I think I might cancel. I’m not watching ads and I’m not going to pay the extra $3/mo to opt out. I don’t know if I’d end up paying more than the subscription cost in shipping though…
Prime is SGD2.99/month in Singapore (~USD2.26). For that you get free next day (sometimes same day) shipping, Prime Video, Prime Gaming, access to buy Amazon Fresh groceries, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting. Singapore also has low import duty which means access to a lot of Amazon US products which also come with Prime shipping, albeit they usually take a week or two to deliver.
It’s very obviously predatory pricing and I assume one day it’ll go through the roof like it has in the US but it’s interesting that Amazon can do this, right?
Curious, where in Singapore do you live? Last time I tried Prime, it usually took a few days for them to ship my stuff, even with Prime listings that were fufilled by Amazon SG. To be fair, it was a year or so ago, so maybe things have changed, but I thought that next-day shipping was only a US thing 🤷♂️
I’ve lived on both the East and West sides and have always had next-day shipping regardless, at least since 2021 anyway. There have been a few items that have taken 2-3 days - particularly recently with the holidays - but that’s been the exception, not the rule. I’ve even seen same-day shipping for a few items recently but I think that’s charged.
It’s unusual pricing as Singapore (rather notoriously) has a high cost of living and a lot of wealthy people kicking about. Usually digital service costs are comparable to US/European prices. There are a few other online shopping options (eg Lazada and Shoppee) that could be regarded as incumbents with likely higher market share, hence my suspicion on the predatory pricing, just as you say really.
What made decide to cancel Prime was realizing that Amazon was adding a markup to prime products that effectively cancelled out any shipping savings. But also prime video offering was crap where I live.
That and Amazon being a terrible company that I didn’t want to support anyway.
I don’t even pay for prime for streaming. Watched a movie or two on there when it was something I wanted to see and found out it was free on Prime. Otherwise, I use it for the expedited shipping. I did briefly cancel in 2021, but the spouse complained. We split it now anyway, so it’s cheaper. Overall, though the quality of products offered on Amazon has gone way down hill. If the product is something that doesn’t need to be quality, it’s fine, but if you’d have to replace the item if it is not quality, you’re better off skipping Amazon. The value proposition is declining.
I had mine cancelled and reupped cause I literally buy things I need randomly and sometimes never hit the free shipping. Most of my stuff is farm related fixing things, so I definitely hit the price I pay…still really annoyed that it’s $140 a year now, but I get my money out of it…
Looks like Amazon wants to close off this year with yet another rent-seeking episode. Thankfully I don’t use Amazon, but my parents still pay for Prime specifically for their streaming service, so this is going to be very annoying for them :/
This is one of many reasons why I’m selling my Kindle Paperwhite and getting a Pocketbook Ink Pad 3 Color. Amazon is the Apple of retail, which drips down to even the ebooks. I do, however, have to consider my wife’s comfort when ordering stuff, but otherwise, ready to pull the plug on Bezoz and his gang.
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