Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Blogs First Read
    • Blogs
    • First Read

    Amazon Gives No Notice, Raises Free Shipping Minimum Order to $49

    By
    Todd R. Weiss
    -
    March 1, 2016
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin
      Amazon shipping

      Amazon.com just raised the minimum order threshold for free shipping to $49 on Feb. 22 without announcing it to customers ahead of time, an increase of 40 percent from the former $35 minimum order that was required through Feb. 21.

      That might be fine by Amazon, but I think they made a huge mistake. Didn’t anyone at the company read all the complaints about when Netflix made a similar move and raised its rates almost overnight by 60 percent in 2011, angering lots of customers, many of whom dropped their subscriptions?

      Yes, Amazon is a big business and it can ultimately do whatever it wants in terms of its policies, but I would have expected it to at least announce the move ahead of time to let customers know about such a large increase—before it popped up in their Web browsers as they placed their next orders.

      I’m no Wharton business school graduate, but I can see this blunder hurting Amazon’s sales at least for a while as annoyed and angry customers go looking elsewhere to place online orders where the minimum orders may not be as high.

      At least two Amazon customers I know told me in conversations that they were not happy about the unannounced minimum order hike. And at least one of them didn’t complete an order through Amazon.com on Feb. 29 after seeing the change in her online order form.

      In an email reply to an inquiry from eWEEK, an Amazon spokeswoman wrote that the free shipping threshold was raised to $49 as part of an occasional review of the company’s shipping options. “Our objective is to offer customers low prices, as well as convenient free shipping options, on the millions of products available on Amazon.com,” she wrote.

      While the overall free shipping minimum order went up, the company meanwhile did reduce its free shipping eligibility for all orders containing at least $25 worth of books, she wrote, down from the previous $35 order minimum that had been in place since October 2013. “All other services, including Amazon Prime, remain unchanged.”

      And there, finally, is the crux of the matter.

      That’s likely what’s ultimately behind Amazon’s 40 percent minimum order threshold increase—Amazon wants to force its customers into paying $99 a year for its Amazon Prime services, which provide unlimited free two-day shipping, free music and video streaming and other benefits to users. By getting customers to pay for Amazon Prime, it’s a dedicated revenue stream, plus it makes customers more likely to buy from Amazon and use its other services.

      I do pay for Amazon Prime and I like the convenient and faster shipping option it offers. But to “force” customers to pay for the premium service by making free services much more expensive without any warning is not something I’d expect from Amazon.

      What Amazon should do now is offer customers a discounted first year of Prime to apologize for its insensitivity.

      What say you, Amazon?

      Todd R. Weiss
      As a technology journalist covering enterprise IT for more than 15 years, I joined eWEEK.com in September 2014 as the site's senior writer covering all things mobile. I write about smartphones, tablets, laptops, assorted mobile gadgets and services,mobile carriers and much more. I formerly was a staff writer for Computerworld.com from 2000 to 2008 and previously wrote for daily newspapers in eastern Pennsylvania. I'm an avid traveler, motorcyclist, technology lover, cook, reader, tinkerer and mechanic. I drove a yellow taxicab in college and collect toy taxis and taxi business cards from around the world.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Android

      Samsung Galaxy XCover Pro: Durability for Tough...

      Chris Preimesberger - December 5, 2020 0
      Have you ever dropped your phone, winced and felt the pain as it hit the sidewalk? Either the screen splintered like a windshield being...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      IT Management

      Intuit’s Nhung Ho on AI for the...

      James Maguire - May 13, 2022 0
      I spoke with Nhung Ho, Vice President of AI at Intuit, about adoption of AI in the small and medium-sized business market, and how...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×