Shipping Blues (Or: Why Amazon and its users are malicious)

[Maxios]

For my birthday, one of the gifts I received was a $25 for Amazon. Yesterday, I decided to put the card into use. I added a lot of used Discworld books (10 or 11) and two used PS3 games (Human Revolution and LA Noire), and it said all together the total cost would be $23.
I try to purchase my stuff with my gift card, and then it says with shipping it would cost over $60. I look into it more, and it was something like $5 shipping for the books!
I had to delete a lot of stuff, and at the end I was only left with two Discworld books and Human Revolution. And, as of now, only the two books have shipped out and I'm scheduled to receive them on June 21st!

[Nepenthe]

This is more an issue with independent sellers on Amazon than Amazon itself. It does suck though.

Also, I just noticed that your avatar is not a ninja carrying a surfboard.

[Ceric]

Lots of sellers sell through Amazon. Anything used doesn't come from Amazon, and shipping for independent sellers usually costs more and takes a lot longer than Amazon.

[factotum]

I agree-Amazon don't themselves sell used gear, they merely act as a shopfront for places that do. In other words, saying Amazon are evil because of this problem is like saying your local mall is evil because one of the shops inside ripped you off!

[Brother Oni]

This is why you pay attention to the seller when buying stuff off Amazon.

Just because the unit price is cheaper doesn't mean the service (or shipping) is any better. I'm not surprised the books and game will arrive separately as you've probably ordered them from separate sellers.

[Rawhide]

As a counterpoint to that, I ordered a product from Amazon itself (not the marketplace) to send to someone in the US just last week and chose super saver shipping (the free one). It said 5-8 days. They received it in 2.

[LaZodiac]

The only truely evil thing about Amazon is their refusal to send games from the states to Canada. I really, really want PN 03, amoung other things, but I can't get em because they're only listed on the .com side, and can only be shipped to somewhere in the US.

Also, if you have a gift card on the .com side, it doesn't work for the .ca side. That is kind of malicious of them as well :smallannoyed:

[KuReshtin]

Also, if you have a gift card on the .com side, it doesn't work for the .ca side. That is kind of malicious of them as well :smallannoyed:

Which also makes sense, because even if the name is Amazon for both countries, they are two separate companies. Amazon US and Amazon Canada.
So, buying a gift card from one company to try and use at another company won't work.
It would be like if someone came into a toy shop that you owned and tried to use a gift card from a Toys'R'Us. You wouldn't accept that gift card.

Only makes sense.

[LaZodiac]

Which also makes sense, because even if the name is Amazon for both countries, they are two separate companies. Amazon US and Amazon Canada.
So, buying a gift card from one company to try and use at another company won't work.
It would be like if someone came into a toy shop that you owned and tried to use a gift card from a Toys'R'Us. You wouldn't accept that gift card.

Only makes sense.

But this makes no sense to me, since they are both Amazon. The location shouldn't matter. I can use a Walmart gift card bought in Canada in a Walmart in the States.

[factotum]

How do you know that's Amazon being malicious? Might be problems with differences between the legal systems of the two countries.

[KuReshtin]

Then obviously WalMart is set up differently.
I know that if I got a Costco card here in the UK, I'd be able to use it in the US as well, but I can't use an IKEA Family discount card that I've registered in the UK in any other country.

It has to do with Legal entities and the like. And internal company policies.

[LaZodiac]

How do you know that's Amazon being malicious? Might be problems with differences between the legal systems of the two countries.

Malicious just seemed like the word to use.


Then obviously WalMart is set up differently.
I know that if I got a Costco card here in the UK, I'd be able to use it in the US as well, but I can't use an IKEA Family discount card that I've registered in the UK in any other country.

It has to do with Legal entities and the like. And internal company policies.

Ahh, ok. I still don't get why I can't have games shipped from .com to Canada, though.

[KuReshtin]

I still don't get why I can't have games shipped from .com to Canada, though.

Again, it's probably company policy that they'd rather want the customers in Canada use the Canadian Amazon page rather than the US page.
Also, it could depend on whether the items are from Amazon itself or from the Marketplace, where the seller companies might not want to ship to the US due to added cost in shipping and stuff.

Edit: Also, when it comes to games and films, it might have to do with potential difference in age certification between the two countries.

[LaZodiac]

But it's also basically all electronics. Can't order, lets say, a webcam from the .com side, even if I know for sure it's coming from Amazon itself.

[Thialfi]

{Scrubbed}

[Maxios]

Sorry, I didn't mean Amazon itself is evil, I meant more: the guys selling crap on it are evil. I even set it show that the price that each product showed also included the cost of shipping, but it didn't even do that.


