Amazon Prime -- Anyone use it?

[Ralph-Wiggum]

I've been getting things much faster than the estimated arrival date as well. I ordered a couch ( ) on Sunday, it was estimated to get here on Friday, but is arriving today. It's been the same with most things I've ordered. That said, I still have been avoiding ordering anything that has an estimated arrival time of more than a week away.

[Max Peck]

I think they are being very careful to under-promise in a big way on the delivery times.

Yeah, it seems likely that the one-month shipping window for in-stock items reflects a lower shipping priority that will only really kick in if their order processing capacity is saturated with higher priority items for a sustained period of time.

[gilraen]

I had orders placed on 3/28 and 4/4. Neither one has shipped yet. Estimated delivery is 4/18-4/20.

[stessier]

I placed an order on 4/5 and it was estimated arrival of 4/28. Just checking now, it's showing 4/17-4/20.

[Blackhawk]

There has been a definite, actual slowdown, but my experience is still that the dates are just there to give them wiggle room to delay things if they reach capacity. I've had things that would normally ship out in a day ship out in three, for instance, and things that would normally be here in two days are showing up in a week. And yet those showing up in a week were items listed as showing up in a month.

[malchior]

I had an order yesterday. Said it would arrive April 28. It shipped same day and will probably be here by Saturday.

Last order was placed on 3/28, estimated arrival of 4/22. It arrived 4/1.


I think they are being very careful to under-promise in a big way on the delivery times.

I think it is very location specific. I suspect I'm in one of their logistical donut holes. For awhile, I had same day service for awhile and it'd ship out of a place about 10 miles away. At some point at the end of last year, we noticed that all our orders generally switched to Next Day mostly. And they started arriving from a warehouse in PA (about 30 miles away). Since then they opened a warehouse literally 5 miles away but I never see anything out of it. That said, I have several orders that have been open for weeks now. I'm ordering ahead but at least locally I'm seeing regular massive delays. Unfortunately, I also can't get grocery delivery or even pick up in my area. We're not low on supplies but I have no ability to get fresh foods without risking grocery runs still and we still can't locally get toilet paper/paper products/cleaning products. Persistent "outages" but I'm hearing that it is a labor issue anecdotally. Seems no one wants to work at the grocery store in a pandemic. Odd that.

[Lassr]

Had several orders and all have arrived in about a week, so no 2 day prime but not 3 weeks either. So, yes, I believe it's just a heads up that it could take that long

[hentzau]

I'm getting big delays on PLA (3D printer filament.) I ran out and had to go pick up some from Microcenter. I'm printing face mask elastic band holders for some local hospitals and doctors offices.

[stessier]

I placed an order on 4/5 and it was estimated arrival of 4/28. Just checking now, it's showing 4/17-4/20.

Now 4/14-16.

[Unagi]

I placed an order on 4/5 and it was estimated arrival of 4/28. Just checking now, it's showing 4/17-4/20.

Now 4/14-16.

At this rate, in a few days you’ll have it last week!

[stessier]

I placed an order on 4/5 and it was estimated arrival of 4/28. Just checking now, it's showing 4/17-4/20.

Now 4/14-16.

At this rate, in a few days you’ll have it last week!

My wife said the same thing.

[pr0ner]

I just placed a rather large order on Amazon. Everything will arrive between Saturday and Wednesday. So, still, no real big delays here.

[Xmann]

I'm being patient because most of the items I order aren't necessarily a need. However, I'm regularly getting items marked "shipped", that actually aren't shipped. I know this because when it doesn't show on the delivery date, I'm getting an email asking if I still want the item.

I have two items that were out for delivery yesterday and never arrived. I also have one marked today expected to be delivered that hasn't shipped. At least that is what Amazon is telling me.

Again, I'm patient, but I'm not sure how an item is expected to be delivered on a certain date and hasn't even shipped.

[Unagi]

I just placed a rather large order on Amazon. Everything will arrive between Saturday and Wednesday. So, still, no real big delays here.

I mean, you may be right of course, but you haven’t gotten your items yet.
We’ve seen dates slip.

[LawBeefaroni]

I'm back to 2-3 days. Usually a day or two before the original estimate.

[Max Peck]

From what I'm seeing, shipping dates are a lot faster for merchandise that is sold by Amazon than it is for things that are sold by a third party but shipped by Amazon. Earlier this week I placed an order that had Prime shipping for a mix of items, all with the one-month shipping window, and while I received the stuff sold by Amazon in a couple of days, the rest of the order is still pending even though it is in stock and sitting in an Amazon warehouse.

[Kraken]

Orders for things like face masks and aloe gel have been a crapshoot. One got canceled outright, one arrived a week after it was supposed to, and one is still at large. Fortunately we've been ordering these things well in advance of actual need, so unreliability is kind of built-in.

