Octopus Overlords

When did Amazon change their return policies?

A few months ago I needed to return something and I was able to just drop it off at a Whole Foods. No cost to me and no packaging required. The entire process took maybe 5 minutes.

Now I have an item to return and the Whole Foods I used last time is not listed as an option - as far as I can tell there are only three locations in the entire city. My other option is to take it to a UPS store where they'll print the label for free! As long as I repackage the item AND pay $7 to ship back a $40 purchase.



Easy returns were one of the big selling points to buying things on Amazon. Take that away and I'll start looking at other vendors or, assuming the pandemic ever ends, buy more things locally.

huh..never heard of this no packaging return before.

Do you have a Kohl's in your area that will take Amazon returns?

Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 2:57 pm When did Amazon change their return policies?

A few months ago I needed to return something and I was able to just drop it off at a Whole Foods. No cost to me and no packaging required. The entire process took maybe 5 minutes.

Now I have an item to return and the Whole Foods I used last time is not listed as an option - as far as I can tell there are only three locations in the entire city. My other option is to take it to a UPS store where they'll print the label for free! As long as I repackage the item AND pay $7 to ship back a $40 purchase.



Easy returns were one of the big selling points to buying things on Amazon. Take that away and I'll start looking at other vendors or, assuming the pandemic ever ends, buy more things locally.

I noticed something similar recently, which may shed some light: an item I bought that I needed to return only gave me a "free" return option if I took it to my local Whole Foods, which is about a 10m drive, and not that convenient since I rarely go that direction. Previously I was always given the option to take it to my almost walking distance UPS store, at no cost of course (just bring the item in unboxed, they box it, label it and return it).

The difference I noticed lately was that the items that required me to go to WF to return (if I wanted a no cost option) were from Amazon sellers, not Amazon.com themselves. So maybe that's a new thing? Or maybe you get a certain number of "freebie" returns?

I returned something thru a UPS Store a few weeks ago, just had to show them a QR code. But the UPS Store option was hidden under a "more locations" link; it really wanted to send me to whole foods instead.

Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:28 pm I returned something thru a UPS Store a few weeks ago, just had to show them a QR code. But the UPS Store option was hidden under a "more locations" link; it really wanted to send me to whole foods instead.

That seems crazy that a grocery store is preferred over an actual delivery company. It's like Starbucks telling you that you must go to a Ralph's in-store franchise.

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 4:00 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:28 pm I returned something thru a UPS Store a few weeks ago, just had to show them a QR code. But the UPS Store option was hidden under a "more locations" link; it really wanted to send me to whole foods instead.

That seems crazy that a grocery store is preferred over an actual delivery company. It's like Starbucks telling you that you must go to a Ralph's in-store franchise.

Not really, considering said grocery store is part of the Amazon ecosystem and UPS is not. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon. So, it's obviously more economical for Amazon to rely upon their own logistics by urging customers to return items via Whole Foods vs. compensating a delivery company to ship returned items back to them.

gilraen wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:07 pm Do you have a Kohl's in your area that will take Amazon returns?

Not anymore. Last time I had a return Kohl's was an option but it's no longer on the list.

Anonymous Bosch wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 5:00 pm

Jaymann wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 4:00 pm

Kraken wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:28 pm I returned something thru a UPS Store a few weeks ago, just had to show them a QR code. But the UPS Store option was hidden under a "more locations" link; it really wanted to send me to whole foods instead.

That seems crazy that a grocery store is preferred over an actual delivery company. It's like Starbucks telling you that you must go to a Ralph's in-store franchise.

Not really, considering said grocery store is part of the Amazon ecosystem and UPS is not. Whole Foods is a subsidiary of Amazon. So, it's obviously more economical for Amazon to rely upon their own logistics by urging customers to return items via Whole Foods vs. compensating a delivery company to ship returned items back to them.

Sorry, I wasn't thinking like a billionaire. Buy 'em out boys.

Carpet_pissr wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 3:19 pm

Exodor wrote: Sun Jan 02, 2022 2:57 pm When did Amazon change their return policies?

A few months ago I needed to return something and I was able to just drop it off at a Whole Foods. No cost to me and no packaging required. The entire process took maybe 5 minutes.

Now I have an item to return and the Whole Foods I used last time is not listed as an option - as far as I can tell there are only three locations in the entire city. My other option is to take it to a UPS store where they'll print the label for free! As long as I repackage the item AND pay $7 to ship back a $40 purchase.



