Viper187

I've been trying to migrate toward Best Buy some, but I never liked them either, and their "saved items" wishlist shit is complete garbage compared to Amazon's wishlist management. Plus, I need Prime to get my Surge from Prime Pantry anyway, so Amazon is convenient. I also like to use Amazon fulfilled sellers because fuck sales tax.

Troy Stiffler

Some observations about brick and mortar vs Amazon.

1. Amazon has everything. Everyone should be stocking their products at Amazon. It's a beautiful system.

2. I'll still buy local if the price is right, or I need something on the fly. I need a new APC yesterday (surge killed my current one). No time to wait around for Amazon. I would have bought it at Best Buy, even if it was a few dollars more. Turns out that it was within $1 of Amazon's price.

3. There are some reasons to buy local still. For example, I bought an "Amazon Basics" office chair that arrived yesterday. Had I know it was going to look and feel like this - I should have just bought a new chair at Office Depot. It sucks to get it, assemble it, and then think, "this chair sucks". What am I going to do ... return a fully assembled chair?

4. Clothing will never be a good idea to purchase online. Unless you're talking socks and underwear. Or, for example, I wear the same Dickies shirt and jeans. Even then, I bought the same SKU of Dickies shirts twice, and one I think was an XLT (tall), not just the regular XL. I know my sizes. But I've bought some clothes that are not a good fit at all. You also can't tell, say, the quality of a tie, when you buy on Amazon.

5. There are some products that are just easier to buy on Amazon. For example, I use a hippy-dippy deodorant that is hit-and-miss at Whole Foods. So I just buy it on Amazon. It's always in stock and gets here in two days. It sucks when you pick out an item (ie Bluetooth headphones) that you think will be stocked at Best Buy, and you get there and they don't have them. Amazon has them, and they're ready to ship. Easy.

6. Reviews suck. It's hard to sift through reviews. One person says "best ever" and the next person says "worst ever". I get sucked into it when I'm looking around. Too much time wasted.

fumanstan

Maybe i'm just lucky, but I never see half the issues that others seem to have repeatedly with things like order errors and shipping times. Then again, ordering something like 3 copies of a discounted game is kind of a unique situation. I'm surprised CS would refund the order for something missing rather then just resend 2 copies.

Viper187

Well, the package had items from 3 separate orders, and that was the only one with items actually sold by Amazon. They can't resend stuff from marketplace sellers, apparently, so they refunded all 3 orders.

Jon2

I have a question (and a rant) about how Amazon fulfills orders, and I’m wondering if anyone here knows.

Does Amazon pull items and hold them until everything in your order is ready to ship, or do they wait until everything is in stock and then pull items to ship? Or does it vary? I suspect the latter.

I’ve just placed an order. Two books (in stock, but getting low) of a series and two Blu-ray pre-orders, all fulfilled by Amazon. Typically, for me at any rate, Amazon splits these orders even though I always select the non-Prime, free shipping and group-items-in-as-few-shipments-possible options.

You might say I just answered my own question with that paragraph… about Amazon splitting orders. However, due to circumstances, I have concerns that it may not happen this time around… that I will get the Blu-rays, but not the books. This may have happened to me once before.

Three weeks ago there was no indication these books were low in stock. But for two weeks now the number of each title has been going down by one or two, every other day or so. When I placed my order yesterday, they were at 8 and 15. Today, it’s 5 and 11.

When I checked my order, it says it is expected to ship Oct 30.

My concern is that if Amazon waits until then to pull stuff, those books will probably no longer be in stock, and half my order will go unfulfilled. And I’m fairly certain it will remain that way indefinitely.

As I mentioned, I suspect this may have happened once before. I had placed an order similar to this one and involving a title in the same series. The difference is that there was no indication it was low in stock. I got the rest of the order but not the book.

That was well over a year ago. It still shows up in my orders as an active back order, but I doubt it’s ever going to get fulfilled. Used copies are listed on Amazon for over $200, and the publisher has not reprinted that title although they have reprinted others.

I can’t prove it, but I suspect that when stock gets low like with these titles, Amazon gives preference to orders it can fulfill immediately over orders that will be delayed with other items (like pre-orders) even though those delayed orders were placed first. Pretty positive they get paid first for orders fulfilled first regardless of when they're placed.

I can understand why they’d do that (if they do), bit I think it would be very disreputable and insulting to customers.

If I don’t get my entire order, I’m going to reconsider how I get the rest of the series. If Amazon works that way, I’ll order directly from the publisher and pay an extra $7 to $10 per title. AFAIC, better they get that money than Amazon get anything.

I'm wondering about canceling the pre-orders. Maybe I'd get the books sooner?

Josh-da-man

^
That's a good question. I had always sort of assumed that once you ordered something in a mixed order like that, that their inventory system would reduce the available items in their inventory by one, effectively putting a "hold" on that item until they shipped your full order.

