7 ms·

I Cancelled My Amazon Prime

71 points by laurex 7y ago

blakesterz 7y ago
>> I never got used to the emails Amazon sent a day or two after I viewed but didn’t purchase a product. “Hello Ali,” Amazon would say, like we were friends. “Are you looking for something in our Charger & Adaptors store? If so, you might be interested in these items.” That's weird, I've never gotten one of those emails from Amazon, and I look for stuff ALL the time on Amazon without buying. Did I opt-out of this and forgot, or do they only send these out for certain searches? I do get these once in a while from other sites and HATE those emails, but I'm sure I never get them from Amazon.
- dudul 7y ago
  Same, I can't recall ever receiving something like that.
- crysin 7y ago
  I get them from amazon, can't really say how often as I don't use Amazon much anymore but when I do actually do a specific and deep search for a type of product but don't purchase anything I'll typically get an e-mail of items similar to those that I was looking at.
  - IronBacon 7y ago
    I suppose it's something I opted out, because I don't recall receiving suggestions, but I've seen them on my mother account, and in her case it happens also simply when browsing some products, not only on purchases. Thinking about it, I would guess it happens when she uses the Amazon application on her phone/tablet...
- asark 7y ago
  I get 'em constantly. Sure you didn't filter-rule them away years ago and forget about it?
  - blakesterz 7y ago
    Nope, just double checked.
    - asark 7y ago
      Huh. Wonder what the difference is. Just checked, they seem to hit me with about 1/day, choosing something "relevant" (to what I've been looking at) when possible.
  - rwz 7y ago
    check your subscriptions page and make sure you opt-out from everything you don't want amazon to email you about https://www.amazon.com/preferences/subscriptions/your-subscriptions/browse-all-subscriptions https://www.amazon.com/preferences/subscriptions/your-subscr...
- benj111 7y ago
  I used to get them all the time, really annoying when you've just bought the (typically non consumable) product from them. Yes Amazon, I'd love to buy a kettle 3 days after I just bought one from you.
glitchc 7y ago
Good for you. Would you like a cookie? Should we expect to see another post where you resubscribe for a discount or reduced shipping costs?
- tudelo 7y ago
  1 Year Later: My Response to my Cancellation of Amazon Prime: The Story of How I Resubscribed to Amazon Prime.
- quotha 7y ago
  Way back in 99, before all the prime BS, amazon sent me a can of popcorn for being such a nice customer!
- somehnguy 7y ago
  lol exactly. I cancelled my Prime subscription about a month ago, didn't feel the need to write a blog post about it. Nobody cares.
- hombre_fatal 7y ago
  These posts are upvoted so that HNers can grind whatever axe is hinted in the title. Today it's Amazon Prime. Other favorites: DAE hate Netflix?, DAE hate Javascript?, DAE hate scooters? These "want a cookie?" posts used to annoy me, but I now look at them serving the same purpose as that special day in The Purge: maybe if people vent here, they'll be less likely to vent in other discussions that contain their hobby horse trigger word. Post-nut clarity.
  - glitchc 7y ago
    Have no axe to grind here. I just don’t understand why unsubscribing from a service merits a blog post, and even more confusing, an upvote to the popular category of Hacker News. There are thousands of individuals enrolling and de-enrolling from hundreds of services every day. If they all posted blogs, we’d drown in them.
    - chunkstuntman 7y ago
stanski 7y ago
I had a trial membership for 3 months and it was nice to get a couple of orders super quick but far from worth the annual cost. Spotify beats them in music, Netflix beats them in videos and if really need an item on the same day, I can just go to the store. It's also cheaper to pay for shipping once in a while rather than pay for an annual subscription. There is of course something about paying for shipping which makes you feel like a great injustice...
- notus 7y ago
  Netflix does not beat them in videos. Netflix's library has moved towards very specific titles and original programming done by Netflix. Amazon has still retained a lot of movies in addition to their original programming plus they have plenty of options you can pay for which Netflix doesn't even offer. Amazon Prime has around 18k titles to Netflix's 4k titles.
  - quotha 7y ago
    Netflix destroys, eviscerates, demolishes, annihilates them in videos!!!
    - tinus_hn 7y ago
      To shreds you say!
      - quotha 7y ago
        To be fair though "Ronja, the Robber's Daughter" is must-see
    - PasserBy2020 7y ago
      It puts them on their knees and smashes their little skull in videos!
  - dragonwriter 7y ago
    > Netflix does not beat them in videos. Whether or not they beat them in videos is very much a matter of subjective preference for the videos one has that the other does not; if someone says they do in explanation of a personal decision, you need unusually personal information to argue that they are incorrect. > Amazon Prime has around 18k titles to Netflix's 4k titles. As most people won't watch a significant fraction of either, the counts are mostly irrelevant in deciding which wins for any individual; what matters most is who has more of the usually very small number of titles for which the individual has a strong preference; everything else ends up being mostly noise in the menus, more likely to be a cost (unless masked by personalization) than a benefit.
kerng 7y ago
I also cancelled Prime a while ago. Wasn't really worth it and after Amazon bought Whole Foods, the tracking and data linking desire just became too obvious to me. Now a year later, I am positive I made the right decision- and it's okay to wait for an item a few days for delivery. Really makes no difference in grand scheme of things.
- MrMember 7y ago
  I canceled mine last year sometime, whenever it was they announced the most recent price increase. I thought I would miss it but I haven't really. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for the standard free shipping. In the rare occasion I need something fast I just pay for the two day shipping, which ends up being significantly cheaper than paying for Prime.
tibyat 7y ago
quick! to the blog!
deeteecee 7y ago
I haven't had issues cancelling Amazon prime and it was pretty straightforward for me. For me, I cancel every few months and then come crawling back.
quotha 7y ago
You don't need it, I cancelled my membership (which I had for at least 5-6 years) a few months ago, since i was not using the benefits enough. I shop there much much less now, but I ordered something the other day for 40$ and it still came in 2-3 days with free shipping.
- Sahhaese 7y ago
  There's a significant difference between "next day" and "2-3 days", and the valuable different is not getting it sooner, it's knowing exactly which day you'll get it.