Easy returns were one of the big selling points to buying things on Amazon. Take that away and I'll start looking at other vendors or, assuming the pandemic ever ends, buy more things locally.

I noticed something similar recently, which may shed some light: an item I bought that I needed to return only gave me a "free" return option if I took it to my local Whole Foods, which is about a 10m drive, and not that convenient since I rarely go that direction. Previously I was always given the option to take it to my almost walking distance UPS store, at no cost of course (just bring the item in unboxed, they box it, label it and return it).

The difference I noticed lately was that the items that required me to go to WF to return (if I wanted a no cost option) were from Amazon sellers, not Amazon.com themselves. So maybe that's a new thing? Or maybe you get a certain number of "freebie" returns?

Amazon sellers (sellers other than Amazon.com) can have their own return policies. Many mirror Amazon.com but not all. They can have a wide range of policies.

Also, FWIW, Amazon has at least 2 or more contracted delivery drivers just waiting in their cars, in the parking lots at WF at all times.

Those are usually waiting to deliver food, but by now I bet they use them to xfer returns to and from the closest warehouse as well/when needed.

Amazon jacks up Prime sub price by 17%

Amazon Prime prices are headed higher as the tech giant battles labor inflation, among other factors.

The company said Thursday during its Q4 earnings release that it would lift the annual Prime membership price to $139 from $119. The monthly fee will go to $14.99 from $12.99.

Amazon Prime vice president Jamil Ghani said the increase in prices reflects the company's heavy investment in new member benefits. "In the last few years, we’ve added more product selection available with fast, free, unlimited Prime shipping; more exclusive deals and discounts; and more high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, and books," said Ghani.

The price for Prime sub is slowly but surely is creeping into "is it really worth it" category. Especially considering they also charge tax on it.

I placed 41 amazon orders in 2021, my wife probably placed double that (total guess), so probably around $1 per order. Beyond that we watch the odd show on Prime. I think I have played ONE game that I got through the Twitch stuff. I think I have also read one book I've gotten through the First Reads program. *shrug* Still feels reasonable.

Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:39 pm Amazon jacks up Prime sub price by 17%

Amazon Prime prices are headed higher as the tech giant battles labor inflation, among other factors.

The company said Thursday during its Q4 earnings release that it would lift the annual Prime membership price to $139 from $119. The monthly fee will go to $14.99 from $12.99.

Amazon Prime vice president Jamil Ghani said the increase in prices reflects the company's heavy investment in new member benefits. "In the last few years, we’ve added more product selection available with fast, free, unlimited Prime shipping; more exclusive deals and discounts; and more high-quality digital entertainment, including TV, movies, music, and books," said Ghani.

They're doing that because I'm about to become unemployed, cancel cable, and go out less often. I've never been a Prime subscriber, as I've never been home. I was getting ready to subscribe when I cut the cord and started sitting at home. I was mentally preparing myself for $50 a year thinking, that's a deal! Maybe not so much.

My credit card still gives me Prime for free, so as long as that's a perk, I'll keep getting it.

Sites like Best Buy are starting to get better for electronics ordering (Free next day shipping? Sure!) and it's easier to order other things straight from the retailer itself than slumming through Amazon's ever messier marketplace.

gilraen wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:50 pm The price for Prime sub is slowly but surely is creeping into "is it really worth it" category. Especially considering they also charge tax on it.

Yeah, I have been a subscriber since they first introduced it (be nice if they had a grandfather clause or price!), but with all the (mostly better) streaming services out there now, Prime video is not nearly the value it used to be (in terms of adding to the justification of the overall cost, which is of course what Amazon is trying to do for us). Not coincidentally I'm sure, Prime gaming has had precisely ONE month of game giveaways that were even decent, and that month was? LAST MONTH They also seriously watered down what was available for "free" via Amazon Music, since they introduced Amazon Music Unlimited, so that's no longer a draw.

The cherry on top is that I buy SO much damn stuff from Amazon, and have so much stuff in my SAVED FOR LATER waiting on a price drop, or waiting until I need another of something I regularly buy, I can easily get to the $35 minimum for free shipping.

Hell, if anything, it was Amazon themselves that have gradually nudged and encouraged me to either defer shipments until later (to combine multiple packages, avoiding waste/cost, etc), or to get a digital credit (needed now that they basically killed the Music component of Prime), so in the past year or so, I have more than ever used slower shipping, even though I didn't need to (since I have Prime). They have Primed me to accept slower shipping and/or combine orders! I wonder if they are aware of that danger.

