Amazon Prime - worth it? [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

catherine

9-16-14, 2:09pm

I signed on when it was really cheap, and now it's a lot more. If I hadn't already been used to the benefits, I probably would not have signed up. But I do enjoy the free shipping and the movies. I'm pretty sure it pays for itself in my case, because I order from Amazon at least 6 times a year, and I'll watch a few movies. You have to figure out how much you use Amazon for purchases, and how often you would use the TV/movies.

ETA: I forgot about the Kindle Lending Library--I do use that as well.

Gardenarian

9-16-14, 2:24pm

I don't have a kindle, but dh is kind of interested in getting one.

How do the movies work? We watch one or two movies per month.

Is there any kind of audiobook deal that you get with Amazon Prime? My dd love audiobooks.

We do seem to order pretty frequently from Amazon. I often get emails from my dh asking if I need to add anything to an order so we can get the "Free Shipping with $35" deal. I have looked at their groceries (usually when I can't find something, like an unusual tea, at a local store) and the prices are not especially low. Do you have to shop for deals and stock up?

They are always offering me that "Try Prime free for 60 Days!" but I'm a little worried that I'll forget to cancel and end up paying for something I don't want (it's happened before with other trial subscriptions...)

ToomuchStuff

9-16-14, 2:48pm

I've never received a try for 60 days, always 30 day trial offers. I signed up recently for a trial, which allowed me to overnight a part for work, for $4 more then the part cost (everywhere else was at least $50 more). I wanted to try the prime movies, but since my OS isn't an approved one and I didn't like the TOS, that wasn't worth it. I don't have a Kindle, if I did, it might be worth it, but otherwise, this year has been the most I have bought from them (and I always build up to get free shipping/have wish lists), because otherwise, I have been able to beat their prices a lot of times, with specialty stores, shipped. Can you look over your orders and add up the shipping costs so far? (better if you can do several years) Does it average more then the $99 prime costs?

bae

9-16-14, 3:05pm

Where I live, we end up using Amazon as our General Store, Amazon Prime is an essential part of that because of the free/quick shipping. The instant-video selection from Amazon Prime is now sizeable enough that we are considering dropping our Netflix subscription, which would save some $$$.

Gardenarian

9-16-14, 3:46pm

Bae - though Ashland isn't exactly an island, it's a lot more isolated than I'm used to. I'm thinking Amazon might be my substitute for CVS,Target, Michael's and other stores that are nearby my current home. I sure don't want to be driving up to Medford all the time, so Amazon might turn out to be my General Store too.

So often I find the odd thing - curtain bracket, watercolor paper, light bulbs - on another site, then find it more cheaply (and with free shipping) from Amazon. And I've never had any trouble with Amazon - no messed up orders, no extra charges, no hassle - I trust them.
Though regular shipping can be a bit slow.

Gardenarian

9-16-14, 4:25pm

TooMuchStuff - I tried to see what OS are compatible with Amazon Prime, but couldn't find that info. What OS are you using? We have two older Macs. Macs don't seem to die, they just become obsolete.

Alan

9-16-14, 6:13pm

JaneV2.0

9-16-14, 6:24pm

You don't need a Kindle--just download the free Kindle app and you can get titles instantly downloaded to your computer. My library will download e-books in Kindle format right to my screen.

KayLR

9-16-14, 7:19pm

I use Prime because I have three grandchildren who live far away, and I have gifts sent to them directly and the free shipping has paid for Prime and more. They even wrap! I know it sounds impersonal, but I do spend time "shopping" and at least I can be pretty sure it's going to get to them on time. I'd rather shop this way than go to a mall. I can often find THE gizmo I've been looking for on Amazon when I can't anywhere else, and again, free shipping and I haven't had to go out store-to-store or to a mall.

Tradd

9-16-14, 7:58pm

I love Amazon Prime.

Tussiemussies

9-16-14, 8:59pm

We use Amazon to purchase a lot of our items so the prime is so great, you get the items in two days and I think you can also watch some movies for free. I have to ask DH about that though....we really love it.....

Tradd

9-16-14, 10:03pm

SOME movies, TM? LOTS! TV shows, too! If you're into the PBS Masterpiece Theatre type stuff, they've got a ton.

FYI...Downton Abbey is free to stream with a Prime membership. :)

ToomuchStuff

9-16-14, 10:36pm

TooMuchStuff - I tried to see what OS are compatible with Amazon Prime, but couldn't find that info. What OS are you using? We have two older Macs. Macs don't seem to die, they just become obsolete.

You shouldn't have any problems with a Windows machine or a Mac as long as Silverlight is installed. It is standard in Windows and (I believe) a plugin for the Mac OS on Intel processors. Where most people run into problems is with one of the Linux operating systems. They can be tweaked with the installation of appropriate packages, although it can be difficult for the casual user since Silverlight is not available for Linux and alternative methods of viewing using Flash Player are hit and miss as Flash is no longer included in Linux packages.

