Amazon, how fast do they ship preorders?

Samduhman · 11-29-04, 05:08 PM

I preordered The Return of the King Extended edition. Its due out on the 14th. Im going to definately want it for that weekend following. Does Amazon normally ship out on release day and how long does it usually take to recieve it to the North East U.S.? Im beginning to consider canceling and just buying it at Walmart on release day instead. Only reason I haven't yet is I also added King of the Hill Season 1 for $15 to that same order.

What do you think, Cancel or stick it out?

LASERMOVIES · 11-29-04, 07:08 PM

If you don't have any patience then cancel. Amazon shipping speed can vary for different reasons, but I typically have my orders ship the Saturday before the release date to the Wednesday after. That is using free super saver shipping, which in most cases is about as fast as paid shipping. It then takes another 1 to 3 days for it to arrive at my house. Arrival times can differ depending on the warehouse shipped from, and whether USPS or UPS is the carrier used for shipment. Usually USPS is a little quicker in my area. I also notice sometimes more popular DVD releases can take a little longer to process at Amazon. Something else you may want to take into consideration on whether to waiting or not.

island007 · 11-29-04, 07:48 PM

My preorders with amazon ship out the Friday or Saturday before release date. However, I place my preorders well in advance.

Edit: I use the Free Shipping.

marty888 · 11-30-04, 06:54 AM

With free shipping, the majority of my Amazon preorders have not shipped until release day - but they come from the Delaware shipping center, and reach me here in Manhattan the very next day.

The one exception was Gone With The Wind which shipped almost a week after release date (and arrived the following day).

Sweet Baby James · 11-30-04, 09:27 AM

For me, they usually ship out the Monday before the release date. It ships out of Delaware and arrives on Wednesday, Thursday at the absolute latest. I live in SW Connecticut.

Easy · 11-30-04, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Sweet Baby James
For me, they usually ship out the Monday before the release date.

That was once true for me but the last set I got (Buffy Season 7)did not ship till after release and I got it more than a week after the release date.

Manzana · 12-01-04, 08:16 AM

It seems whenever I preorder something, the order goes into the state where I can no longer change it on the Thursday beforehand even though it usually doesn't ship until Monday or Tuesday. This is rather annoying if in the Sunday paper ads there is an equivalent or better price at B&M stores.

Sometimes I'd mix in DVDs with different release dates using the "ship all together" option, but usually when I'd do that they'd make a special exception (at their discretion) and ship the title anyway for free. So mixing is not a 100% guarantee.

I called up the old 1-800-201-7575 number I'd used for years to ask an Amazon rep if there is a way to keep an order in limbo (in a cancellable state) through the release date, but they changed the menu and made it impossible to reach a customer service rep. I hate eBay for the fact you can't talk to a human being there if you have a problem (you have to use slow email), and I used to praise Amazon for not doing that, but now it looks like Amazon has gone the eBay route where customers are not worthy of speaking to customer service reps.

So I'm cancelling my few remaining preorders as Amazon is telling me they can't be bothered with me. But my answer to the when does Amazon ship question is they ship on or 1 day before release date for me, but the order often goes into the non-cancellable state by Thursday and it's that latter part that bothers me.

Edit: I just tried sending Amazon an email using the customer service link, and when I got to the submit part I kept getting the web page not available error message. It seems they really do not want to hear from customers right now.

renaldow · 12-01-04, 10:01 AM

My experience has been hit or miss. Either it ships on the Monday before or it ships on the Fri or Sat before and I get it on the actual release date.

LASERMOVIES · 12-01-04, 11:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Manzana
I called up the old 1-800-201-7575 number I'd used for years to ask an Amazon rep if there is a way to keep an order in limbo (in a cancellable state) through the release date, but they changed the menu and made it impossible to reach a customer service rep. I hate eBay for the fact you can't talk to a human being there if you have a problem (you have to use slow email), and I used to praise Amazon for not doing that, but now it looks like Amazon has gone the eBay route where customers are not worthy of speaking to customer service reps.

I have no problems getting to talk to a live CSR at Amazon. Are you trying to use the menus? If you ignore the menu options and stay on the line it will connect you directly to a CSR.

Quote:

Edit: I just tried sending Amazon an email using the customer service link, and when I got to the submit part I kept getting the web page not available error message. It seems they really do not want to hear from customers right now.

I had the same problem e-mailing with the customer service link yesterday. However after numerous attempts it finally went through. You may want to copy what you typed so you can paste it later.