Lately, though, I've noticed that when I put in an order for one in-stock item and one pre-order (to combine for free shipping) that they've been splitting the order and sending the in-stock item out immediately. Actually, they've usually been sending everything in separate shipments to me for the last year or so.

thetao

I agree with Josh in that this is how it should work, but don't have any better evidence to the contrary than your book incident. I was in this situation a number of year ago. My order consisted of an out-of-print DVD and something else which wasn't a preorder but just temporarily out of stock. I don't use Prime but was still used to Amazon splitting orders when a portion is temporarily unavailable. Maybe two weeks went by and I started getting nervous that they wouldn't ship in time to fill my entire order, and I expressed my concern to customer service. The rep agreed to ship the DVD but did made it known this was a "courtesy" move on their part, and the transaction had a happy ending. I suggest doing the same and hopefully your order will end likewise. Good luck.

jjcool

Amazon doesn't charge you for something until it ships. That leads me to believe that stuff isn't pulled for an order until it is close to ready to ship. If one ordered some in stock stuff, and some preorders and wanted them all to ship together, there is no way they are going to pull the in stock stuff and sit on it until the preorders come in. They will either not pull them or pull them and ship them. That should be based on what shipping options the buyer selected.

Jon2

I'm aware of this. Which is why I think Amazon will give priority to fulfilling order B (that they can ship immediately) over order A (that will have to wait, like mine), even though order A was placed hours, days, or even weeks before order B.

I can understand for business reasons (revenue flow) why Amazon would do this... but at a consumer level, it's simply not an acceptable business practice. When I shop in a B&M store, it's first come, first served. A sales rep doesn't sell something (that I bring to the register) to the guy at the end of the line because he has cash and I only have a credit card.

That's what I'm afraid of in this instance. As I'm pretty sure it will mean that I won't get at least one (probably both) of the books I ordered. And I'm pretty sure (just adding salt to the wound) that I'll get charged shipping as a result.

None of my orders, until now, had any part of the order waiting for a pre-order. I had never even done a pre-order for a movie until my previous order, which was for two movies due to be released the same day. They arrived separately. By a couple of days.

A thought just occurred to me. Doesn't Amazon have multiple fulfillment centers (warehouses) around the country? This may explain why orders get split. Part of an order comes from one, part from another?

I think an issue for me is that for over a year, at least, almost all my Amazon orders have been split into two or more deliveries. Despite the fact that I always select the free shipping and ship all together options. In most cases, everything I order is fulfilled and shipped by Amazon. Anytime I've placed an order with something that was fulfilled by a Marketplace party, it always arrived separately.

jjcool

"Not an acceptable business practice"? Maybe I am missing something, but how is Amazon shipping orders that are bought and paid for over orders that are not paid for "Not an acceptable business practice"? Why would Amazon, hold an item that isn't paid for? That makes no sense. Not only can they now not sell that item to a paying customer, but they also have to pay to warehouse said item until it is paid for.
Your analogy is disingenuous at best. The difference in the B&M store in your scenario is that both customers are actually paying for said item. In that sense, yes it is "first come first serve". In your Amazon scenario, you ahve not paid for the item and therefore have no hold over it.

Well, you are the one that chose to order the books, that you knew were low in stock on the same order as two preorders. You then chose to have Amazon ship the order complete to save on shipping. Did you not think that meant that Amazon would wait until every item in the order was in and ship everything together, at which point you would be charged? Did you really think they would pull the books and put them in a box on the shelf for you, forgoing anyone else that may want to actually buy them in the meantime, until your preorders came in?

If you were concerned about the books, you should have ordered them seperately from the preorders, or had Amazon ship the available items. Yes, they would charge for this if the total shipped was under the free shipping threshold.

Troy Stiffler

Amazon has a new service called "Amazon Key". Uninformed people on Twitter are trying to shred it. I haven't read a good argument against it yet. If anything, it seems like it opens Amazon themselves up to liability.

1. Amazon comes out with a special door lock and camera install.

2. Amazon opens your door, but does not enter your home.

3. Package gets left inside.

4. You get a video of them leaving the package.

5. You have to agree to the service (and it's $250 for the hardware and install).

6. No, they can't enter your home. Everything is recorded. They're not going to hide under your bed and kill you.

7. It is not recommended if you have pets with access to that door.

8. If there's a hardware failure, they don't enter.

9. Everything is traced through a cell phone app.

10. Only Amazon (including Amazon Flex and Delivery by Amazon) will be doing this. Not your FedEx or UPS people.

I think this sounds like a solid program. It'll help secure packages, instead of worrying about them getting stolen. In the end, that'll save Amazon billions (as they eat those lost/stolen claims). It also documents the delivery, so you can't say that you didn't receive the package. Also, no more perishables sitting out in the heat/cold.

It's really for serious Amazon buyers (like me) who buy there a couple times a week.

If I were Amazon, I'd be concerned with the uncontrollable situations where an employee doesn't care about the ramifications, and breaks into the person's house. Even with the camera and everything, some people just don't care about what happens to them. It's hard to weed those people out. It's almost guaranteed to happen.