[Unagi]

From what I'm seeing, shipping dates are a lot faster for merchandise that is sold by Amazon than it is for things that are sold by a third party but shipped by Amazon. Earlier this week I placed an order that had Prime shipping for a mix of items, all with the one-month shipping window, and while I received the stuff sold by Amazon in a couple of days, the rest of the order is still pending even though it is in stock and sitting in an Amazon warehouse.

I think this is what we are seeing too

Ages ago, a container of bleach was on an order of ours. We’ve since secured bleach and other cleaning supplies, and this original bleach item is still on its way.
The bleach has become a joke around our house. I’m guessing it will be here in 2 weeks.

[Blackhawk]

Orders for things like face masks and aloe gel have been a crapshoot. One got canceled outright, one arrived a week after it was supposed to, and one is still at large. Fortunately we've been ordering these things well in advance of actual need, so unreliability is kind of built-in.

I've been having the same experience. The ski masks aren't working out as well as we'd hoped, and we've been trying to get some decent masks for weeks now with no luck. I'm actually tempted to wear my 3M P95 painting respirator.

[Anonymous Bosch]

Orders for things like face masks and aloe gel have been a crapshoot. One got canceled outright, one arrived a week after it was supposed to, and one is still at large. Fortunately we've been ordering these things well in advance of actual need, so unreliability is kind of built-in.

I've been having the same experience. The ski masks aren't working out as well as we'd hoped, and we've been trying to get some decent masks for weeks now with no luck. I'm actually tempted to wear my 3M P95 painting respirator.

If you're just after comfortable washable fabric masks, TMasks is a company that shifted production of t-shirts into making affordable face masks instead.

[pr0ner]

I just placed a rather large order on Amazon. Everything will arrive between Saturday and Wednesday. So, still, no real big delays here.

I mean, you may be right of course, but you haven’t gotten your items yet.
We’ve seen dates slip.

Everything originally estimated to arrive Saturday or Sunday arrived yesterday.

[malchior]

I'm still seeing everything very delayed. I had an order from end of March that was supposed to show today. Now saying Monday. I am in the midst of the hot zone so likely has something to do with it.

[Smoove_B]

My USPS deliveries from Amazon have been coming like clockwork - sometimes a day or two ahead of what Amazon projects. On the flip side, anything that is shipping via UPS is "arriving late" after the Amazon projected delivery window passes. It's not just UPS deliveries via Amazon either. I've had other things coming via UPS that they keep coding "signature required - delivery attempted / no one home" or something similar. I'm guessing so much depends on surge capacity in any given area.

[dbt1949]

The shipping delays are making me wonder if I should drop prime for awhile. Items would probably get here at the same time anyways.

[Max Peck]

I get enough value from the other Prime benefits (Prime Video, Prime Music, Prime Reading, Twitch Prime) that the extended shipping window doesn't really bother me. Plus, Prime shipping is still free shipping even if it is taking longer.

Both of my outstanding third-party Prime orders shipped this morning, so if they show up on schedule the actual time to delivery will be one week rather than one month. A couple of days for Amazon items and a week for third party items doesn't seem so bad under the circumstances.

[Jeff V]

I placed my first Prime order in a month, we'll see how long it takes. The Prime truck delivers sometimes multiple times per day, but that's whatever crap my wife and boarder order and I haven't been tracking delivery times. DHL also delivers frequently because they order crap direct from China, so I suspect delivery time isn't all that important as far as they're concerned.

[pr0ner]

I just placed a rather large order on Amazon. Everything will arrive between Saturday and Wednesday. So, still, no real big delays here.

I mean, you may be right of course, but you haven’t gotten your items yet.
We’ve seen dates slip.

Everything originally estimated to arrive Saturday or Sunday arrived yesterday.

The item that originally had a Wednesday delivery date arrived today, along with another item I ordered yesterday that originally had a Wednesday delivery date.

[Kasey Chang]

My local mailman must be one overworked SOB. Actually there are two of them. One's my regular route, and one's the package guy. The regular guy's fine. The other guy... You never know when he'll show up.

I ordered a new pair of BT headphones when my old one crapped out after almost 3 years of use. Amazon says it's arriving today. The smaller package arrived no problem from the regular route guy. But the other one? Waited until 8PM, nothing. Then suddenly at 8:30PM got a "failed to deliver" notification. WTF? The bell did NOT ring! Didn't even TRY! Sheesh.

Oh, and I lost a box of cookies last week. It was supposed to be a pack of 3 (or 6?) pepperridge farms cookies. It say delivered, but I went down to look, not a thing.

EDIT: Great, today the box of cookies showed up, but NOT the headphones. The "please ring the bell" sign is up.

EDIT2: And that box showed up AFTERALL AND something else... 2 bottles of dish detergent I have on subscribe and save.

[Jaymon]

If you're just after comfortable washable fabric masks, TMasks is a company that shifted production of t-shirts into making affordable face masks instead.

I ordered some of these tmask, will let ya'll know how they are when they arrive.