Also, I just noticed that your avatar is not a ninja carrying a surfboard.
That made me a laugh little, and gave me an inspiration for my next avatar :smallsmile:

[Solaris]

The only truely evil thing about Amazon is their refusal to send games from the states to Canada. I really, really want PN 03, amoung other things, but I can't get em because they're only listed on the .com side, and can only be shipped to somewhere in the US.

That's because Canada doesn't actually exist. See, what you've discovered is a glitch in the system that violates the internal consistency of the fictitious nation-state known as 'Canada'.

[Maxios]

That's because Canada doesn't actually exist. See, what you've discovered is a glitch in the system that violates the internal consistency of the fictitious nation-state known as 'Canada'.

What is this 'Canada' you speak of?

[Lady Moreta]

Again, it's probably company policy that they'd rather want the customers in Canada use the Canadian Amazon page rather than the US page.
Also, it could depend on whether the items are from Amazon itself or from the Marketplace, where the seller companies might not want to ship to the US due to added cost in shipping and stuff.

Edit: Also, when it comes to games and films, it might have to do with potential difference in age certification between the two countries.

Whatever it is, it's probably the same reason all the awesome Lego stuff on ThinkGeek can't be shipped outside the USA. Things like the Lego digital camera and the Lego mp3 player - they can't be shipped outside the US. I presume they have a good reason for it, because ThinkGeek at least, are pretty good about shipping stuff.

[Raistlin1040]

Amazon is pretty excellent in my experience. They're implemented policies with the Cloud recently that are great. I ordered a DVD that would take two weeks to arrive due to scarcity, but I could watch it on my computer the night I purchased it after ten or fifteen minutes of buffering. Coupled with always getting my purchases to my by the day they said they would (or earlier, in many cases) and Amazon is one of my favorite retailers.

[tyckspoon]

I agree-Amazon don't themselves sell used gear, they merely act as a shopfront for places that do.

Not entirely- Amazon does run a trade-in program for some categories of items now. I remember Gamestop was officially Worried about it when they first announced the program. The inconvenience of having to mail stuff in seems to make it a limited-enough program that it didn't kill Gamestop, tho.

(Although if you have a long ship estimate and high shipping, it's probably not Amazon stuff. Generally if you buy enough direct from Amazon you'll get free shipping, and their fulfillment centers are really efficient.. I should know, I worked at one. Anything that is fulfilled through Amazon will probably get pulled and shipped the same day or next day from when you place the order, and any delay from that point on is usually on the package carriers rather than Amazon.)

[THAC0]

I love Amazon.

That said, they cannot ship batteries to Alaska. Ok, maybe those are classed as hazardous items or something. I can get that.

They also cannot ship tea bags to Alaska, though. Nonsense!

[grimbold]

aww
i was hoping this was a thread for 'shipping not shipping :smallfrown:

[Maxios]

Good news! Turns out the company on Amazon I bought Human Revolution from (in Wyoming) sent it first class via USPS, and I should receive it today.

[Anarion]

aww
i was hoping this was a thread for 'shipping not shipping :smallfrown:

I thought the same thing when I started reading the title.

Also, for all you Canadians, couldn't you have someone deliver to the U.S. border and then have a courier bring it to you on horseback or dogsled or something? :smalltongue:

As for Amazon, if you're ordering a bunch of stuff, the thing to check if whether they can get it all into one shipment or not. If Amazon itself is stocking everything, then they'll usually put it all together for you and will also give you the free shipping option if you're spending enough (around $30 iirc). If you're ordering from a bunch of sellers you won't get free shipping and it will all come piecemeal.

[Winter_Wolf]

I love Amazon.

That said, they cannot ship batteries to Alaska. Ok, maybe those are classed as hazardous items or something. I can get that.

They also cannot ship tea bags to Alaska, though. Nonsense!

I think it's less cannot and more will not. I've found a lot of companies won't ship to AK, or if they do, they charge twice as much. :smallmad: Which is 100% BS, especially if they ship USPS, since that costs exactly the same as shipping anywhere else in the United States.

[THAC0]

I think it's less cannot and more will not. I've found a lot of companies won't ship to AK, or if they do, they charge twice as much. :smallmad: Which is 100% BS, especially if they ship USPS, since that costs exactly the same as shipping anywhere else in the United States.

Yeah, for sure. But the amazon thing is even weirder because they have no problem shipping other things. Just not tea or batteries.

[The Glyphstone]

aww
i was hoping this was a thread for 'shipping not shipping :smallfrown:


I thought the same thing when I started reading the title.


My dreams of a well-written Amazon/Ebay shipfic have been crushed once again...

[Vaynor]

As a counterpoint to that, I ordered a product from Amazon itself (not the marketplace) to send to someone in the US just last week and chose super saver shipping (the free one). It said 5-8 days. They received it in 2.

I once ordered something I needed before a trip around 4-5 pm. I have prime, so I get free 2 day shipping. I received it at 8 am the next day. It helps being within an hour's drive of their warehouse...