Samduhman · 12-01-04, 02:32 PM

Thanks guys. Im in Maryland so hopefully with Delaware being next to me I shouldn't have any problem getting it quickly.

Shannon Nutt · 12-01-04, 03:27 PM

It varies for me...in most cases they ship on the Saturday prior, but for "huge" releases like The Star Wars Trilogy, they don't seem to ship until the day before - and I had preordered the Trilogy the first day it was up for orders.

So if you're just ordering something average, I would expect a few days before...if you're ordering Return of the King:EE, probably the day before.

Samduhman, I live in Western PA and it generally takes two days for an Amazon order to get to me UPS...so it's pretty quick once you get shipping notice.

Manzana · 12-01-04, 10:55 PM

Lasermovies, I called the same Amazon number when I got home tonight and it worked as it used to, and I got a customer rep. I asked what happened, and I was told if there are phone problems they switch over to an automated system without reps. I had assumed that the automated system was meant to be permanent, and when the Contact Us submit didn't work I got pretty mad.

About 10 minutes later I tried again on the same page and the email went through. I had asked what was going on and what was wrong with the 1-800-201-7575 number. What was the highly useful response I got?
--------
As you requested, here are our Customer Service Department phone
numbers:

U.S. and Canada: 1-800-201-7575
International: 1-206-266-2992

Customer Service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
---------
Obviously they don't read the emails very carefully. Amazon is pretty bad in this regard, but still head and shoulders above eBay whose stock price is at an all-time record high as usual which proves that certain companies can get away with terrible customer service and nobody cares (except me).

eau · 12-07-04, 09:13 PM

I received my Disney tins on the release day today

Btw, I used free shipping.

Chew · 12-08-04, 06:59 AM

I ordered Ultimate Matrix with free shipping. Amazon claims it shipped on 12/04. According to the UPS tracking information, it doesn't say anything more than "billing received". It doesn't seem to of moved in 4 days.

bis22 · 12-08-04, 08:57 AM

I ordered RotK a couple days ago and the estimated ship date is 12/17. Could that be right?

LASERMOVIES · 12-08-04, 11:57 AM

Amazon came through for me this week on 5 DVDs I pre-ordered. Four of them arrived on street date and one a day early. DVDs ordered were the King of Kings (Criterion), M (Criterion), and 3 new Walt Disney tins. However one of the Disney tins was dented and I will have to do an exchange.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bis22

I ordered RotK a couple days ago and the estimated ship date is 12/17. Could that be right?

Amazon's shipping estimates are usually not very accurate. It should ship sooner unless they have a problem getting copies in stock from their supplier.

Chew · 12-08-04, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bis22

I ordered RotK a couple days ago and the estimated ship date is 12/17. Could that be right?

I'd consider myself lucky with that estimate. Most of the estimates I get with the free shipping offer are 6-7 days after they get released. They always end up shipping fairly timely, of course.

bdhart · 12-08-04, 05:28 PM

Amazon's shipping really makes no sense.

I made both of these orders on 12-01 and both were shipped by Airborne Home.

First order shipped on 12-02. For whatever reason, Airborne Home sent it to SLC where it sat for 4 days. I still haven't received the package.

Second order shipped on 12-05 and I got it today.

I also made two orders on 12-06 that haven't even entered the pending state yet.

LASERMOVIES · 12-12-04, 12:28 AM

Received shipping confirmation tonight on my ROTK EE order from Amazon, and could possibly have it by Monday. To be honest I was expecting it to ship later since I figured there was a heavy demand for this title.

eau · 12-12-04, 02:31 AM

I preordered the Disney Treasures with free shipping and received them on Tuesday (street date). That's pretty darn fast!

Chew · 12-13-04, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chew

I ordered Ultimate Matrix with free shipping. Amazon claims it shipped on 12/04. According to the UPS tracking information, it doesn't say anything more than "billing received". It doesn't seem to of moved in 4 days.

9 days no movement.

Amazon CS just gives me a BS line about it's on it's way.

svadas · 12-13-04, 10:10 AM

Estimated delivery estimate on ROTK = December 27. WTH?

joeblow69 · 12-13-04, 11:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by svadas

Estimated delivery estimate on ROTK = December 27. WTH?

Estimated delivery estimate

I have a similar problem, but at least mine is expected before xmas (23rd or 24th)

Geofferson · 12-13-04, 12:03 PM

I ordered ROTK: EE from Amazon on Saturday w/ free shipping. I received my shipping notification email early this morning.