And Prime shipping went from three days after the order to three days after it is shipped (often a week+ total) while their site became the wild west for knock offs, counterfeits, scams, and junk.

It really is losing value.

The 5% credit card rebate pays for the membership, or nearly so. Wife orders so much stuff that I'm sure we come out ahead on free shipping. And Prime Video has both Buffy and Angel in their entirety. That's 11 22-episode seasons (I think), so we're certainly getting many hours of free entertainment re-watching them. I'll grumble about a $20 bump but I'll pay it.

We are one of the lucky few who almost never have shipping issues. I think there is a fulfillment center in SC which gets us stuff quick - it is exceedingly rare that something arrives late, and I often get it a day early. So for me, with the amount of stuff we order, the shipping benefits are still worth it (especially around Christmas time).

Prime video is 50/50 - I have found more on it this year than I've watched than in years past, but it's definitely not a must-have with the enormous amount of streaming options out there now.

Kraken wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:42 pm The 5% credit card rebate pays for the membership, or nearly so. Wife orders so much stuff that I'm sure we come out ahead on free shipping. And Prime Video has both Buffy and Angel in their entirety. That's 11 22-episode seasons (I think), so we're certainly getting many hours of free entertainment re-watching them. I'll grumble about a $20 bump but I'll pay it.

Oooh, that’s a good point. Completely forgot about that.

Not sure it covers the total sub cost (especially now) for us but it’s close I’m sure.

I have had Prime long enough that when I got it, all it did was provide free 2 day shipping. (Though "2" is sometimes more like a goal than a real result. That was very true in 2020. They got better last year.)

The addition of Prime video was and is a nice bonus. It has gone up a lot since I originally got it, but that's life.

We are probably overdue for this period of inflation, though it's definitely not fun since I haven't seen my pay go up a cent to compensate for it.

I ordered some household supplies today, including 2 toothbrushes. For some reason, they've split each individual toothbrush off into a separate shipment. I'm looking forward to seeing the ratio of shipping packaging to toothbrush when they're delivered tomorrow.

In which I outsmarted myself, thought better of it, unwittingly committed fraud, admitted said fraud, and essentially received a free year of Prime for my unintentionally criminal ways.



1. Hear about, then bitch about the Prime cost going up.
2. Read about a workaround whereby you can gift Prime to yourself at the current rate, then just re-up using that gift when your current sub expires.
3. Do #2 above (Beavis: snicker!)
4. Read about how using this loophole will lose any grandfathered status you have regarding Prime sub sharing. Mild freakout.
5. Chat with Amazon to see if they will refund me since I didn't use the gift yet. NAY, they say, but just dispute charge with your credit card (which happens to be an Amazon Prime credit card, not that that matters)
6. Dispute the charge on my Amazon Prime credit card, and 2-3 weeks later (!) I get a message confirming that they received my request, and will look into it.
7. Read how you can just convert the existing, non-redeemed Prime gift into Amazon store credit. I do that, and immediatly email CC bank that I want to cancel my dispute.
8. FF 3-4 weeks (more?). Get an email from CC saying they finally processed my dispute, and have credited my account for $128 (or whatever it was).
9. Me freak out. Chats with Amazon CS to let them know what happened (so they don't think I was trying to defraud them by double dipping: converting the gift to Amazon credit AND disputing and receiving a credit from credit card bank.
10. Amazon CS: nah, we're cool. Enjoy your free Prime sub year.

After having prime for at least 99 years I'm finally rid of it. I'd seen all the movies I was interested in (and a mighty crappy selection there was). I do miss the free shipping for anything but the two day shipping they killed during the pandemic. Without the guaranteed free shipping I'm a lot less inclined to buy things which saves me money. I mean I constantly had things ordered.

Max Peck wrote: Thu Apr 07, 2022 10:02 pm I ordered some household supplies today, including 2 toothbrushes. For some reason, they've split each individual toothbrush off into a separate shipment. I'm looking forward to seeing the ratio of shipping packaging to toothbrush when they're delivered tomorrow.

This is why I buy common items like that locally (I absolve you since the toothbrushes were just piggybacking a larger order).

I think the things that come in separate packages is because they come from different warehouses.

Normally that's what I'd expect, but there are only two Amazon warehouses in the city. I expect that's why the toothbrushes were split off from the rest of the order, but it wouldn't explain why each toothbrush shipped individually (assuming they actually did that -- it could be some weird clerical glitch that generated seperate shipping notifications and both items actually went into the same physical shipment).

