Amazon and "alternative facts" - rant

[TheMan419]

The reason stuff takes longer to ship if you do not have prime is bc amazon guarantees prime delivery in 2days. So other stuff sits. Also they will make sure a truck is full. So if only 2/3 of a truck is full and there are no more prime orders then non prime orders go out. Of course once the non prime order has been sitting for a few days it has to jump to front of queue to be processed.

 

[fried1765]

Amazon "prime"...my wife uses the account of my son's fiancé. I refuse. My stuff usually arrives faster than hers. Now to be fair, you really don't know whether Amazon actually stocks the item you are buying.

As for the "sales tax", most likely avoiding it on the purchase means that you still owe the same amount as a "use" tax. Some states are very aggressive at collecting that (in fact that's why Amazon decided to start charging sales tax...they were tired of dealing with the various states asking for their sales information). In Wisconsin we have to check a box on our income tax returns certifying that we don't owe any use tax on out of state purchases. Saying "none" is asking for harsh "failure to file" penalties. I always put in a few bucks (I only pay the bills...I have no idea what my wife is doing on-line) so I avoid that and leave myself to under-reporting penalties.

You need to "Check a box" on your (state) income tax return?
Can't be done if you live in a state with no income tax.
Works for me.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

There is a simple solution for when Amazon refuses to cancel.
Just refuse the package when it arrives.
Then they pay the shipping both ways, and you can claim a refund.
It has worked for me.

Amazon actually told me to do that once. Works for ups deliveries, not sure about post office delivered.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

Serious question... how do you refuse a package when left at your doorstep?

I called ups and told them i refused delivery, they came and picked it up.

 

[sd455dan]

I almost had a stroke today. Placed an Amazon order for 6 items at noon today and at 4:00pm received the email that it had been shipped. Normally, it sits in limbo for at least a week before anything happens.[/QUOT





Same here

amazon has been great so far- even ordered my welder/plasma cutter at 4 pm- paid $20 extra for overnight with Prime and it was at my doorstep before 2 pm the next day

 

[aczlan]

The reason stuff takes longer to ship if you do not have prime is bc amazon guarantees prime delivery in 2days. So other stuff sits. Also they will make sure a truck is full. So if only 2/3 of a truck is full and there are no more prime orders then non prime orders go out. Of course once the non prime order has been sitting for a few days it has to jump to front of queue to be processed.

Note, that Prime delivery is two days shipping time, not two days from when you order it. I have Prime packages take 2 to 3 days from what I ordered them when they shipped.

Aaron Z

 

[rScotty]

Amazon Prime may be good for you, because you like to get things ASAP, and with free shipping.
I do not use Amazon prime, because I do not like the idea of paying for shipping, when many items already are listed with free shipping.
I am rarely in a hurry for a particular item.
I find that many items I buy, are cheaper on E-Bay, and also have free shipping.
I have no axe to grind with Amazon, and they certainly are good at what they do.
I do buy from Amazon when they have the best pricing.
Amazon also charges me sales tax, while many E-Bay sellers do not. That alone is a 7% saving for me.
I just do not want to pay extra for shipping, when it offers me very little (quick) benefit.
I also note that MANY items sold on Amazon are NOT ELIGIBLE for prime.
I am an old guy,..... so I certainly do live at a slower pace than some folks.
The more money I save...the more STUFF I can buy!

No, that's not the reason we use Amazon prime. We use it because we live far enough out of town that it is less expensive in gas and time to have things delivered than it is to go to town when we need something. Simple as that.

Whether Prime or direct, Amazon's delivery charges seem reasonable to me. That's an individual thing; I know I wouldn't want to do what they do for that price.

Taxes? Like aging, taxes are a fact of life. I avoid what I can and don't sweat the rest. When I do stop to think about taxes, it seems like I'm getting a pretty good deal in return. The trick is in living long enough to collect.
rScotty

 

[fried1765]

Amazon actually told me to do that once. Works for ups deliveries, not sure about post office delivered.

It works for ALL!
USPS, UPS, and FedEx.

 

[teejk]

You need to "Check a box" on your (state) income tax return?
Can't be done if you live in a state with no income tax.
Works for me.

Yeah I knew that. Rub it in why don't you?

 

[Gunny]

The problem that bugs me most is UPS Surepost. On four different occasions, I had double orders coming from Amazon, one will be through UPS with delivery on a certain day, the other will be through UPS Surepost with delivery the next day. The UPS driver drops off the first package at my house, then before he leaves town, he will drop off my other package at the local post office so that they can deliver it the day after.
The last two times I asked him about it and while he didn't remember my specific occurrences, he said that he had to do what the route computer told him to do, if it was supposed to go to the post office, then it had to go to the post office.
A few years ago if that same situation happened, I would get a message when doing UPS tracking that one package was supposed to go through USPS but since they were already dropping off at my address, they'd deliver that package at the same time. Guess things have changed, but it really irks me knowing that one of my packages is still sitting in the back of that truck and I'll have to wait until the mail runs next day to get it.