Hobgoblin · 12-14-04, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Geofferson

I ordered ROTK: EE from Amazon on Saturday w/ free shipping. I received my shipping notification email early this morning.

This is normal with Amazon. They always ship last in first out. I had ordered my ROTK EE in the first week of October and my shipping estimate is the 3rd of January 2005. Bloody buggers. I have always had my preorders ship two to three weeks after release date because I place my order very early.

It is always better to wait until the last minute to preorder with Amazon if you need faster shipping. Unfortunately I has to preorder while I had an STL for the movie.

11-29-04, 05:08 PM	#1
Samduhman New Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 12	Amazon, how fast do they ship preorders? I preordered The Return of the King Extended edition. Its due out on the 14th. Im going to definately want it for that weekend following. Does Amazon normally ship out on release day and how long does it usually take to recieve it to the North East U.S.? Im beginning to consider canceling and just buying it at Walmart on release day instead. Only reason I haven't yet is I also added King of the Hill Season 1 for $15 to that same order. What do you think, Cancel or stick it out?

11-29-04, 07:08 PM	#2
LASERMOVIES DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: California Posts: 8,647	If you don't have any patience then cancel. Amazon shipping speed can vary for different reasons, but I typically have my orders ship the Saturday before the release date to the Wednesday after. That is using free super saver shipping, which in most cases is about as fast as paid shipping. It then takes another 1 to 3 days for it to arrive at my house. Arrival times can differ depending on the warehouse shipped from, and whether USPS or UPS is the carrier used for shipment. Usually USPS is a little quicker in my area. I also notice sometimes more popular DVD releases can take a little longer to process at Amazon. Something else you may want to take into consideration on whether to waiting or not. __________________ My DVD and Blu-ray Collection Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and DVD Last edited by LASERMOVIES; 11-29-04 at 07:12 PM.

11-29-04, 07:48 PM	#3
island007 DVD Talk Gold Edition Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Hawaii Posts: 2,278	My preorders with amazon ship out the Friday or Saturday before release date. However, I place my preorders well in advance. Edit: I use the Free Shipping. __________________ Omerta ID : Isleman Just a plain old collection

11-30-04, 06:54 AM	#4
marty888 DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Times Square Posts: 12,102	With free shipping, the majority of my Amazon preorders have not shipped until release day - but they come from the Delaware shipping center, and reach me here in Manhattan the very next day. The one exception was Gone With The Wind which shipped almost a week after release date (and arrived the following day). __________________ *Sex is nature's way of providing each and every one of us with a free home entertainment system.* My DVD List at DVD Aficionado

12-01-04, 08:16 AM	#7
Manzana DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 4,385	It seems whenever I preorder something, the order goes into the state where I can no longer change it on the Thursday beforehand even though it usually doesn't ship until Monday or Tuesday. This is rather annoying if in the Sunday paper ads there is an equivalent or better price at B&M stores. Sometimes I'd mix in DVDs with different release dates using the "ship all together" option, but usually when I'd do that they'd make a special exception (at their discretion) and ship the title anyway for free. So mixing is not a 100% guarantee. I called up the old 1-800-201-7575 number I'd used for years to ask an Amazon rep if there is a way to keep an order in limbo (in a cancellable state) through the release date, but they changed the menu and made it impossible to reach a customer service rep. I hate eBay for the fact you can't talk to a human being there if you have a problem (you have to use slow email), and I used to praise Amazon for not doing that, but now it looks like Amazon has gone the eBay route where customers are not worthy of speaking to customer service reps. So I'm cancelling my few remaining preorders as Amazon is telling me they can't be bothered with me. But my answer to the when does Amazon ship question is they ship on or 1 day before release date for me, but the order often goes into the non-cancellable state by Thursday and it's that latter part that bothers me. Edit: I just tried sending Amazon an email using the customer service link, and when I got to the submit part I kept getting the web page not available error message. It seems they really do not want to hear from customers right now. Last edited by Manzana; 12-01-04 at 08:44 AM.

11-30-04, 09:27 AM	#5
Sweet Baby James DVD Talk Legend Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Connecticut Posts: 10,428	For me, they usually ship out the Monday before the release date. It ships out of Delaware and arrives on Wednesday, Thursday at the absolute latest. I live in SW Connecticut.