[LawBeefaroni]

Then suddenly at 8:30PM got a "failed to deliver" notification. WTF? The bell did NOT ring! Didn't even TRY! Sheesh.

Happens a lot with USPS. I always give them a day or two extra before I get concerned.

[Blackhawk]

Before the lockdowns were lifted delivery estimates were long, but actual delivery was usually still quick. Lately, though, things have gotten slower. Items I'm ordering often don't ship for a week, when they do ship they are taking a day or two longer than normal to get here, and I've had an unusual number of items lost in transit.

[Blackhawk]

Amazon, you've outdone yourself on packaging. My eldest's Christmas present this year is a new mattress (I know, exciting - but it is something he'll actually appreciate and desperately needed.) Getting it required ordering some new slats as well. The slats arrived. They were packed in a box. At least, I assume they were packed in a box, because all that arrived was the tape. There were scraps of ruined cardboard attached, the shipping label (still on its own scrap of tattered cardboard) tucked underneath the tape, and the slats themselves are soaking wet. It took two weeks to get here, so I don't have time to return it and get a replacement before Christmas.

Spoiler:

It's gotten to the point that I'm having to contact Amazon every couple of weeks about something that's damaged, and it is almost always due to awful packaging - putting heavy cans loose in a box with a book, wrapping thin cardboard boxes in thin plastic mailers, etc. It's getting bad.

[LawBeefaroni]

That's crazy, BH. Looks like it shipped from overseas (INTL ECONOMY) or was reshipped from an overseas shipment.

[LordMortis]

That's crazy, BH. Looks like it shipped from overseas (INTL ECONOMY) or was reshipped from an overseas shipment.

Yeah, I'm super careful when I buy from Amazon as you can find yourself in their marketplace from a basic search like it's OldWest Ebay and Amazon doesn't care. And even as careful as I am I've had to work with Amazon's "Customer Service" more than I'd ever imagined I'd have to. All that said, I've not had something go wrong quite like that.

[JCC]

I love Amazon (though I know I probably shouldn't) but I agree they have gone off the rails a bit with their 3rd party sellers. A few months I bought a Garmin watch and the package arrived. I opened the box and removed the manuals and... no watch. Amazon made good on it, but good grief.

[Blackhawk]

It shipped from Argentina. It's why there's no time for a replacement. And yeah, I've had so many issues with 3rd party Amazon shippers that I've lost track. Counterfeit goods. Take-the-money-and-run deals, complete with fake tracking numbers to slow down the response. Super-cheap knock off products that technically fit the description, but are totally useless (one was an adult t-shirt that came in what must have been child size and was printed on some sort of plastic cloth. To be fair, Amazon has fixed every one of these issues, but it takes way longer than it should, and I have to bypass their actual complaint process to actually get anything done (problem with a product? Their first answer is to have you get with the seller and arrange for a return. If I've been ripped off, I'm not interested in working with the seller or returning fake goods for a refund.)

Another fun scam is when a seller takes over an old, abandoned product listing, changes the picture and description, and starts selling. The scam is that doing it that way keeps all the old reviews. You find a bluetooth adaptor that has a 4.5 star review rating and 700+ reviews. Awesome! When you get junk you go back and check, yeah - 4.5 stars. Then you read the reviews, and they're all for a book on makeup for teens.

That rarely happens anymore. I've learned to check the seller's rating before ordering. Just make sure that they have a fair amount of positive feedback, that it isn't all recent, but that some of it is recent, and that it isn't all in a two-week period. Most of my problems now are with poor packaging.

Oh, and the real secret to avoiding scams is to never, ever... sorry, Cyberpunk 2077 just went live.

[Holman]

Oh, and the real secret to avoiding scams is to never, ever... sorry, Cyberpunk 2077 just went live.

[Kraken]

Last thing I got from amazon was a set of two pillows. Two large boxes arrived together. Each one held two rolled-up pillows. Score! Amazon wasn't going to want a low-value item like that returned, so Wife got the extras for her birthday.

Their packaging can be ridiculous, though. I ordered two canisters of cat treats, which are just glorified kibble in a plastic tub. Each arrived in a separate box, wrapped in plastic air packs. It was an impressive amount of waste to ship something that's next-to-indestructible anyway. I guess they didn't have one box that would fit both buckets of treats.

[Kasey Chang]

I guess they didn't have one box that would fit both buckets of treats.

Or they came from two different warehouses?

[Blackhawk]

Today I got a box of tea in. They've taken to packing them in light, unpadded plastic bags, and they show up smashed. In the past three weeks, I have had five packages show up smashed this way. Five in three weeks, smashed. Three were gifts, which I now have to give smashed. The other two were boxes of tea, which sit on a shelf stacked with other boxes of tea, but are so smashed that they can't be stacked now.

Of course, none of them actually had the contents damaged. The tea bags were loose, the boxes were smashed, but when these items are gifts and they look like they were wadded up, it's a problem.