TGM

http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/30/a...ing-in-the-us/

Vipper II

Between this probable hike and sales tax coming to MD-based purchases, Prime isn't the kick ass deal it is now; however, it's still worth paying for.

davidh777

I wouldn't be surprised by this, and likely would keep subscribing. It's just somewhat refreshing to hear it from an official source--waffly as it may be--rather than just random internet rumors.

ernestrp

I would not renew if it increased by $40.00. $20.00 would be doubtful also.

TheBigDave

I'd rather pay more, instead of having benefits scaled back. I'm still disappointed they implemented the "Add On Items". A lot of small things were eligible for free Prime shipping in the past, and now they require a $25 minimum.

fumanstan

I feel like i'm buying less lately, if it were to increase by $40 I might drop it.

EdTheRipper

I don't use ANY of the benefits other than the shipping, so if this were to happen, I might consider dropping it.

DJariya

Even if the price goes up to $99, I still buy enough from them throughout a calendar year to make it worth it. I don't buy just movies from them. I also buy computer, office supplies and other materials. I also shop there enough during the Fall and Holiday season where I make it worth it. Occasionally I will use the free streaming that is included with the subscription.

If most of you only use Amazon to buy movies, then I can how you would be hard pressed to spend that.

I can see how Amazon really needs to raise the prices, especially with the amount of money they invested in new streaming product. I have to think they are in the Red right now and not making a dime off Prime.

Pizza

I'll drop it if it goes up $20. I'd rather they dropped the instant video stuff. I just want the shipping.

Josh-da-man

It would probably be a bad idea for them to price it above the $100 threshold.

They might be able to get away with something like:

$79 for free shipping only
$79 for streaming content
$119 for both

But if it goes into the triple digits, I could see a lot people dropping it.

davidh777

Yeah, triple digits would be bad, and $40 seems unlikely since it would be a 50% increase. Rather than maintaining the $79 price for partial content, I could imagine them doing $60 each and $99 for both. That way they could still get their $20 increase for the combined service but offer people "value" in that they could choose their option.

Free shipping obviously has a tangible cost to them. Streaming not so much without seeing what kind of deals they have in place. If they're paying studios per view, then I guess it would make sense to not charge people for the service if they're not using it.

Shannon Nutt

If they up the price, they better start guaranteeing the 2-day PRIME shipping...for the past six months, my PRIME shipments have been averaging three to five days before they show up. For example, my last 2-day PRIME shipment was ordered on Friday morning, Jan. 24th and was not delivered until around 3pm on Wed., Jan. 29th. Sadly, that's my typical experience with PRIME these days...I'm starting to wonder if they're even expediting the shipments anymore. I've chalked it up to the terrible weather the East Coast has been getting...but if it's still like this in the spring, CS will be getting an email.

Shannon Nutt

If that happened, I'd be dropping the streaming - which I'm sure Amazon doesn't want...the whole reason they added it to PRIME was for each to support the other. But there's little on Amazon streaming I can't find on Netflix or Hulu.

Adboy151

At a $20 uptick, I'd likely drop.

When it comes to streaming, I generally go Netflix, Hulu Plus and then Amazon.

I've slowed down what I order them over the past year as well, not just on the DVD/BD side. And I'm now in taxed state as of this year, so I look closer at what I get through them.

They'd also have to sort through some of their shipping inconsistencies at a higher price.

Sometimes it's passed off to the USPS, sometimes it's UPS, sometimes it's a courier. Sometimes it's boxed, sometimes books and BDs are in padded mailers. Sometimes Prime order are late, as well.

jjcool

They don't guarantee that now? Very rarely do they miss a delivery date for me, but in the few instances they have I emailed them and they credited me a couple bucks each time. Once they missed a one day order, and they credited back the full amount I had paid for next day shipping.

Al_Tahoe

+1

davidh777

I have Netflix discs (for the new releases) and not the streaming, so Prime streaming has more value to me than to others.

There was also a weekend in there...

stvn1974

Is there a shortage of bubble mailers that don't protect shit?

story

We're probably still in at a $20 increase and would need to discuss it at a $40 increase. We do a lot of our shopping at Amazon. We're those people with subscriptions to groceries, batteries, diapers, etc. It's where we go for our little items like books and our big-ticket items like electronics. Heck, we bought a tandem baby stroller on super-sale and had this gigantic thing delivered to our doorstep about an hour ago with two-day shipping.

As for streaming, I've done some streaming at Amazon but the things I really, really want to watch are for free on Netflix or for pay on Amazon. Guess which way I go. That website, canistreamit.com, has been helpful in figuring out who has what for free.

If Amazon really wanted to save on shipping, they'd continue doing a better job about grouping separate purchases made in the same 12-hour period into one package. A few years ago, each item I picked up during each hour's separate lightning deal was delivered in its own separate package. Last year there was some combining. There's room to keep combining especially on BF. Is anyone really that desperate to get their deals first thing Monday morning instead of maybe Tuesday from that weekend?

CRM114

I'm not clear what the kickass deal actually is. Let's assume you have Netflix and don't use the video service. It essentially boils down to you pre-paying Amazon $80 to deliver stuff you haven't ordered yet that you'd probably get free shipping on anyway. I have NEVER paid a shipping charge for anything sold by Amazon.

Barnes and Noble is $20 or $25 and you get free two-day shipping.

Classic Films

Not happy with the large increase but I will probably keep it. I love the video streaming. Lets not forget that you need to spend $35 for free shipping for Non Prime Members. That may go up also and if they eliminated free shipping for non prime members that would be a reason to keep prime. I doubt they would do that. I understand their postage cost increased 19% in the 4th quarter of last year per USA Today. I dropped my Barnes and Noble $25 membership because I wasn't buying much from them. Best Buy selection isn't that great. Amazon has great customer service and a fantastic return policy. I will still shop Amazon and keep prime.

CRM114

Amazon just recently increased to $35 for free shipping. That's why if it's just a single book I'm interested in, I buy it at Barnes and Noble. $25 was an easier number to hit for me and the $35 thing is one of the reasons I'm trying to convince myself Prime is worth it.

PhantomStranger

+1
I rarely get Prime shipments in two days, anymore. I'll let people in on something else I've discovered with Amazon Prime. Some Prime accounts seem to get silently throttled. These delayed Prime shipments are apparently selective and limited to certain accounts they've picked for undisclosed reasons. I have a hunch they have secret caps on Prime usage and once you go beyond a certain number of orders, shipments start getting occasionally throttled.

Classic Films

During the Christmas season I was getting deliveries on Sunday with Prime. I have never had a problem with 2 day delivery except for delays due to bad weather or out of stock items.

Timber

When they started sending Prime shipments via USPS I knew there was a problem. Not that the price increase make them start going back to more reliable forms of shipping.