  - quotha 7y ago
    I was rarely offered next day shipping for free, and often got my items in 3 days instead of the promised 2 days.
    - Sahhaese 7y ago
      Oh, Prime in the UK comes with free next day delivery on everything.
      - DanBC 7y ago
        Except there are plenty of people with prime who want next day but get two to three days because of the piss-poor couriers Amazon chooses to use.
  - entropea 7y ago
    There's also a significant issue with Amazon not actually meeting their SLA's in higher density areas, so "knowing exactly which day you'll get it" often isn't accurate.
larrik 7y ago
> There’s no way to turn off this auto-renewal short of cancelling your account I've turned off Prime plenty of times with no trouble at all. I'm not sure what he means. I've also contacted their support after an accidental auto-renewal and they completely refunded it (I hadn't used any of its benefits, either, though). I think their subscription model is hard to beat, frankly.
- asark 7y ago
  I just tried and your options are "cancel now", "remind me 3 days before it renews", or "switch to monthly next time it's about to renew". I didn't see a way to say "keep what I've already paid for, but never charge me again". [EDIT] incidentally if someone finds that option, please let me know because I'll go select it right now. I've got a reminder (of my own—like I'll notice a reminder email from Amazon, haha) set to cancel in ~10 months but if I could click something now and not have to worry about it that'd be better.
  - bloat 7y ago
    "keep what I've already paid for, but never charge me again" == "cancel now" This is the same on every subscription service I've cancelled recently, they let you carry on reading / watching / whatever until the end of the month.
    - asark 7y ago
      The associated copy is identical to what it might be if canceling cut you off immediately. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the marketeers would lie, since that's their job ("well we didn't outright say it'd be immediate" yeah sure but you did more than just imply it, too, and even implying is a lie if you intend to mislead, which you 100% for sure do). [EDIT] the first link you click to start the process is "End membership and benefits", for instance, and it just keeps that tone up for the rest of it. "By cancelling, you will no longer be eligible for your unclaimed Prime exclusive offers. Click here to see your offers." The cancel button reads "End my benefits", at the bottom of a list of all the stuff that comes with Prime. That's just saying you're losing all the stuff right now. If, when I hit this button, that doesn't happen, they were lying, period. [UPDATE] can confirm, they're a bunch of lying liars.
sytelus 7y ago
Author declares there was not enough value and that’s why he cancelled. No analysis on how much he depended on Amazon, at what point it might become worth, his entertainment consumption etc. Usual information-free opinion pieces with linkbaity title that HN crown often upvotes without reading ending up on front page.
- libria 7y ago
  *she, but yes it's nothing more than a well-timed personal anecdote to generate clicks. All the comments here are also anecdotal. It's a shame our readerbase is that susceptible to shallow clickbait.
m0nty 7y ago
I might have kept my subscription if "next day delivery" wasn't all-too-often "day after next day and maybe even the day after that, depends if it's a weekday or not." I don't miss it.
- loceng 7y ago
  Similarly I'll get something I order in a day or two even when it is the 5-7 business day option - it's in their interest to make everything as efficient as possible and not be holding onto inventory.
  - rfugger 7y ago
    I think the main benefit is your orders get higher priority during holiday season when it's busy and regular orders may take a long time to fulfill.
    - loceng 7y ago
      You're likely right it does put you in a higher tier of priority, however how that plays out practically be a relatively slim advantage or speed increase - as is my and OP's comments allude to. Comes back to the rule of efficiency and lower cost with adequate planning, planning ahead of time, detriment of impulse or last minute buying, and stability of supply-demand systems.
  - war1025 7y ago
    Living near a warehouse or on a major shipping artery means things show up very quickly basically no matter what. The post office / shipping companies don't stall orders just for the heck of it. If it takes two days to go from here to there, even though you paid for slow shipping, you'll get it in two days.
    - dorchadas 7y ago
      Sometimes I wonder. I've definitely noticed packages sitting in the local post office for a day or two to simply get past that 2 day limit. There's even been times where I was able to call the post office and go pick it up, because they didn't send it out for delivery despite arriving the day before. Could be innocent, but it always struck me as suspicious.
eyeareque 7y ago
I cancelled mine and switched to eBay. Shipping is “fast and free” and comes in 3-4 days on a lot of items. Much cheaper than 120/year, also I never used amazon video or music, or anything else they offer, so it made sense. It also appears that prime items are marked up higher, often.
- entropea 7y ago
  I cancelled prime and moved to eBay, Aliexpress (albeit slow) cuts out the Amazon middle-man since most stuff on Amazon is now just Alibaba/Aliexpress items, local big retailers price match Amazon and a few bigger sites online, local small business to support...local small business, and just go directly to the manufacturer which turns out often to be cheaper than Amazon wants for the item.
  - solarkraft 7y ago
    Same here. Although still utter crap, I find the search of AliExpress to be better than Amazon's.
gzu 7y ago
I have a “prime month” every now and again, just joining then quitting at month end. I subscribe because I want quick shipping on an item then end up ordering a few other things. Full year prime doesn’t make sense unless you’re ordering everything off amazon. They even recently had a free week trial where I joined then canceled
ocdtrekkie 7y ago
I solely get Prime when I can abuse it, or more specifically, not really pay for it. For instance, when they used to give a hefty $12 discount on new games... I'd buy a month of Prime for what was $11 at the time. So the Prime cost me effectively nothing, and I'd only have it months new games I wanted to buy came out. I did actually just grab Prime today... because there's a "buy $25 get $5" gift credit offer... and a week of Prime costs $1.99. So I made three bucks on it.
- mkohlmyr 7y ago
  You only "made three bucks" if you were going to spend the $25 either way. So did you save $3 or did you make an unnecessary purchase because you were offered a $3 discount?
  - ocdtrekkie 7y ago
