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The complaining about Amazon thread

Old 10-17-12, 08:07 PM
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The complaining about Amazon thread

I know this belongs in the STORE FORUM, so I will be brief lest I incur the wrath of it not being a bargain. But I just have to vent and say Amazon sure sucks these days. There are so few genuine deals anymore and having items saved in your cart for later has become excruciating to check everyday and see that they are being raised and lowered by pennies. I think it's time to start being afraid that they may become the only player in town. There, I've vented and I feel better.
Old 10-17-12, 11:58 PM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

^ I feel the same. I've only bought four BDs from Amazon this year. One was a DotD (The Mel Brooks Collection) and the other three were Disney titles that had decent pre-order coupons. Their everyday media prices suck. Hopefully the week leading up to Black Friday will bring some respectable deals.
Old 10-18-12, 09:38 AM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

^ But Amazon will make up for it all in a month. They won't hold back for BF deals. The deals are coming...
Old 10-18-12, 11:04 AM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

Originally Posted by ProfessorEcho
I know this belongs in the STORE FORUM, so I will be brief lest I incur the wrath of it not being a bargain. But I just have to vent and say Amazon sure sucks these days. There are so few genuine deals anymore and having items saved in your cart for later has become excruciating to check everyday and see that they are being raised and lowered by pennies. I think it's time to start being afraid that they may become the only player in town. There, I've vented and I feel better.
Compared to past years, I've bought relatively little from Amazon in the way of blu rays or dvds this year. The prices are mostly crappy. It's better by far, though, than the formerly great Deep Discount--which has become a non-starter in online disk sales. I'd say 80 percent of my buys this year have been bricks&mortar, and used sales.
Old 10-18-12, 12:38 PM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

Originally Posted by ProfessorEcho
I know this belongs in the STORE FORUM, so I will be brief lest I incur the wrath of it not being a bargain. But I just have to vent and say Amazon sure sucks these days. There are so few genuine deals anymore and having items saved in your cart for later has become excruciating to check everyday and see that they are being raised and lowered by pennies. I think it's time to start being afraid that they may become the only player in town. There, I've vented and I feel better.
Amazon has invested in a horribly expensive amount of infrastructure in the past few years and has to basically charge normal retail pricing now to be profitable. It's very likely their prices are never going to get back down to what we became accustomed from them over the years.

Another player is going to have to enter the Internet retail space before we ever see great pricing across the board again. I thought it was going to be Walmart, but they don't seem interested in competing with Amazon.
Old 10-18-12, 01:03 PM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

To be honest aside from a few purchases this year, I'll probably be doing the majority of my Amazon bluray shopping on the black friday holiday period. That's the one time where Amazon is forced to price match on most of their items.

Did anyone purchase "Kiss of the Spider Woman" yesterday/last night? Some marketplace seller was selling used-like new copies for under $1. Even with $2.98 shipping, the total came out to less than five bucks. It was probably a price mistake as the seller is now selling that item for $9.99.
Old 10-18-12, 11:47 PM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

^ Yes, I ordered a copy listed as "New" and it already shipped this morning.
Old 10-19-12, 02:58 AM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

Originally Posted by joe_b
^ Yes, I ordered a copy listed as "New" and it already shipped this morning.
Got a "like new" copy in which the desc indicated it was brand new. Shipped like 2 hours after I placed the order.

Amazon is good for 2 things:
1) PMing other retailers
2) Amazon Marketplace sellers

They do occasionally have the good deal, but it has become more scarce. Though I've hardly noticed with the BB U&S getting all my money.
Old 10-19-12, 10:47 AM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

Since we're going off topic, I'll add my 2 cents and I won't quote a bunch of messages which I thought were right on the mark...

PhantomStranger, I was aware that Amazon has a huge software team (and I also know their interview process is ranked among the most difficult and they are fussy beyond fussy), but I never connected their infrastructure expenses with the reason their prices have been crappy for the last couple years (or more), except during BF week/holiday season as others have mentioned. I've been hoping for a long time that Amazon would start being competitive again, but what you wrote about their infrastructure costs made me realize Amazon will never be the low price leader again. You're right that Walmart.com doesn't care... and certainly not their B&M stores who have poor inventory. Right now the low price leader seems to be BB, but that's offset by BB being OOS so often on what I want. [Just yesterday I went to get 3 last things with U&S and 1 was totally OOS and nobody could find the other 2 in spite of a 4+ quantity. That's what happens when you stick movies randomly on endcaps and displays all over the store. After 20 minutes of 1 employee and I looking everywhere I just gave up and left empty handed.]

sleepyhead55, I also do most of my Amazon shopping during the BF period which is when Amazon is aggressive at PM'ing. The rest of the year, I'm right with you and drmar35mm in buying elsewhere. I probably also buy 80% from B&M stores (BB and Target) or used from Gohastings because their prices are simply better than Amazon's. My #1 beef with B&M stores is low inventory and being OOS. B&M stores are truly gutless about having any excess inventory. In the old days they erred on the side of too much. Now they are the other extreme and don't care about constantly annoying customers with the OOS excuse because they only got 4 copies on release day.

The fact I don't have Amazon Prime (though I hope I can get a 30 day trial in November having been 18 months since my last one) also means I pass on most borderline deals because I can't find anything else to hit $25. The Crash S1 BD for $4-$5-ish was a good example. It's on my list.

So what's the point of all these posts? I guess: Amazon's prices are crappy compared to what they used to be, and it won't ever change except during the holiday season and on select deals.