12-01-04, 10:01 AM	#8
renaldow DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Las Vegas Posts: 8,322	My experience has been hit or miss. Either it ships on the Monday before or it ships on the Fri or Sat before and I get it on the actual release date. __________________ The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes; everything else is theoretical. www.horrortalk.com

12-01-04, 02:32 PM	#10
Samduhman New Member Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 12	Thanks guys. Im in Maryland so hopefully with Delaware being next to me I shouldn't have any problem getting it quickly.

12-01-04, 03:27 PM	#11
Shannon Nutt DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Pittsburgh, PA Posts: 9,731	It varies for me...in most cases they ship on the Saturday prior, but for "huge" releases like The Star Wars Trilogy, they don't seem to ship until the day before - and I had preordered the Trilogy the first day it was up for orders. So if you're just ordering something average, I would expect a few days before...if you're ordering Return of the King:EE, probably the day before. Samduhman, I live in Western PA and it generally takes two days for an Amazon order to get to me UPS...so it's pretty quick once you get shipping notice. Last edited by Shannon Nutt; 12-01-04 at 03:29 PM.

12-01-04, 10:55 PM	#12
Manzana DVD Talk Ultimate Edition Join Date: Jul 2000 Posts: 4,385	Lasermovies, I called the same Amazon number when I got home tonight and it worked as it used to, and I got a customer rep. I asked what happened, and I was told if there are phone problems they switch over to an automated system without reps. I had assumed that the automated system was meant to be permanent, and when the Contact Us submit didn't work I got pretty mad. About 10 minutes later I tried again on the same page and the email went through. I had asked what was going on and what was wrong with the 1-800-201-7575 number. What was the highly useful response I got? -------- As you requested, here are our Customer Service Department phone numbers: U.S. and Canada: 1-800-201-7575 International: 1-206-266-2992 Customer Service is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. --------- Obviously they don't read the emails very carefully. Amazon is pretty bad in this regard, but still head and shoulders above eBay whose stock price is at an all-time record high as usual which proves that certain companies can get away with terrible customer service and nobody cares (except me).

12-07-04, 09:13 PM	#13
eau DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 9,379	I received my Disney tins on the release day today Btw, I used free shipping.

12-08-04, 06:59 AM	#14
Chew DVD Talk Legend Join Date: May 1999 Location: South of Titletown Posts: 18,628	I ordered Ultimate Matrix with free shipping. Amazon claims it shipped on 12/04. According to the UPS tracking information, it doesn't say anything more than "billing received". It doesn't seem to of moved in 4 days. __________________ XBL/PSN: chew1138 Weekly Tuesday Warhawk Night (PS3)

12-08-04, 08:57 AM	#15
bis22 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Fargo, ND Posts: 875	I ordered RotK a couple days ago and the estimated ship date is 12/17. Could that be right? __________________ "If sometimes you feel yourself little, useless, offended and depressed, always remember that you were once the fastest and most victorious sperm out of hundreds of millions." \| My DVD list

12-08-04, 05:28 PM	#18
bdhart Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Oregon Posts: 668	Amazon's shipping really makes no sense. I made both of these orders on 12-01 and both were shipped by Airborne Home. First order shipped on 12-02. For whatever reason, Airborne Home sent it to SLC where it sat for 4 days. I still haven't received the package. Second order shipped on 12-05 and I got it today. I also made two orders on 12-06 that haven't even entered the pending state yet.

12-12-04, 12:28 AM	#19
LASERMOVIES DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: California Posts: 8,647	Received shipping confirmation tonight on my ROTK EE order from Amazon, and could possibly have it by Monday. To be honest I was expecting it to ship later since I figured there was a heavy demand for this title. __________________ My DVD and Blu-ray Collection Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and DVD

12-12-04, 02:31 AM	#20
eau DVD Talk Hall of Fame Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 9,379	I preordered the Disney Treasures with free shipping and received them on Tuesday (street date). That's pretty darn fast!

12-13-04, 10:10 AM	#22
svadas DVD Talk Special Edition Join Date: May 1999 Location: cleveland, oh USA Posts: 1,062	Estimated delivery estimate on ROTK = December 27. WTH? __________________ “I think what we did was dumb, dumb, dumb” - Jeff Bezos

12-13-04, 12:03 PM	#24
Geofferson DVD Talk Hero Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: TechNoir Posts: 36,439	I ordered ROTK: EE from Amazon on Saturday w/ free shipping. I received my shipping notification email early this morning.