    I am pretty much always going to eventually spend Amazon credit. I didn't buy something because I now had Amazon credit that I wouldn't have otherwise. I intentionally shop a lot of places that aren't Amazon, and given the same price somewhere else, I will always pick "somewhere else". But I'm still pretty regularly at Amazon just due to either price or selection.
tomclive 7y ago
Annual membership is around £59.99 here if bought at the right time. I don't like the company but for me Prime is good value. My children get to watch Dora, Paw Patrol and there's some decent grown up TV too. Twitch Prime is also included. If I need to buy anything I can it delivered Same or Next Day. Cancelling does involve the typical dark patterns you'd expect from them but it's not difficult to cancel in a minute or two.
atonse 7y ago
We canceled Prime about 3 months ago. It's been quite tough (relatively speaking) having to re-train ourselves. You realize exactly how dominant Amazon is. Every other retailer either takes 5-7 business days or charges you the earth. Home Depot messes up your order about 10% of the time. Things come in 3-4 days from Amazon instead of two days now. Not too bad. We got a free ShopRunner subscription through Amex and I was excited about that but they seem to be mostly for clothing. But the biggest annoyance is that we no longer go straight to Amazon to buy something, we actually have to shop around, google for things, etc. And Google Shopping isn't as useful as it used to be. A good shopping aggregator would go a long way in helping. Edit: We were frequent users of the shipping, by the way, and never used streaming. Unlike others that use mostly streaming and not shipping.
- naravara 7y ago
  My biggest frustration is how many orders I make get email replies telling me the item is not in stock. I think a lot of retailers just aren't very good at syncing their inventory to their storefronts. You would think everything would operate off a centralized inventory database, but there pretty clearly are multiple systems that don't check in with each other nearly often enough given how often this happens.
  - atonse 7y ago
    Yup basically if we're talking about building a distributed sort-of vendor-neutral fulfillment system and storefront, that's basically what Amazon is. :) So there's pretty much nobody that can catch up to this level of dominance, not even the second place players. Which is a clear sign that Amazon should be broken up by the government.
    - naravara 7y ago
      This happens even with WalMart, BestBuy, and Target though. So it doesn't even need to be vendor neutral. Even within a single vendor they're screwing it up.
floatingatoll 7y ago
I wish that there was a tool that calculated whether Prime was worth it in the past year and month, using my playback and purchasing history to determine whether the $10-13/month is delivering value. If I use Prime Day deliveries (which offer no financial reward compared to Prime 1-2 Day) then I could save a lot of money not using it, and if I haven’t watched any Prime media content this year, the tool would be able to show me that too. Amazon surely has this tool internally, and just as surely would resent anyone else developing it to show consumers how many of them are paying for a service they don’t need.
TheHypnotist 7y ago
I order frequently enough, have the card, and shop at whole foods. It would cost me money to get rid of it at this point.
makerofspoons 7y ago
Another good reason to drop Prime is the amount of waste it promotes: https://depts.washington.edu/sctlctr/news-events/in-the-news/hidden-environmental-cost-amazon-prime’s-free-fast-shipping https://depts.washington.edu/sctlctr/news-events/in-the-news...
- testvox 7y ago
  I think it really depends, I use amazon prime as my primary shopping method, without it I would definitely need a vehicle. > Experts say that e-commerce could actually, if optimized, be beneficial for the environment. Getting into your personal vehicle and going to the store isn’t very efficient, but consolidating multiple shoppers’ deliveries into one vehicle can be. Anne Goodchild, director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center, told BuzzFeed News, “Broadly speaking, delivery services have the potential to dramatically reduce miles traveled.”
- 52-6F-62 7y ago
  Definitely a valid point. Though as a customer I will say that they've made improvements recently. It's not perfect, but its getting better. I often get small products in envelopes now that don't use and plastic padding but instead use a paper-filled wall. There's also an option to have your items shipped all together at a later date if you're not in a rush and want to reduce the number of trips/amount of packaging. But I have honestly not dug further. I imagine one of the greatest costs is the amount of fuel burned for those 1/2 day deliveries.
- twblalock 7y ago
  I think my all-time record was receiving a tiny metal pencil sharpener all by itself in a box large enough to fit a computer monitor.
yoz-y 7y ago
Lately I have been using prime membership for Video more than shopping.
zubspace 7y ago
I'm so disappointed by Prime. The main reason I signed up for the trial were movies and TV shows. But it seems like 90% of the content is not available in my country (Switzerland) without buying or without proxying the stream through another country. Gosh Amazon, first you make me thoroughly excited and in the next moment you utterly disappoint me. Why couldn't you tell me beforehand? I'd never buy 5 seasons of a TV show while knowing, that some neighbour in another country get them for a few bucks each month...
- ALittleLight 7y ago
  Isn't this a reason to be disappointed with whatever regulation prohibits Amazon from offering videos with prime in your country, rather than with Amazon? Surely Amazon would show you Prime video if they could.
  - zubspace 7y ago
    Yeah sure. What bothers me though is that they know the country I live in and still give me the unlimited movies bait before signing up for Prime. You get so hyped and then they let you down. No harm done though. At least there's a trial.
eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago
Although I agree that more people should cancel Prime, this author isn’t the target market exactly because they live in a city. I also live in a city and can easily get by without Prime. I can walk to everything I need. Prime makes the most sense if you’re in suburbs and/or have kids. It’s a huge time saver for those people.
- quotha 7y ago
  Does it make sense to have big smelly UPS trucks driving down your dead-end street 10 times a day in the middle of summer?!?!
  - eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago
    I agree it could be more efficient, but isn’t there an argument that it’s better than all those houses firing up their individual cars to go to Target Or Walmart?
    - quotha 7y ago
