# Amazon Prime: is there a downside? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 23, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386 "2012-08-23T15:09:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/41 "2012-08-24T10:18:25Z")
> [@amarinth](#): > > Exactly. > You start buying things that you kind of want because you’re determined to get your $79.00 back. After you’ve passed that threshold, you start buying more and more from Amazon - because “I needed it anyway. And it’ll be here in two days! For free!” And Amazon gets to know you better and targets you even more successfully getting you to buy more stuff - that will ship for free! in two days! The little voice is evil. Y’all, there’s medication for that sort of thing. (I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if I was on it myself.) Amazon Prime is very nice. I wish they had subtitles on their films, because sometimes people talk too rapidly, or the volume varies too much, and it’s hard to make out important details. Re-watching the _Robin Hood_ series premiere on my laptop where the first time I watched it on my 360, I picked up some small but important plot points on second viewing that I missed because of volume issues. Subtitles would go a long way towards relieving that problem. Aside from that, I got nothing. Just check into some decent psychiatric medication if you’re hearing voices in your head, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/42 "2012-08-24T10:19:48Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > I’m not certain of the exact numbers, the the average Prime customer spends hundreds of dollars a year more on Amazon than the average non-prime customer. That’s why Amazon likes it when you go prime. > . People already spending hundreds of dollars more on Amazon were probably among the first adopters, so I don’t think that whole difference is a consequence of an impetus to spend more once you join. But I’m sure that contributes. We order lots from Amazon, and sporadically, so we like it. We also have Netflix, mainly because I haven’t spent time figuring out if I can drop it, but also because our TV has a nice Netflix app. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/43 "2012-08-24T10:44:58Z")
I wasn’t impressed with their movie selection versus the Netflix subscription I already have, and I pretty much always hit $25 on any given Amazon order, so I get free shipping anyway. The shipping takes a little longer with the super-saver option, but that’s never been an issue for me. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/44 "2012-08-24T11:18:50Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > Well, OK, the automatic renewal can be inconvenient if you don’t remember your re-up date. An $80 charge isn’t the fun kind of surprise. But once a year, you deal with it. I sometimes order things for my business, so I felt justified using my business credit card for Prime. Another plus from my pov.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/45 "2012-08-24T13:05:54Z")
> [@Rachael\_Rage](#): > > In a way it might be saving me money. I’m sure I’ve never spent $80/year on shipping in my life, but I know I have “padded” orders with some cheap item so I could hit the $25 FSSS threshold. Now if I just want the little $5 thing I can buy the $5 thing. And I know it will get there in a couple of days. I’ve done that; ordered something I don’t really need just to hit the $25 threshold. But then I realized that it’s cheaper not to order the unnecessary item and instead just to pay for the shipping. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/46 "2012-08-24T13:20:43Z")
I’ve been a prime member pretty much since it came out, and I’ll never give it up. I rarely use it for streaming video. I occasionally take advantage of the free Kindle book. So I use it primarily for shipping, and it pays for itself, no question. The “free supersaver” shipping to my area takes fooooreeevvveerrr, and I’m often ordering stuff that I can’t wait on (business related stuff, etc.) Plus, I don’t think people have mentioned that with Prime, for an extra $3.99 per item, you can get overnight delivery. Perfect for when you REALLY NEED IT FAST. I also live in a rural area where I simply can’t find exactly what I’m looking for locally, so often ordering online is my only option. Amazon is definitely my first choice because they pretty much have everything, they have decent prices, and they’ll get it to me fast. I love my Amazon Prime. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/47 "2012-08-24T13:26:39Z")
> [@csupp](#): > > The fact that families can share a membership pretty much gobbles up any potential downside for my household. The $79 membership fee pays for itself pretty early in the annual cycle. This, with a twist: I actually have a KindleFire, and declined to go the Prime route because I just order everything through MrTao’s account for the free shipping. The video selections were nice, but the fact that the sound on the Fire is SO low, and SO shitty, that you really MUST use headphones to hear anything, well…that killed the Fire for me as a tablet media server. I _hate_ wearing headphones. Hate, hate, hate. So it’s for books and the occasional poker game now, and that’s about it. As far as watching movies and stuff on my computer, bleargh. I already get it on my comp, put it on a thumb-drive, pop it into the media-box and yay, now it’s on tv and I can use the computer for other stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/48 "2012-08-24T14:58:25Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > I looked through the video offerings and I thought they were shocking. Tons, TONS of old movies, like Westerns from the 1960s. A very very few newer things. We have it on trial and we’re watching _Dr. Who_, but otherwise, eh. I was hoping to replace Netflix with it, but no way is that gonna happen. I got some good laughs out of this one recently: [**Dark and Stormy Night**](http://www.amazon.com/Dark-and-Stormy-Night/dp/B0041EEXU4/). It’s a parody of old haunted-house movies, from the team that made [**The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra**](http://www.amazon.com/Lost-Skeleton-Cadavra-Special-Edition/dp/B00020HAY2/) and [**The Lost Skeleton Returns Again**](http://www.amazon.com/The-Lost-Skeleton-Returns-Again/dp/B0041GBSAU/). That poor cabbie just wanted his thirty-five cents… ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/49 "2012-08-24T16:25:31Z")
I’ve had my membership for 7 months and it has more than paid for itself in shipping costs alone. I can’t think of any downsides at all. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/50 "2012-08-24T16:43:25Z")
I’m pretty happy with Amazon Prime. The free video selection isn’t enormous, but I can usually find something interesting. Last week I watched [Into The Abyss](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1972663/), and [The Glass Bottom Boat](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060463/), which is a great, great Doris Day comedy. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/51 "2012-08-24T18:39:11Z")
