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Amazon lowers free delivery cut-off to £5, but its price promise disappears too.
Former_MSE_Lawrence
Posts: 975 Forumite
What's the deal?
There've been some changes in Amazon's pricing structure this week....
There've been some changes in Amazon's pricing structure this week....
- The Good News: Free delivery from £5 up.
Web behemoth Amazon's dropped its cut-off level for free super-saver delivery to £5; this is great news, since you needed to spend £15 to get it free up until this week.
- The Bad News: The 'post-order' price promise is dropped.
The company's also done away with its post-order price promise, whereby customers could claim back the difference if an item dropped in price within 30 days of their buying it.
It cites price fluctuations due to varying special offers from suppliers and manufacturers in its supply chain as the reason it can no longer apply these retroactive discounts. The site's pre-order price promise (which means everybody that pre-orders an item will get it at the lowest pre-order price) remains unchanged.
- Don't assume everything over £5 is eligible for free delivery.
Amazon's delivery policy doesn't mean "spend over £5 at Amazon and delivery's free", since items could be supplied by someone outside of Amazon. You should always check each product includes the phrase "eligible for Free UK delivery on orders over £5 with Super Saver Delivery" in the small notes at the top.
If it doesn't have this it's usually not Amazon who actually sells the item but a third party supplier via Amazon marketplace. The page will look very similar, though you should see a box on the top right detailing the seller and postage costs.
Buying goods from Amazon marketplace means delivery can be much more expensive - often £5-£6, and there's no free delivery however much you spend.
- Remember you pay VAT on the delivery charge.
Standard (under £5) delivery prices vary depending on items, but none include VAT. Say the charge is £2.75, this is the pre-VAT cost, so actually the total for delivery would be £3.23.
- Get free delivery even for just under £5.
If you're near the £5 mark, and eligible for free delivery, there's a special trick you can use. There's a website which will find out an object to fill the gap for you (e.g. your total is £4.20, it'll find something costing 80p) which is much cheaper than paying the delivery charge. Read Amazon Filler Site for more.
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Comments
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Usually find book depository cheaper and free postage. http://www.bookdepository.co.uk0
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Just rechecked a few books... sometimes Amazon, sometimes book depository are cheaper. Sorry for confusing the issue!!0
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I usually use a couple of sites to find the best place to get a book - often it is a small bookseller!
http://www.bookfinder.com
tells you prices inclusive of postage. Also, but not quite as comprehensive in my experience:
http://www.usedbooksearch.co.uk0 -
The original thread about the Amazon supersaver changes is here: http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=12213250
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Bookbrain.co.uk is a good comparison site to use0
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That stinks
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You guys are missing the point. It might have started out as an on-line bookseller but now sells just about anything you can think of. Always worth checking first and customer reviews can be handy. There are usually cheaper places for CD and DVDs though
Terry D0 -
I noticed the other week that Amazon are offering a free one month trial to their premium service Amazon Prime. This allows you free next-day delivery on most items if you buy them direct from the Amazon store (and not the other market sellers on there).
So far its proved to be great, particularly with Christmas approaching. Just look in the very top right corner of the homepage and click where it says 'Get Unlimited Free One-Day Delivery Now!'
NOTE: Just be sure to cancel your membership before the months trial is up, or you'll probably be stung the £49 a year charge.0 -
www.bookprice24.com.uk is always a good one too!0
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I have found the US Amazon alot cheaper upto half the price including postage! Mind you I usually purchase technical programming books.0
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