      Depends, I usually stop at a store on my way home from work. Also, my neighbors tend to drive a bit more friendly then some of the strangers delivering random packages. The delivery trucks are always in a complete rush. I realize this is not just from amazon but it is the bulk and it is driving the behavior change.
- tayleeganj 7y ago
  Nah prime is great even if ur in NYC. I lived there and used it all the time.
  - eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago
    That’s not what I meant. Of course it’s better, but not as much of a necessity when you live in a city.
ravedave5 7y ago
For me the yearly cost covers the amount I'd spend on shipping for xmas gifts alone. I HATE xmas shopping and so being able to do it all there is great.
DiseasedBadger 7y ago
I live 20 minutes from: the nearest supermarket, and, a prime distribution center. ~3 min ago I just dropped 170$ on a whole foods order. To each their own, I guess.
- entropea 7y ago
  Wow 20 minutes away. That's impossible to get to. I feel your 2019 pain.
  - DiseasedBadger 7y ago
    Heeheehee wow. Who are you so injured on behalf of? Multiple comments are talking about scamming Amazon out of 3$. Whose in pain? Why can't I want those 40min (+shopping time) and just be happy I have found a way to keep them?
izzydata 7y ago
I dropped Amazon Prime about a year ago and every single time I go to buy something they offer me a free week trial. I start a trial, buy what I want with free 2 day shipping and then cancel before I get charged. Something else I noticed is that whenever I order something with 5-8 shipping and is a relatively common item it arrives within 2 days anyway. It's like they no longer have the logistics to delay shipping of some items.
- asark 7y ago
  It has occurred to me that one could probably get a whole year of video streaming services by just getting a month trial, cancelling, then doing it again with the next service. By the end of the year some of them might even be spamming you with offers of another trial month.
  - izzydata 7y ago
    For awhile you were able to start an Audible trial, get your free token, quit and then start another free trial endlessly for infinite free audiobooks. I got 30 free audiobooks this way and they didn't even take them away after they fixed this. Something that might still be there is whenever you quit a trial or payed service they will 100% of the time ask you to stay and offer it for 50% off. You can simply get the same service for half the price forever.
ilikehurdles 7y ago
I don't get my money's worth out of prime shipping, especially as the price has gone up and the items I used to buy I now go to the manufacturer for because of the prevalence of counterfeits, faked reviews, and knock-offs on Amazon. I don't care about the music streaming, video streaming, whatever Fresh is, Twitch Prime, or Pantry one bit. That said, their whole foods discounts are worth it for me.
hendzen 7y ago
I have found myself often ordering from Target.com recently. They also have 2 day shipping on most items and unlike Amazon when I order a brand name item from them I actually can expect to get a genuine product. Their supply chain seems to be much more reliable in that regard.
- neonhomer 7y ago
  Plus if you get a Target Red Card you get 5% every purchase.
  - ceejayoz 7y ago
    Amazon has a similar offering.
    - basch 7y ago
      only on credit? if youre not a credit card person you can still use a redcard. and despite their cartwheel coupon games, it is nice being able to combine your card, gift cards, cash withdraw settings, and coupons into a single barcode to scan at the register. I wish target let me add everything to the cart as I shopped and check out like Sams.
      - ceejayoz 7y ago
        Interesting, I had no idea Target had a debit-only option.
- allthecybers 7y ago
  This is a huge reason we use Target over Amazon for skin care products and household items. Trying to find an item, then determining if it is legitimate, if the reviews are real or fake and then comparing prices and shipping options its much easier to use Target. Of course in-store pickup with Target is even better if you need something faster than two-day shipping.
tayleeganj 7y ago
You can cancel your auto renewal.
someexgamedev 7y ago
I recommend cancelling prime for a small window of time and reevaluating, if you can manage. Partly to see how thirsty Amazon is for you to sign back up for prime. You could fill a textbook with the dark patterns. The article mentions one of them, needing to confirm your cancellation three different times. Imagine a conversation with a real human that goes like this: Me: I would like to cancel prime. Amazon: Do you want to cancel prime? Yes or no. Me. Yes. Amazon: Look at all these great prime perks. Say either "Nevermind" or "Cancel, I don't want these amazing benefits" Me: Cancel. Amazon: Me: Amazon: Me: Cancel, I don't want these amazing benefits. Amazon: Are you sure you want to cancel? What if instead of paying $199 for the year you pay $20 monthly?
- andjd 7y ago
  You don't have to imagine it, just try to change your cable/internet provider.
danielrpa 7y ago
Cancelled mine one year ago and I think my life improved without Amazon. Amazon doesn't only sell you goods, but a lifestyle: non-stop shopping with no obstacles for satisfying your most fleeting material desires. Ultimately, I preferred to reject the convenience that Amazon is encouraging for a lifestyle of reduced consumption. While, in theory, one can have Amazon Prime and consume very little, it's hardly worth it in this case.
codyb 7y ago
Cancelled last May, so about a year and a quarter ago when I was abroad. Haven’t looked back and don’t miss it at all. I get Amazon gift cards through work occasionally so I just choose slower shipping for the orders I make. Everything else I order goes through B&H, or REI primarily. Most of the time I need to shop, I just go to a store. Gets me out of the house, get to walk around NYC and people watch, gets me a little exercise and fresh air. Works for me! Never liked the anti-union and warehouse labor stories I read about Amazon. Do enjoy putzing around with AWS though (although I use Digital Ocean for my personal VPS’s.)
- thaumasiotes 7y ago
  > Cancelled last May, so about a year and a quarter ago when I was abroad. Haven’t looked back and don’t miss it at all. Huh, I thought the value significantly improved while I was abroad, for sending gifts with fast shipping.
  - codyb 7y ago
    It may in other countries, but not Portugal. There's a lot of things that don't reach Portugal like Netflix and HBO Go as well.
gingabriska 7y ago
I can only say Amazon India now sucks, the products aren't growing. Neither you can buy screws, threaded rod, 2 part epoxy, MDF boards, there. Not sure what Amazon India is selling exactly
Fins 7y ago
Ohh, the audacity! I've cancelled Amazon altogether couple years ago (which is an even more ridiculous process than cancelling Prime) and can't say I even noticed it. Apart from not getting any fakes in those two years.