I’ve had Prime for years, it’s great being able to just click one button and I know 2 days later the item will be at my door. It used to be nothing but UPS, now it’s a mixture of UPS, FedEx, and USPS. I order mundane items in bulk, like gum, candy, deodorant, etc. Saves me trips to the store. The videos came after I was already a Prime subscriber. Icing on the cake. It’s like Netflix, you can’t necessarily go there looking for given movie, but once you search and browse there are plenty of gems. The only downside of Prime I can think of is that it auto-renews by default. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/52 "2012-08-24T19:03:02Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > Wait - what? I can share my membership with the household? I didn’t realize that - if my husband wants to order something he just logs into my account, but it’d be nice if he could order under his own account. Ditto the kids. No, he doesn’t have to log into your account. You just put his account as a user on your prime account. However, some prime benefits are limited to the prime account holder. I think the e-book lending is one. Not sure about the streaming. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/53 "2012-08-24T19:06:33Z")
> [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](#): > > Well you got my curious so I went on over to Amazon to check. It’s $79 a year. I don’t do much TV watching or movie watching, and I imagine those who do would already be set up with a Netflix account. The free shipping only applies when you order directly from Amazon, and Amazon prices on books often aren’t as cheap as what you can pay for a used book. Considering that regular shipping is $4, and free on orders over $25, I doubt I’d buy enough products for it to be worth the $79 annual membership fee. > > The free Kindle book each month looks enticing, but I usually take my time with the books I read and it would suck to have them recapture the book before I was finished reading it (which I assume is what they mean when they say “A Kindle book to \*\*borrow \*\*for free each month from the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library,” bolding mine). > > So in essence, the cost would be the only downside, but it’s the only one I need. The book is not recaptured. You just can’t borrow another until you return the one you currently have, and you can’t accumulate monthly borrowings. So, if you borrow a book in January and don’t return it until April, you can borrow one in April, but February and March are lost. That being said, Prime is not worth it for the lending library alone. The main benefit is the free 2 day shipping. The rest is gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/54 "2012-08-24T19:08:05Z")
> [@Cillasi](#): > > No, he doesn’t have to log into your account. You just put his account as a user on your prime account. However, some prime benefits are limited to the prime account holder. I think the e-book lending is one. Not sure about the streaming. Can anybody else share stories about this? What’s the best way to go for a family? All just use the same logon and share books and prime features that way? Or everyone get their own account and hook them all into the same prime membership to get the benefits? ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/55 "2012-08-24T19:17:53Z")
I was an Amazon user well before Prime was offered. I often found myself paying shipping charges or buying stuff I didn’t need to make up the $25 minimum for free super saver shipping, and then waiting sometimes a week or more to get the things I ordered. When I figured it all up, at approximately $6.60 a month (about the standard shipping cost of any one order), I could order as many things as I wanted with no minimum spending and no waiting for items to be shipped together, free 2-day shipping, and if I needed something overnight, it would only cost me $3.99. At first, I felt guilty if I ordered a $2 item only, but then I figured if Amazon were losing money, they wouldn’t be offering the service. In other words, there are plenty of people who subscribe to Prime and don’t fully utilize it. So now, if I need a $1 box of paper clips, I order a box of paper clips and only a box of paper clips! Then Amazon added free video streaming. At first, the selection was nothing to write home about - but it’s getting a lot better! You can also stream Amazon video through various TV set-top devices, like Roku and X-box, so you’re not limited to watching on your computer. Now they’ve offered free e-book borrowing, which is not a bad deal, but at only one book at a time and one book a month, it’s certainly not worth spending $79 a year for. Most of the books available for loan are the lower cost indie books anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Cillasi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@Cillasi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cillasi)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/56 "2012-08-24T19:20:55Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Can anybody else share stories about this? > > What’s the best way to go for a family? All just use the same logon and share books and prime features that way? Or everyone get their own account and hook them all into the same prime membership to get the benefits? [http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp\_navbox\_manage\_share?nodeId=200444180#share](http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/ref=hp_navbox_manage_share?nodeId=200444180#share) Here’s what you can and cannot do with a Prime account. In short, you only share the shipping benefits. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/57 "2012-08-24T19:24:40Z")
One thing I noticed recently, the Amazon Video app on the PS3 is nicer than the one on my Roku. Check it out if you have a PS3. Not sure about the XB360 version. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/58 "2012-08-24T19:57:47Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Can anybody else share stories about this? > > What’s the best way to go for a family? All just use the same logon and share books and prime features that way? Or everyone get their own account and hook them all into the same prime membership to get the benefits? I did find out how to do the share-the-prime thing after yesterday’s posting, and my husband is now hooked in. As far as sharing the login for books etc.: I’d suggest doing that _anyway_, because (aside from prime shipping and the free borrowing), that lets you share books that you’ve _purchased_. Obviously the downside of _that_ is that you may not want your kids to be able to order stuff on your account. I know you can have multiple Kindles on the same account (ditto Barnes and Noble with the Nook readers). For prime TV viewing, you have to authorize the TV. Presumably that’s somewhere that anyone in the family can watch it. If you don’t want the kids spending money on movies (anything not on the prime watchlist can be purchased / rented) you may need to make sure they don’t know the PIN that you have to set up when you set up the TV. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/59 "2012-08-24T23:08:21Z")
Maybe I missed it upthread – what kind of car does Amazon Prime transform into? If it can get across country in two days, that’s pretty fuckin fast. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386/60 "2012-08-24T23:23:03Z")
The downside: It costs 80 bucks. I’ve had it since the only thing you got for it was fast & free shipping. Amazon has truly worked to add value at no additional cost. I routinely order things overnight that I don’t feel like going to the store to get after work. I love it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-is-there-a-downside/632386.md?page=4)