Adobe stopped Flash for Linux some time back, and I am not even sure if they even update Flash for the other OS's, now. (Linux flash is much older, out of date, security risks) I am running Lubuntu on my primary machine, but several other flavors on some other stuff, as well as some bootable distro's for specific things.

SOME movies, TM? LOTS! TV shows, too! If you're into the PBS Masterpiece Theatre type stuff, they've got a ton.

FYI...Downton Abbey is free to stream with a Prime membership. :)

While I had it (might still for another day), I looked for the stuff that interested me, and it wasn't there, or wasn't in the free section. Netflix was a similar issue as I once found a site that let you check what they had, without being a member. I think lots, really depends on tastes, IMHO.

ApatheticNoMore

9-17-14, 12:13am

They are always offering me that "Try Prime free for 60 Days!" but I'm a little worried that I'll forget to cancel and end up paying for something I don't want (it's happened before with other trial subscriptions...)

I've signed up for the free subscription a couple of times and cancelled within a month, just if I had to have something right away and didn't want to pay the really expensive "right away" shipping (I abuse the system :laff: ). Usually I'm ok waiting for slow shipping. I wonder how much free shipping would generally help as I often order things not shipped by Amazon like used books and I don't know if it would apply there.

Dhiana

9-17-14, 2:18am

We have Amazon Prime and it works for us, I do need to have some vital monthly basics sent that I would normally buy from a CVS/Target type place in the states and my husband is always needing some strange whizbang triathlon part sent that we can find for a more reasonable price through Amazon.

Shipping makes such a HUGE difference in comparison pricing.

I think one only gets the Prime pricing on books if one has a specific Kindle device. I only have the free app for my iPhone and do not qualify for the Prime pricing on books.

Problem: This past March my Prime was set to renew at the $79 price. I rec'd the email from Amazon stating they were going to charge my account the $79 on Mar 25. They never did. Just never charged my account despite all the warnings, small print in the contract, etc. And they wanted me to pay the new $99 price. So I had to go through their chat sessions TWICE to get them to properly charge my account. Of course I had to pay the $99 first and then they credited me the $20. Totally lame, Amazon!

Other than that, Prime has been worth it.

peggy

9-17-14, 11:54am

We have prime and also use amazon like a general store. I really don't like shopping and if i can't find what I want by going to a few stores, I'll just shop on amazon. I know there I'll find exactly what I want and free shipping. It has paid off for us in that we've ordered some pretty heavy items that would be outrageous shipping without it. My husband particularly loves their selection of British TV, mysteries, crime drama and such. I don't watch those as much as he does, but when I do I love that they can deliver an hour and a half of suspense, adventure, problem solving and 'good guy wins' without a single car chase or shoot-out. :D
Although I don't live in a very remote area, I do live by a mid-sized town and appreciate the shopping selection without having to go to either large city up or down the road.

peggy

9-17-14, 11:59am

Oh, one more reason I like amazon, and it really doesn't have anything to do with prime, is the same reason I like allrecipes. The reviews. I read them, even if I plan to buy something local, it is probably listed on amazon along with the reviews. Advertisements and product blurbs can say all they want, but actual people who have bought and used whatever it is will tell you more.:)

Alan

9-17-14, 12:15pm

Adobe stopped Flash for Linux some time back, and I am not even sure if they even update Flash for the other OS's, now. (Linux flash is much older, out of date, security risks) I am running Lubuntu on my primary machine, but several other flavors on some other stuff, as well as some bootable distro's for specific things.

Yes, Adobe stopped flash development for Linux in 2012, although some browsers have found a way to include flash support into their offerings. For example, I run Ubuntu and Linux Mint 17 (a distro based upon Ubuntu) and use the Chromium browser in both distributions. In order to get flash support in Chromium, I use the Pepper Flash API which Adobe supports for use in the Chrome browser (Google's mainstream Chrome browser is based upon Chromium). It works wonderfully! If you're interested in trying Chromium with flash support on one of your Debian based distros, from your terminal try:

sudo apt-get install pepperflashplugin-nonfree

chanterelle

9-17-14, 12:45pm

Alan, that was extremely helpful. Thank you for sharing your expertise.

AustinKat

9-17-14, 5:06pm

I'm another Prime devotee, even at the higher annual fee. The streaming video, the free shipping, the not-having-to-run-all-over-town-looking-for-some-odd-thing. The last three things I ordered were a bottle of leather cleaner, a set of cheese knives, and a printer. All delivered right to my doorstep.

profnot

9-18-14, 5:46pm

Amazon and all the book sites sell my books.

But I won't buy from Amazon. I'm not political but I know which side is worse. Amazon funds their campaigns heavily. Republican.