71 points by laurex 7y ago

>> I never got used to the emails Amazon sent a day or two after I viewed but didn’t purchase a product. “Hello Ali,” Amazon would say, like we were friends. “Are you looking for something in our Charger & Adaptors store? If so, you might be interested in these items.” That's weird, I've never gotten one of those emails from Amazon, and I look for stuff ALL the time on Amazon without buying. Did I opt-out of this and forgot, or do they only send these out for certain searches? I do get these once in a while from other sites and HATE those emails, but I'm sure I never get them from Amazon.

dudul 7y ago
Same, I can't recall ever receiving something like that.
crysin 7y ago
I get them from amazon, can't really say how often as I don't use Amazon much anymore but when I do actually do a specific and deep search for a type of product but don't purchase anything I'll typically get an e-mail of items similar to those that I was looking at.
- IronBacon 7y ago
  I suppose it's something I opted out, because I don't recall receiving suggestions, but I've seen them on my mother account, and in her case it happens also simply when browsing some products, not only on purchases. Thinking about it, I would guess it happens when she uses the Amazon application on her phone/tablet...
asark 7y ago
I get 'em constantly. Sure you didn't filter-rule them away years ago and forget about it?
- blakesterz 7y ago
  Nope, just double checked.
  - asark 7y ago
    Huh. Wonder what the difference is. Just checked, they seem to hit me with about 1/day, choosing something "relevant" (to what I've been looking at) when possible.
- rwz 7y ago
  check your subscriptions page and make sure you opt-out from everything you don't want amazon to email you about https://www.amazon.com/preferences/subscriptions/your-subscriptions/browse-all-subscriptions https://www.amazon.com/preferences/subscriptions/your-subscr...
benj111 7y ago
I used to get them all the time, really annoying when you've just bought the (typically non consumable) product from them. Yes Amazon, I'd love to buy a kettle 3 days after I just bought one from you.

glitchc 7y ago

Good for you. Would you like a cookie? Should we expect to see another post where you resubscribe for a discount or reduced shipping costs?

tudelo 7y ago
1 Year Later: My Response to my Cancellation of Amazon Prime: The Story of How I Resubscribed to Amazon Prime.
quotha 7y ago
Way back in 99, before all the prime BS, amazon sent me a can of popcorn for being such a nice customer!
somehnguy 7y ago
lol exactly. I cancelled my Prime subscription about a month ago, didn't feel the need to write a blog post about it. Nobody cares.
hombre_fatal 7y ago
These posts are upvoted so that HNers can grind whatever axe is hinted in the title. Today it's Amazon Prime. Other favorites: DAE hate Netflix?, DAE hate Javascript?, DAE hate scooters? These "want a cookie?" posts used to annoy me, but I now look at them serving the same purpose as that special day in The Purge: maybe if people vent here, they'll be less likely to vent in other discussions that contain their hobby horse trigger word. Post-nut clarity.
- glitchc 7y ago
  Have no axe to grind here. I just don’t understand why unsubscribing from a service merits a blog post, and even more confusing, an upvote to the popular category of Hacker News. There are thousands of individuals enrolling and de-enrolling from hundreds of services every day. If they all posted blogs, we’d drown in them.
  - chunkstuntman 7y ago

stanski 7y ago

I had a trial membership for 3 months and it was nice to get a couple of orders super quick but far from worth the annual cost. Spotify beats them in music, Netflix beats them in videos and if really need an item on the same day, I can just go to the store. It's also cheaper to pay for shipping once in a while rather than pay for an annual subscription. There is of course something about paying for shipping which makes you feel like a great injustice...

notus 7y ago
Netflix does not beat them in videos. Netflix's library has moved towards very specific titles and original programming done by Netflix. Amazon has still retained a lot of movies in addition to their original programming plus they have plenty of options you can pay for which Netflix doesn't even offer. Amazon Prime has around 18k titles to Netflix's 4k titles.
- quotha 7y ago
  Netflix destroys, eviscerates, demolishes, annihilates them in videos!!!
  - tinus_hn 7y ago
    To shreds you say!
    - quotha 7y ago
      To be fair though "Ronja, the Robber's Daughter" is must-see
  - PasserBy2020 7y ago
    It puts them on their knees and smashes their little skull in videos!
- dragonwriter 7y ago
  > Netflix does not beat them in videos. Whether or not they beat them in videos is very much a matter of subjective preference for the videos one has that the other does not; if someone says they do in explanation of a personal decision, you need unusually personal information to argue that they are incorrect. > Amazon Prime has around 18k titles to Netflix's 4k titles. As most people won't watch a significant fraction of either, the counts are mostly irrelevant in deciding which wins for any individual; what matters most is who has more of the usually very small number of titles for which the individual has a strong preference; everything else ends up being mostly noise in the menus, more likely to be a cost (unless masked by personalization) than a benefit.

kerng 7y ago

I also cancelled Prime a while ago. Wasn't really worth it and after Amazon bought Whole Foods, the tracking and data linking desire just became too obvious to me. Now a year later, I am positive I made the right decision- and it's okay to wait for an item a few days for delivery. Really makes no difference in grand scheme of things.

MrMember 7y ago
I canceled mine last year sometime, whenever it was they announced the most recent price increase. I thought I would miss it but I haven't really. I don't mind waiting a bit longer for the standard free shipping. In the rare occasion I need something fast I just pay for the two day shipping, which ends up being significantly cheaper than paying for Prime.

tibyat 7y ago

quick! to the blog!

deeteecee 7y ago

I haven't had issues cancelling Amazon prime and it was pretty straightforward for me. For me, I cancel every few months and then come crawling back.

quotha 7y ago

You don't need it, I cancelled my membership (which I had for at least 5-6 years) a few months ago, since i was not using the benefits enough. I shop there much much less now, but I ordered something the other day for 40$ and it still came in 2-3 days with free shipping.

