Amazon Collection Lockers Full, When They're Free To get You to Sign Up To Prime

fiscoking

Hi,

Wanted to order a cheap watch strap from Amazon today. Delivered by Amazon, but sold by a private marketplace seller. Postage is free if you get items delivered to a local hub locker. Makes sense for cheap items.

In the last week I've noticed that I'm bombarded with free delivery messages on checkout for a Prime subscription. Declined. No need as it's free to a hub locker, or so I thought. Every single hub locker is listed a 'Full' for cheap items, but amazingly the exact same lockers are free for more expensive items. Don't believe me, look at the screenshot below. Both items delivered by Amazon to the same locker. One is accepted, the other not as the locker is full. Both delivered by Amazon (not a 3rd party seller).

A first world problem I know, but it's a cheeky way to get people to sign up to Prime.  Just wanted to warn others as I've spent 30 minutes on Amazon chat and they seem oblivious as well. Their advice was to wait until the locker becomes free, but it never will as this 'feature' seem to be by design.

sarah1972

You say neither are a third party seller, but both are by the looks of it? 

Strap by Tinwoo factory and 3D printing stuff by Rachel sommerfield 

fiscoking

*Sold* by a 3rd party seller.
*Delivered/Despatched By* by Amazon - which means Amazon hold the item at their warehouse - which means it's eligible for free locker delivery, or free delivery on Prime to your home address. URL for the strap if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tinwoo-Compatible-Detachable-Adjustable-Suitable/dp/B08KD9RNCC/
If you try and get an item delivered to a locker that's not 'Delivered\Despatched By' Amazon then you can't even select a hub locker, all the hub locker options are greyed out.

sarah1972

fiscoking said:

*Sold* by a 3rd party seller.
*Delivered/Despatched By* by Amazon - which means Amazon hold the item at their warehouse - which means it's eligible for free locker delivery, or free delivery on Prime to your home address. URL for the strap if you're interested:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tinwoo-Compatible-Detachable-Adjustable-Suitable/dp/B08KD9RNCC/
If you try and get an item delivered to a locker that's not 'Delivered\Despatched By' Amazon then you can't even select a hub locker, all the hub locker options are greyed out.

Ah I get you. 

I never have items delivered to a locker as I love prime (for the music & tv) but that’s naughty of them to do that. Can’t really see any difference in a £10 item being delivered than a £2.50 to be honest as far as they’re concerned so it’s very odd. X

The watch strap is Thursday delivery for me, was it the same for you? Maybe the 3D thing is tomorrow and they already know that they have too many deliveries to your lockers on Thursday so they know they will all be full? 

MSE_James

For what it's worth I tried with the same two items as the OP and got the same result when selecting delivery to my local locker

MSE_James

I've also tried some different items from my own recent order history, and for two low-value items it reports 'locker full' but will deliver a much more expensive item to the same locker.

fiscoking

Good to know it's not just me. For a moment there, I thought Amazon had 'marked my card'.

General_Grant

I've had that problem with books - tried to order 2 books at same time, one can be delivered to hub but the other can't because all lockers are full!  Sneeky because unless 2 are collected (free), there would have been a delivery charge for one.
So I went to a Waterstones shop.

prowla

I only tried an Amazon locker once; it wouldn't open for me; Amazon had to cancel the order and re-order with it shipped to my address.