In other news, Amazon is increasing the price for Amazon Prime.

Amazon is raising the price of its Prime membership in Canada.

The e-commerce giant's subscription service, which offers free shipment on many items, access to its Prime Video streaming platform and an array of other benefits, will begin phasing in higher fees for new subscribers immediately.

Existing users will see their price jump starting next month.

Amazon says Prime's monthly fee will go up $2 to $9.99 per month, while the annual renewal package will increase by $20 to $99 per year.

It's the first price increase for Prime since Amazon launched the membership for Canadians in January 2013.

Surprising to me, it seems that the price in Canada is substantially lower than in the US:

Amazon introduced its third price increase for U.S. customers in February that boosted the monthly fee to $14.99 US and the annual fee to $139 US.

Update: Each toothbrush was shipped in it's own personal 9x15" plastic bubble wrap padded envelope. I'm just going to assume this was someone's way of saying they really hate their job...

Max Peck wrote: Fri Apr 08, 2022 2:58 pm

Amazon is raising the price of its Prime membership in Canada.

The e-commerce giant's subscription service, which offers free shipment on many items, access to its Prime Video streaming platform and an array of other benefits, will begin phasing in higher fees for new subscribers immediately.

Existing users will see their price jump starting next month.

Amazon says Prime's monthly fee will go up $2 to $9.99 per month, while the annual renewal package will increase by $20 to $99 per year.

It's the first price increase for Prime since Amazon launched the membership for Canadians in January 2013.

Surprising to me, it seems that the price in Canada is substantially lower than in the US:

And it's high time you start paying your share. If I had known all my Amazon price increases were going to subsidize Canada...

I received One Deck Dungeon as an early birthday gift a couple of weeks ago, and ordered a set of sleeves for it. I bought the same sleeves I normally use - Dragon Shield Matte Clear (I don't like opaque backs - I want to see the art.) They're a very good quality sleeve.

They arrived today. Both boxes had been cut open, and the sleeves inside the boxes were cheap, thin, glossy sleeves. Someone had swapped the genuine product with a cheaper product. My first thought was that it was the usual third-party bullshit. But I checked the invoice, and no - it came directly through Amazon. That's a niche enough product that I can't imagine someone doing it enroute, and doing it in the warehouse would be tricky. The only thing that makes sense is that these sleeves (which were sold as new) were actually returns. Someone else had ordered them, swapped them for crappy sleeves, then returned them for a refund or replacement. That part isn't Amazon's fault. But the fact that they sold them as new is yet another smelly smear on Amazon's reputation.

My wife's gum subscription is running late. I got an email, a phone notification and an Alexa alert.

Isgrimnur wrote: Mon Apr 18, 2022 5:21 pm My wife's gum subscription is running late. I got an email, a phone notification and an Alexa alert.

I guess Amazon wanted to make sure she'd chew on that for a while.


Sorry

If you don't use Prime they seem to have dropped the $25 order free shipping.

I thought it got moved to $35 a while back?

According to my future billing, my next year of Amazon Prime will be... $139 USD

As noted two and a half months ago:

Carpet_pissr wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 5:39 pm The company said Thursday during its Q4 earnings release that it would lift the annual Prime membership price to $139 from $119. The monthly fee will go to $14.99 from $12.99.

TheMix wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:36 am I thought it got moved to $35 a while back?

I got $44 worth and still paid for shipping.

dbt1949 wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:04 pm

TheMix wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:36 am I thought it got moved to $35 a while back?

I got $44 worth and still paid for shipping.

It varies by product and seller. Not all products/sellers qualify. I think the $25 is for free shipping and the $35 is for free next day with Prime.

I started bumping up my monthly Prime savings by two bucks as soon as they announced it. It's not a ton of money, but I'm starting to notice a lot of nickels and dimes in the pot with the frogs.

LawBeefaroni wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:09 pm

dbt1949 wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 4:04 pm

TheMix wrote: Tue Apr 19, 2022 10:36 am I thought it got moved to $35 a while back?

I got $44 worth and still paid for shipping.

It varies by product and seller. Not all products/sellers qualify. I think the $25 is for free shipping and the $35 is for free next day with Prime.

I can get free same day delivery with a $25 spend (assuming I can find $25 worth of eligible items, which I usually can) with Prime. It helps to have an Amazon distribution facility a couple miles away.