Sahhaese 7y ago
There's a significant difference between "next day" and "2-3 days", and the valuable different is not getting it sooner, it's knowing exactly which day you'll get it.
- quotha 7y ago
  I was rarely offered next day shipping for free, and often got my items in 3 days instead of the promised 2 days.
  - Sahhaese 7y ago
    Oh, Prime in the UK comes with free next day delivery on everything.
    - DanBC 7y ago
      Except there are plenty of people with prime who want next day but get two to three days because of the piss-poor couriers Amazon chooses to use.
- entropea 7y ago
  There's also a significant issue with Amazon not actually meeting their SLA's in higher density areas, so "knowing exactly which day you'll get it" often isn't accurate.

larrik 7y ago

> There’s no way to turn off this auto-renewal short of cancelling your account I've turned off Prime plenty of times with no trouble at all. I'm not sure what he means. I've also contacted their support after an accidental auto-renewal and they completely refunded it (I hadn't used any of its benefits, either, though). I think their subscription model is hard to beat, frankly.

asark 7y ago
I just tried and your options are "cancel now", "remind me 3 days before it renews", or "switch to monthly next time it's about to renew". I didn't see a way to say "keep what I've already paid for, but never charge me again". [EDIT] incidentally if someone finds that option, please let me know because I'll go select it right now. I've got a reminder (of my own—like I'll notice a reminder email from Amazon, haha) set to cancel in ~10 months but if I could click something now and not have to worry about it that'd be better.
- bloat 7y ago
  "keep what I've already paid for, but never charge me again" == "cancel now" This is the same on every subscription service I've cancelled recently, they let you carry on reading / watching / whatever until the end of the month.
  - asark 7y ago
    The associated copy is identical to what it might be if canceling cut you off immediately. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that the marketeers would lie, since that's their job ("well we didn't outright say it'd be immediate" yeah sure but you did more than just imply it, too, and even implying is a lie if you intend to mislead, which you 100% for sure do). [EDIT] the first link you click to start the process is "End membership and benefits", for instance, and it just keeps that tone up for the rest of it. "By cancelling, you will no longer be eligible for your unclaimed Prime exclusive offers. Click here to see your offers." The cancel button reads "End my benefits", at the bottom of a list of all the stuff that comes with Prime. That's just saying you're losing all the stuff right now. If, when I hit this button, that doesn't happen, they were lying, period. [UPDATE] can confirm, they're a bunch of lying liars.

sytelus 7y ago

Author declares there was not enough value and that’s why he cancelled. No analysis on how much he depended on Amazon, at what point it might become worth, his entertainment consumption etc. Usual information-free opinion pieces with linkbaity title that HN crown often upvotes without reading ending up on front page.

libria 7y ago
*she, but yes it's nothing more than a well-timed personal anecdote to generate clicks. All the comments here are also anecdotal. It's a shame our readerbase is that susceptible to shallow clickbait.

m0nty 7y ago

I might have kept my subscription if "next day delivery" wasn't all-too-often "day after next day and maybe even the day after that, depends if it's a weekday or not." I don't miss it.

loceng 7y ago
Similarly I'll get something I order in a day or two even when it is the 5-7 business day option - it's in their interest to make everything as efficient as possible and not be holding onto inventory.
- rfugger 7y ago
  I think the main benefit is your orders get higher priority during holiday season when it's busy and regular orders may take a long time to fulfill.
  - loceng 7y ago
    You're likely right it does put you in a higher tier of priority, however how that plays out practically be a relatively slim advantage or speed increase - as is my and OP's comments allude to. Comes back to the rule of efficiency and lower cost with adequate planning, planning ahead of time, detriment of impulse or last minute buying, and stability of supply-demand systems.
- war1025 7y ago
  Living near a warehouse or on a major shipping artery means things show up very quickly basically no matter what. The post office / shipping companies don't stall orders just for the heck of it. If it takes two days to go from here to there, even though you paid for slow shipping, you'll get it in two days.
  - dorchadas 7y ago
    Sometimes I wonder. I've definitely noticed packages sitting in the local post office for a day or two to simply get past that 2 day limit. There's even been times where I was able to call the post office and go pick it up, because they didn't send it out for delivery despite arriving the day before. Could be innocent, but it always struck me as suspicious.

eyeareque 7y ago

I cancelled mine and switched to eBay. Shipping is “fast and free” and comes in 3-4 days on a lot of items. Much cheaper than 120/year, also I never used amazon video or music, or anything else they offer, so it made sense. It also appears that prime items are marked up higher, often.

entropea 7y ago
I cancelled prime and moved to eBay, Aliexpress (albeit slow) cuts out the Amazon middle-man since most stuff on Amazon is now just Alibaba/Aliexpress items, local big retailers price match Amazon and a few bigger sites online, local small business to support...local small business, and just go directly to the manufacturer which turns out often to be cheaper than Amazon wants for the item.
- solarkraft 7y ago
  Same here. Although still utter crap, I find the search of AliExpress to be better than Amazon's.

gzu 7y ago

I have a “prime month” every now and again, just joining then quitting at month end. I subscribe because I want quick shipping on an item then end up ordering a few other things. Full year prime doesn’t make sense unless you’re ordering everything off amazon. They even recently had a free week trial where I joined then canceled

ocdtrekkie 7y ago

I solely get Prime when I can abuse it, or more specifically, not really pay for it. For instance, when they used to give a hefty $12 discount on new games... I'd buy a month of Prime for what was $11 at the time. So the Prime cost me effectively nothing, and I'd only have it months new games I wanted to buy came out. I did actually just grab Prime today... because there's a "buy $25 get $5" gift credit offer... and a week of Prime costs $1.99. So I made three bucks on it.

mkohlmyr 7y ago
You only "made three bucks" if you were going to spend the $25 either way. So did you save $3 or did you make an unnecessary purchase because you were offered a $3 discount?
- ocdtrekkie 7y ago
  I am pretty much always going to eventually spend Amazon credit. I didn't buy something because I now had Amazon credit that I wouldn't have otherwise. I intentionally shop a lot of places that aren't Amazon, and given the same price somewhere else, I will always pick "somewhere else". But I'm still pretty regularly at Amazon just due to either price or selection.

