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I wonder what percentage of goods that Amazon sells are still being sold at low-margin prices though. Most things I see on Amazon these days are more expensive
by Fezzik 10y ago
I wonder what percentage of goods that Amazon sells are still being sold at low-margin prices though. Most things I see on Amazon these days are more expensive than at my local store. Two examples from yesterday: Rani Hot Curry Powder (Amazon: $14.99, my local grocer: $8.69) and Speedo Silicone Swim Earplugs ($5.99 on Amazon, $2.99 at Fred Meyer).
Just about everything I purchase these days is cheaper at a local store. Ritter Sport chocolate bars are cheaper, bike tubes and tires, pots and pans... I can't think of a single thing that I have price-checked recently that has been even slightly cheaper on Amazon.
- bduerst 10y agoSame here. I've been using Amazon Prime less and less, because once you notice they hide the "Free" shipping costs into the price of the item, it's difficult to justify larger orders with them.
- Spooky23 10y agoBeyond that, there's all sorts of hidden bullshit around prime now. If your local DC isn't stocked, you're waiting days or the order cut off is way earlier. They are incredibly competent though. I ordered an iPad from Target, and it was like ordering from LL Bean in 1987. I think FedEx Ground dispatched it by horse, it took 11 days to travel from St Louis to NYS.
- sbierwagen 10y agoDid you order it in December? And choose free shipping?
- Spooky23 10y agoRight after New Years and yes. It shipped within hours from the warehouse.
- sbierwagen 10y agoLate deliveries go way, way up during the holiday season. Anybody who ships anything by fedex/UPS ground would see something like this. Source: I work for an online retailer.
- manmal 10y agoStrange. In Austria, things shipped within 24h of ordering, mostly. UPS/DHL within 48h, but mostly less. They ramp up capacity a lot during holiday season. They even delivered on sundays this year, which is pretty much unheard of in Austria.
- Spooky23 10y agoInteresting. In my particular case it was FedEx/Smartpost. In my area, the USPS leg has been very reliable, 100% next day delivery from drop off at their Springfield, MA center to my door in Albany NY. The FedEx Ground leg took forever, my little box made like 4 stops in Ohio and PA before hitting the post office in MA. UPS typically does that in 2-3 days, USPS typically 3.
- bduerst 10y agoYes! I was going to buy LifeX bulbs on Prime, but noticed it was going to take 2+ weeks to ship. I checked the LifeX website and the same bulbs were 25% cheaper and shipped immediately.
- kevin_thibedeau 10y agoAre these products being sold by Amazon itself, or just fulfilled by them with partners setting higher prices than retail?
- TakerofVita 10y agoBoth sold by Amazon, and third party.
- Fezzik 10y agoA bit of both. I just checked, and in my specific examples the curry was sold by another retailer and fulfilled by Amazon and the Ear Plugs were sold by Amazon. Both with similar markups when compared to brick and mortor retail.
- gozur88 10y agoThis. You can almost always find things cheaper than at Amazon. What you're paying for is convenience and reliability. They're not putting anyone out of business through predatory pricing.