Back in the very-old days, when I was very young (the 90's), I had a paper route - and would often open the front door and leave the paper on the floor. Different times (is it?). But same deal.

stvn1974

Neat. So now I can have added security that my damaged merchandise from amazon.com won't get stolen off my porch for $250?

jjcool

Also won't work for people with alarm systems. It would be ideal for people with lockable vestibules outside their front doors. Delivery person can unlock outer door, and leave the package in a secure area without having to enter the actual house. Kind of like a big Amazon Locker, which would be another thought. A large, lockable space somewhere outside the house that Amazon could access. I order a good deal from Amazon, and I dont think the expense would be worth it. But then, I don't seem to have the problems that seem to plague some of the more vocal members of this board.

Troy Stiffler

Do you actually have a problem with that? I order at least a few hundred products a year, and never had a damaged Amazon order.

Troy Stiffler

If Amazon could have enough activity to install centralized Amazon lockers with HOA permission - they could spread those lockers out everywhere. Deliveries would go faster. It would probably take a mapping system to see where the most orders come from. There are some neighborhoods where 1/3 the neighborhood is probably getting weekly deliveries.

Amazon is focused on staying lean. They're not going to add Amazon lockers everywhere and take a loss on it. I wonder if locker expansion is on their to-do list. I think every convenience store and communal Post Office mailbox should have Amazon lockers there. But they know their stuff, not me.

Jon2

Just an update for the idly curious. My order has been split... as is usually the case. No notice of it... which they used to do. Just checked the order status at Amazon and there it was.

The two preordered movies (that, presumably, were the reason for the order being held up) have now shipped. The books (of course... Murphy's Law) have not, despite the fact that both are currently "in stock".

Both orders are scheduled to arrive between Oct 30 and Nov 3... when I will be out of town for about a week. (Murphy strikes again) The problem with this is that Amazon deliveries are really inconsistent. They come via U.S. mail, FedEx, or UPS. You never know how they're going to arrive. It doesn't matter what's being shipped. Movies in the mail, movies left on the porch... books in the mail, books left on the porch.

Mail hasn't been a problem as a neighbor and I have each others keys and pickup mail from each other's boxes. Sort of a communal, outdoor mail box area with locked boxes like those in a post office.

FedEx/UPS deliveries mean packages left on my porch and ut in the Arizona weather all day. Luckily, my house is on a slight rise and some distance from the road, so small packages are not visible to casual driveby's unless they come up a shared driveway.

And (FWIW), I forgot to mention previously that my order was paid for with an Amazon gift card. Which, in effect, meant Amazon already had my money and my order was paid for as soon as I placed it. Unlike an order paid by credit card... which wouldn't be charged until it shipped.

stvn1974

I just had three seasons of Star Trek TNG delivered on blu-ray yesterday and two of them were so badly beaten up that once I took the plastic wrap off blue pieces of plastic from the cases crumbled to the floor. There were no hub teeth left for any of the 6 discs to be held in their slots. Everything just rattled around. They were delivered in a box with all kind of bubble wrap around them so I assume they were damaged before being put in the box. Not the first time this has happened. I have three seasons of Grimm coming Friday. I already ordered some extra BD cases in preparation.

story

I can't find a single Halloween-themed t-shirt for a party on Sunday that will arrive before October 31, even with Prime. Seriously, Prime is a week for a t-shirt?!

Viper187

Yeah, it's getting to be bullshit. I ordered a game around 2:30pm and realized the fucker wasn't coming until Monday unless I forked over the $4 for 1 day. WTF happened to Saturday delivery? They rely on the goddamn post office for 99% of shipments now anyway.

jjcool

Exactly. They could also partner with chain stores like Wal Mart or Target and put the Lockers there. May already be there, but I have never seen an Amazon Locker.

jjcool

While the argument for Amazon having your money already can be made, I would bet that your gift card still had the full value on it until the item shipped. So you weren't "charged" until it actually shipped.

Jon2

You'd lose that bet.

When I placed the order the total came to approx $116 and I indicated that I wanted the the difference ($16+) to charged to my credit card. Just after the two movies shipped, I added another Amazon gift card of $50 to my account, with the intention of using it towards an order I was going to place the next morning.

When I went to place that order, imagine my joy at discovering that my Amazon account no longer had a $50 credit. Amazon had taken the ($16+) difference (I had instructed them to bill my credit card) off of the $50 gift card I had added just the day before. This effectively prevented me from placing that next order... which was going to contain two more of the books in that series I've been collecting. By the time I can manage to add more to my account, the prices on those books are very likely to increase.

Amazon clearly considers funds added your Amazon account via gift cards to be money they can access immediately.

Whether they've shipped an order or not... because they have obviously charged my account and still haven't shipped my books.

jjcool

I find that very hard to believe, and highly unlikely.

Viper187

I've had them cancel something and apply the gift card balance to another active order instead of actually refunding it.

Viper187

Goddamn fucking idiots. Placed an order with Prime shipping for an Amazon fulfilled item on Wednesday around 2:30est. The motherfucker still hasn't shipped even though the order status says it's supposed to arrive today. Obviously, it won't arrive today. Stupid motherfuckers. Bad enough I had to upgrade the motherfucking shipping to overnight within 5 minutes of placing it because I saw it was originally estimated as arriving Monday. WTF!?! Then the idiots at customer service are completely worthless.

No, it won't be delivered today, you dumb fuck. It's still sitting in your goddamn warehouse!!!