tomclive 7y ago

Annual membership is around £59.99 here if bought at the right time. I don't like the company but for me Prime is good value. My children get to watch Dora, Paw Patrol and there's some decent grown up TV too. Twitch Prime is also included. If I need to buy anything I can it delivered Same or Next Day. Cancelling does involve the typical dark patterns you'd expect from them but it's not difficult to cancel in a minute or two.

atonse 7y ago

We canceled Prime about 3 months ago. It's been quite tough (relatively speaking) having to re-train ourselves. You realize exactly how dominant Amazon is. Every other retailer either takes 5-7 business days or charges you the earth. Home Depot messes up your order about 10% of the time. Things come in 3-4 days from Amazon instead of two days now. Not too bad. We got a free ShopRunner subscription through Amex and I was excited about that but they seem to be mostly for clothing. But the biggest annoyance is that we no longer go straight to Amazon to buy something, we actually have to shop around, google for things, etc. And Google Shopping isn't as useful as it used to be. A good shopping aggregator would go a long way in helping. Edit: We were frequent users of the shipping, by the way, and never used streaming. Unlike others that use mostly streaming and not shipping.

naravara 7y ago
My biggest frustration is how many orders I make get email replies telling me the item is not in stock. I think a lot of retailers just aren't very good at syncing their inventory to their storefronts. You would think everything would operate off a centralized inventory database, but there pretty clearly are multiple systems that don't check in with each other nearly often enough given how often this happens.
- atonse 7y ago
  Yup basically if we're talking about building a distributed sort-of vendor-neutral fulfillment system and storefront, that's basically what Amazon is. :) So there's pretty much nobody that can catch up to this level of dominance, not even the second place players. Which is a clear sign that Amazon should be broken up by the government.
  - naravara 7y ago
    This happens even with WalMart, BestBuy, and Target though. So it doesn't even need to be vendor neutral. Even within a single vendor they're screwing it up.

floatingatoll 7y ago

I wish that there was a tool that calculated whether Prime was worth it in the past year and month, using my playback and purchasing history to determine whether the $10-13/month is delivering value. If I use Prime Day deliveries (which offer no financial reward compared to Prime 1-2 Day) then I could save a lot of money not using it, and if I haven’t watched any Prime media content this year, the tool would be able to show me that too. Amazon surely has this tool internally, and just as surely would resent anyone else developing it to show consumers how many of them are paying for a service they don’t need.

TheHypnotist 7y ago

I order frequently enough, have the card, and shop at whole foods. It would cost me money to get rid of it at this point.

makerofspoons 7y ago

Another good reason to drop Prime is the amount of waste it promotes: https://depts.washington.edu/sctlctr/news-events/in-the-news/hidden-environmental-cost-amazon-prime’s-free-fast-shipping https://depts.washington.edu/sctlctr/news-events/in-the-news...

testvox 7y ago
I think it really depends, I use amazon prime as my primary shopping method, without it I would definitely need a vehicle. > Experts say that e-commerce could actually, if optimized, be beneficial for the environment. Getting into your personal vehicle and going to the store isn’t very efficient, but consolidating multiple shoppers’ deliveries into one vehicle can be. Anne Goodchild, director of the University of Washington’s Supply Chain Transportation and Logistics Center, told BuzzFeed News, “Broadly speaking, delivery services have the potential to dramatically reduce miles traveled.”
52-6F-62 7y ago
Definitely a valid point. Though as a customer I will say that they've made improvements recently. It's not perfect, but its getting better. I often get small products in envelopes now that don't use and plastic padding but instead use a paper-filled wall. There's also an option to have your items shipped all together at a later date if you're not in a rush and want to reduce the number of trips/amount of packaging. But I have honestly not dug further. I imagine one of the greatest costs is the amount of fuel burned for those 1/2 day deliveries.
twblalock 7y ago
I think my all-time record was receiving a tiny metal pencil sharpener all by itself in a box large enough to fit a computer monitor.

yoz-y 7y ago

Lately I have been using prime membership for Video more than shopping.

zubspace 7y ago

I'm so disappointed by Prime. The main reason I signed up for the trial were movies and TV shows. But it seems like 90% of the content is not available in my country (Switzerland) without buying or without proxying the stream through another country. Gosh Amazon, first you make me thoroughly excited and in the next moment you utterly disappoint me. Why couldn't you tell me beforehand? I'd never buy 5 seasons of a TV show while knowing, that some neighbour in another country get them for a few bucks each month...

ALittleLight 7y ago
Isn't this a reason to be disappointed with whatever regulation prohibits Amazon from offering videos with prime in your country, rather than with Amazon? Surely Amazon would show you Prime video if they could.
- zubspace 7y ago
  Yeah sure. What bothers me though is that they know the country I live in and still give me the unlimited movies bait before signing up for Prime. You get so hyped and then they let you down. No harm done though. At least there's a trial.

eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago

Although I agree that more people should cancel Prime, this author isn’t the target market exactly because they live in a city. I also live in a city and can easily get by without Prime. I can walk to everything I need. Prime makes the most sense if you’re in suburbs and/or have kids. It’s a huge time saver for those people.

quotha 7y ago
Does it make sense to have big smelly UPS trucks driving down your dead-end street 10 times a day in the middle of summer?!?!
- eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago
  I agree it could be more efficient, but isn’t there an argument that it’s better than all those houses firing up their individual cars to go to Target Or Walmart?
  - quotha 7y ago
    Depends, I usually stop at a store on my way home from work. Also, my neighbors tend to drive a bit more friendly then some of the strangers delivering random packages. The delivery trucks are always in a complete rush. I realize this is not just from amazon but it is the bulk and it is driving the behavior change.
tayleeganj 7y ago
Nah prime is great even if ur in NYC. I lived there and used it all the time.
- eeeeeeeeeeeee 7y ago
  That’s not what I meant. Of course it’s better, but not as much of a necessity when you live in a city.

ravedave5 7y ago

For me the yearly cost covers the amount I'd spend on shipping for xmas gifts alone. I HATE xmas shopping and so being able to do it all there is great.