Alan

9-18-14, 5:56pm

Amazon and all the book sites sell my books.

But I won't buy from Amazon. I'm not political but I know which side is worse. Amazon funds their campaigns heavily. Republican.I didn't know that. Maybe it's time for me to start adding to my cart.

JaneV2.0

9-18-14, 8:03pm

I know that the Bezos family contributed $100,000 or so to Washington's same-sex marriage initiative. FWIW

jp1

9-19-14, 5:03pm

Prime has turned amazon into my go to store for pretty much everything but food and clothes. I'm sure that is the whole idea. And it probably saves me as much in car expenses as it costs. I also assume that a big brown truck packed to the gills with people's purchases is more environmentally friendly than 100 people driving to stores by themselves.

And since I hate bricks and mortar shopping it's great to me from that standpoint also.

Gardenarian

9-20-14, 4:38pm

Sorry, all the tech stuff is a little beyond me. My dh tried netflix and was able to stream it to our TV - no idea how this works. Does Amazon prime do this? DH likes to watch history stuff, dd and I like the occasional popular or classic movie. Would Amazon have these?

It sounds like it might be a really good choice for us.

i would prefer they didn't support the right wing, but I can't be bothered with the politics of every store/company/product I use.

Jason

10-1-14, 2:52am

I'm using it for eliminating shipping costs. Works great, but I also buy a lot of small stuff every now and then. I heard they'll introduce drone delivery, I guess that is where the Prime money goes.

Gardenarian

10-2-14, 11:32am

Well it sounds like everyone has had a positive experience with Prime, so we'll be giving it a trial run when we move into our new home.
We'll have to keep an eye out to make sure that "free shipping" doesn't tempt us into buying stuff we may not really need.
Thanks for all the advice!

saverchic

10-14-14, 9:17am

I wish it were less expensive, but I love Amazon Prime. I started using it about 4 years ago to buy diapers for my twins. I also use Swagbucks to earn Amazon gift cards, and that helps offset the cost a little bit. For baby items, the prices were really good, and it was nice to not have to go to the store with two babies in tow.

Gardenarian

10-14-14, 5:15pm

Swagbucks?

Gregg

10-15-14, 8:22pm

We got Prime in conjunction with some work I was doing a few months back. Since then we have begun using Amazon as a general store, just like a lot of you do. I've yet to check out any of the video component, but winter is coming so I'm sure we will take a peek one of these days.

Liv

11-14-14, 10:40pm

Swagbucks?

http://www.swagbucks.com/ Have not used Swagbucks in years, lol. I have never tried Amazon Prime, it's a bit expensive and almost everything I order already has free shipping so not sure it would be worth it for us.

.

bae

11-14-14, 10:59pm

I had a flood in the bottom floor of my house the other day due to backed-up plumbing.

Amazon Prime had a whole pile of fans and heaters and a new shop vac at my door the next day, with just a couple of frantic mouse clicks on my part.

My heroes!

Molly

11-15-14, 7:31pm

I dont have prime. I try not to order too much, but when I do, I usually buy second hand. Even with shipping, I think I pay less. If I had prime, I think I would spend more. When I buy second hand, I really have to think about my purchase.

domestic goddess

11-16-14, 3:47pm

I also use Amazon a lot, and am buying more different products from them than I used to. I will make the cost of Prime back in saved shipping in just a few months. I have to really consider my used purchases, though, and make sure it is something I really want or need. That is better, too.

kib

11-16-14, 4:36pm

One thing that Amazon Prime is doing that's tempting me is Amazon Prime Pantry. It's a flat delivery fee of $5.99 for up to 45 pounds of grocery and household items, and from what I've seen, the prices are some of the best available, definitely better than the "free" shipping with $35 purchase items. Don't know if it's going to last, but if you've got Prime anyway, it might be worth a look.

zeaxmays

12-5-14, 10:04pm

ive had prime for a couple years, i think im going to end it though. i notice i dont think when i buy anymore, its not "save up a few things to reach $35 and then order to get free shipping" its "order whatever, whenever" which uses more resources and such in the long run than one big order.

its great for what it is and the video selection is pretty good as well.

but my main reason for getting rid of prime is the streaming, im also dumping netflix. too much TV. (will retain the DVD service)

and the answer to the question is yes its worth it. 8.25 a month for beaucoup digital video/books/music, plus free shipping.

Gardenarian

12-6-14, 4:38pm

We went ahead and got Prime - it's been very handy already. We haven't figured out how to stream video, though. It says our DVD player should work, but it doesn't.

JaneV2.0

12-6-14, 8:19pm

We went ahead and got Prime - it's been very handy already. We haven't figured out how to stream video, though. It says our DVD player should work, but it doesn't.

Some DVDs have streaming capabilities, but many older ones don't. Roku or Amazon streaming sticks go for about $40. You'll need WiFi.