That's why this thread is useful... to post those few select deals. Thanks, Lizard, for continuing to do that in spite of Amazon's generally poor prices. I don't know how you're going to keep up with the deals for BF week when Amazon finally comes alive before going back to sleep for another year.

BTW, never once have I ordered a price mistake from an Amazon MP seller (or Amazon) and not had it canceled. I guess some people get lucky though.
Old 10-19-12, 10:56 AM
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Re: Amazon Blu-ray Discounts and Deals Thread #27

Yay, analysis!
Old 10-21-12, 05:08 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Yeah, I've noticed this general trend, especially in the last year. The crappier prices, combined with Calif. sales tax being charged means that I've cut my spending way back, eliminated in most cases. Now, with Target & BB pricematching in store all online deals this BF, Amazon won't see a penny of my business for the rest of the year. Exception might be from Marketplace sellers.
Old 10-22-12, 06:29 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Amazon still gets my money. No sales tax yet for me. Once that happens, who knows what I will do. Would cost me a hell of a lot more to drive to Target or Best Buy and pay tax, than it does to order from Amazon.
Old 12-24-12, 11:26 AM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

I signed up for a Prime trial on November 21 and I could swear it was two months. Come to find out they charged me after one month and I had to cancel it today. Am I crazy? Is it always one month?
Old 12-24-12, 12:10 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Normally 30 day trial period..


Originally Posted by yeldarb367
I signed up for a Prime trial on November 21 and I could swear it was two months. Come to find out they charged me after one month and I had to cancel it today. Am I crazy? Is it always one month?
Old 12-24-12, 12:25 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Originally Posted by yeldarb367
I signed up for a Prime trial on November 21 and I could swear it was two months. Come to find out they charged me after one month and I had to cancel it today. Am I crazy? Is it always one month?
Its either been 1 or 3 months before. Don't ever remember 2 months.
Old 12-24-12, 12:43 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Originally Posted by Lt Ripley
Amazon still gets my money. No sales tax yet for me. Once that happens, who knows what I will do. Would cost me a hell of a lot more to drive to Target or Best Buy and pay tax, than it does to order from Amazon.
Same here. I use Amazon for everything I possibly can. Prime. No tax. No problem.
Old 12-25-12, 02:46 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

I still buy a lot of stuff from Amazon. They might not always have rock bottom low prices on everything but they're fairly competitive with most other retailers for the most part. It's not like their pricing is terrible or anything it's just sort of average now days which I'm fine with. Still the easiest option for me to find a lot of more obscure titles that the big box retailers won't carry. Plus where I live there's still no tax on items and I've got Prime so it's still pretty worth using them for me.
Old 12-25-12, 03:28 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

What's with the thread crapping? This is supposed to be a thread about "complaining about Amazaon" not praising them.
Old 12-25-12, 05:57 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Love Amazon. Of course now I know who the Rosicrucians are.
Old 12-25-12, 09:16 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

I don't buy enough from Amazon to justify spending $79 a year for Prime just to save on shipping, it would end up costing me in the end. The free shipping is really all I would use it for. If they would lower the annual cost of Prime it might be worth it to me (and alot of others I'd guess).

I have nothing else to complain about, Amazon has always been good to me. -kd5-
Old 12-31-12, 04:14 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Just thought I would vent. Joined prime back in November. Placed an order on 12/21, shipped on 12/22 delivery estimate 12/24 (lasership?). The morning of 12/27, there had been no further updates to the tracking except for 12/22 one. I emailed Amazon and asked them about it and they said it was lost and they would resend it by next day service at no cost to me. (UPS). I get an email on 12/27 saying it would be delivered on 12/28. Nothing shows up on 12/28. Today, 12/31, the doorbell rings. I see a package and a woman running to her little white station wagon. I checked the tracking for both and it was the 12/22 one that was delivered. The UPS stiil has the Next Day service one which I guess might be delivered on 1/2/2013.
Old 01-01-13, 07:48 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Originally Posted by ernestrp
Just thought I would vent. Joined prime back in November. Placed an order on 12/21, shipped on 12/22 delivery estimate 12/24 (lasership?). The morning of 12/27, there had been no further updates to the tracking except for 12/22 one. I emailed Amazon and asked them about it and they said it was lost and they would resend it by next day service at no cost to me. (UPS). I get an email on 12/27 saying it would be delivered on 12/28. Nothing shows up on 12/28. Today, 12/31, the doorbell rings. I see a package and a woman running to her little white station wagon. I checked the tracking for both and it was the 12/22 one that was delivered. The UPS stiil has the Next Day service one which I guess might be delivered on 1/2/2013.
Couldn't that be the shipping services fault?
Old 01-02-13, 03:58 AM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Yes, but Amazon decides the shipping service selected, and there's another thread on here complaining about Lasership's quality.
Old 01-02-13, 10:10 AM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

Originally Posted by Todd B.
Yes, but Amazon decides the shipping service selected, and there's another thread on here complaining about Lasership's quality.
But that's how many complaints out of how many total packages? Realistically, it's going to be a small number and the complaints weren't there before they signed up with them. If the complaints are too high for amazon, they'll drop them but they'd need to do it at the end of the contract.
Old 01-02-13, 12:10 PM
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Re: The complaining about Amazon thread

I noticed I was charged tax on my prime membership this year. I understand the tax on a product but I was kind of surprised for the tax on the service.

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