DiseasedBadger 7y ago

I live 20 minutes from: the nearest supermarket, and, a prime distribution center. ~3 min ago I just dropped 170$ on a whole foods order. To each their own, I guess.

entropea 7y ago
Wow 20 minutes away. That's impossible to get to. I feel your 2019 pain.
- DiseasedBadger 7y ago
  Heeheehee wow. Who are you so injured on behalf of? Multiple comments are talking about scamming Amazon out of 3$. Whose in pain? Why can't I want those 40min (+shopping time) and just be happy I have found a way to keep them?

izzydata 7y ago

I dropped Amazon Prime about a year ago and every single time I go to buy something they offer me a free week trial. I start a trial, buy what I want with free 2 day shipping and then cancel before I get charged. Something else I noticed is that whenever I order something with 5-8 shipping and is a relatively common item it arrives within 2 days anyway. It's like they no longer have the logistics to delay shipping of some items.

asark 7y ago
It has occurred to me that one could probably get a whole year of video streaming services by just getting a month trial, cancelling, then doing it again with the next service. By the end of the year some of them might even be spamming you with offers of another trial month.
- izzydata 7y ago
  For awhile you were able to start an Audible trial, get your free token, quit and then start another free trial endlessly for infinite free audiobooks. I got 30 free audiobooks this way and they didn't even take them away after they fixed this. Something that might still be there is whenever you quit a trial or payed service they will 100% of the time ask you to stay and offer it for 50% off. You can simply get the same service for half the price forever.

ilikehurdles 7y ago

I don't get my money's worth out of prime shipping, especially as the price has gone up and the items I used to buy I now go to the manufacturer for because of the prevalence of counterfeits, faked reviews, and knock-offs on Amazon. I don't care about the music streaming, video streaming, whatever Fresh is, Twitch Prime, or Pantry one bit. That said, their whole foods discounts are worth it for me.

hendzen 7y ago

I have found myself often ordering from Target.com recently. They also have 2 day shipping on most items and unlike Amazon when I order a brand name item from them I actually can expect to get a genuine product. Their supply chain seems to be much more reliable in that regard.

neonhomer 7y ago
Plus if you get a Target Red Card you get 5% every purchase.
- ceejayoz 7y ago
  Amazon has a similar offering.
  - basch 7y ago
    only on credit? if youre not a credit card person you can still use a redcard. and despite their cartwheel coupon games, it is nice being able to combine your card, gift cards, cash withdraw settings, and coupons into a single barcode to scan at the register. I wish target let me add everything to the cart as I shopped and check out like Sams.
    - ceejayoz 7y ago
      Interesting, I had no idea Target had a debit-only option.
allthecybers 7y ago
This is a huge reason we use Target over Amazon for skin care products and household items. Trying to find an item, then determining if it is legitimate, if the reviews are real or fake and then comparing prices and shipping options its much easier to use Target. Of course in-store pickup with Target is even better if you need something faster than two-day shipping.

tayleeganj 7y ago

You can cancel your auto renewal.

someexgamedev 7y ago

I recommend cancelling prime for a small window of time and reevaluating, if you can manage. Partly to see how thirsty Amazon is for you to sign back up for prime. You could fill a textbook with the dark patterns. The article mentions one of them, needing to confirm your cancellation three different times. Imagine a conversation with a real human that goes like this: Me: I would like to cancel prime. Amazon: Do you want to cancel prime? Yes or no. Me. Yes. Amazon: Look at all these great prime perks. Say either "Nevermind" or "Cancel, I don't want these amazing benefits" Me: Cancel. Amazon: Me: Amazon: Me: Cancel, I don't want these amazing benefits. Amazon: Are you sure you want to cancel? What if instead of paying $199 for the year you pay $20 monthly?

andjd 7y ago
You don't have to imagine it, just try to change your cable/internet provider.

danielrpa 7y ago

Cancelled mine one year ago and I think my life improved without Amazon. Amazon doesn't only sell you goods, but a lifestyle: non-stop shopping with no obstacles for satisfying your most fleeting material desires. Ultimately, I preferred to reject the convenience that Amazon is encouraging for a lifestyle of reduced consumption. While, in theory, one can have Amazon Prime and consume very little, it's hardly worth it in this case.

codyb 7y ago

Cancelled last May, so about a year and a quarter ago when I was abroad. Haven’t looked back and don’t miss it at all. I get Amazon gift cards through work occasionally so I just choose slower shipping for the orders I make. Everything else I order goes through B&H, or REI primarily. Most of the time I need to shop, I just go to a store. Gets me out of the house, get to walk around NYC and people watch, gets me a little exercise and fresh air. Works for me! Never liked the anti-union and warehouse labor stories I read about Amazon. Do enjoy putzing around with AWS though (although I use Digital Ocean for my personal VPS’s.)

thaumasiotes 7y ago
> Cancelled last May, so about a year and a quarter ago when I was abroad. Haven’t looked back and don’t miss it at all. Huh, I thought the value significantly improved while I was abroad, for sending gifts with fast shipping.
- codyb 7y ago
  It may in other countries, but not Portugal. There's a lot of things that don't reach Portugal like Netflix and HBO Go as well.

gingabriska 7y ago

I can only say Amazon India now sucks, the products aren't growing. Neither you can buy screws, threaded rod, 2 part epoxy, MDF boards, there. Not sure what Amazon India is selling exactly

Fins 7y ago

Ohh, the audacity! I've cancelled Amazon altogether couple years ago (which is an even more ridiculous process than cancelling Prime) and can't say I even noticed it. Apart from not getting any fakes in those two years.