordering that can't wait for regular free shipping?
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It's called instant gratification... Well almost instant gratification. Why would I buy from somewhere else and wait several days when I can have it in two.
 
A lot of my orders wouldn't qualify for regular free shipping, and regular free shipping is usually 6-8 days instead of 1-2. It's absolutely worth it for me.
 
Convenience and because I can afford it. I stocked up on Prime renewals for 6 years (still have 4 years worth left) when Prime was discounted and we were still allowed to purchase gift subs at the discounted price.

Honestly, if you're pinching pennies over trivial decisions like this, then you're not purchasing enough from Amazon and Prime is not meant for you. I resell my junk each year to cover these "quality of life" amenities.
 
I love my amazon prime, my mom now lives with us and is 90 y.o. she did her first year online shopping at amazon and sent presents to the great and great great grands. all of those under 12. we did all the shopping in the kitchen, used one credit card and got free shipping on everything.

last month my washing machine died and I ordered a new drain pump and door seal for the front loader. my parts came in 2 days by ups. the seal was the wrong one so I reordered the right one. ups arrived next morning picked up the wrong part using the same box and had a label all ready. no cost and I didn't call ups amazon did. the right part arrived 3 days later by usps. mail woman brought it to the door.

I am a believer. it has more than covered my 99 membership
 
Back when I still lived in IL, Prime wasn't necessarily worth it, as I had my pick of big box stores and smaller ones to choose from for stuff I wanted, if the price was right.

Now that I live in the middle of BFE, I'd be a fool to NOT have Prime. A lot of stores here know they are the only real game in town, and they are priced like it too. The only way to avoid it is if you're willing to drive a half hour or longer just to get it someplace else. You'd be eating in gas what you'd be saving at the register just to spite them.

So for me, Prime has more than made itself up for my purchases. Thanks to my current situation, the only way I'm going to get most things at prices I'm willing to pay is going to be via the Internet. Free 2-day shipping means I don't have to shell out cash to a local store that's bending everyone over the table. And there's plenty of folks around here that are squeamish about buying stuff online no matter how safe it is, so these local places have nothing to worry about. Don't get me wrong, if I need it TODAY, I will drag myself out there and pony up. But if I don't? I'm doing my shopping at home.
 
Time2Kill said:
It's called instant gratification... Well almost instant gratification. Why would I buy from somewhere else and wait several days when I can have it in two.
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If it's instant gratification, you go to the store. Batteries and other piddly things mentioned in this thread are not significantly less from Amazon...especially not if you add in the cost of prime. That said, if you use the other prime benefits, it makes sense. I think Prime Video and music are far more worthwhile than shipping, since similar services cost more than 100 each.
 
How often do you actually need 2 day shipping? I rarely need something in 2 days. I find that items on other sites can be a bit cheaper, ship free and faster than non-prime Amazon. Amazon actually holds your packages longer if you'r not a prime member. I never used any of their other services so it wasn't worth it for us to be Prime members. My wife uses Jet and I use various other retailers. In fact, I make it a point to not shop at Amazon, unless they have a really good deal.
 
Nope, not all. I don't shop Amazon so they should just shut down as they aren't relevant to me and things that aren't relevant to me shouldn't exist.
 
Just like smoking cigarettes. I have dropped amazon completely. Just use them for price matching locally.
 
Got it when they had it on sale for $67 last year. Definitely use it a lot now, also use the video and music streaming so it's worth it for me. Convinced my in-laws it would be a nice yearly gift for us so now they're paying for it :)
 
Its worth it to me for the prime shipping. Honestly, I don't get much use out of the video and music services. I have them set up, but rarely use them (although I do use Netflix and Hulu at my house).
I found a great use for it this past summer. We stayed on Macinack Island for a week at a house (and you bring your own food/supplies). You have to use a ferry to get to the island. There is one general store on the island - they charge a premium for everything. Little did I know, Prime deliveries work to the island. A horse drawn carriage will drop off your goods! So, next time we go - paper towels, toilet paper, etc - Prime it is! This will make the ferry ride a lot easier since I don't have to worry about baggage requirements.
 
I think some people have an amazon problem. A lot of 'everyday' items are less at the store. My oil change (synthetic) is less at Walmart. I cant remember a single 'awesome' Amazon bargain cant even give a time frame, just can't remember one now.
Amazon has become like any other retailer at best. The only reason I might consider prime is 'cause of the shenanigans they are playing with none members. When I had the free trial prime video selection was terrible and so was the music I doubt its any better. They should just get it over with and close down amazon to members only, stop pulling the shenanigans.
 
HAF72 said:
I actually never use any of the other services. Yep, amazon is my primary go to and It is worth the $99/year just for the shipping alone(have had to use 1 day shipping several times).
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This ^ They even deliver a lot of things on Sunday here near Austin, TX area. Not sure how widespread that is, but I love it. :love:
 
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