# Amazon Prime Two Day Shipping...not so much **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 28, 2017, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404 "2017-01-28T16:06:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/21 "2017-01-29T01:37:23Z")
I’m with the OP on this. In years past Prime meant true two-day shipping, always (when marked as such in the listing). In the recent several months I have noticed a trend: the delivery times split into two groups, very fast and very slow. Occasionally I have ordered something Saturday evening and had it appear Sunday at noon–that’s way too cool. But those times are balanced by the many shipments that manage to “technically” meet the rules of two-day shipping without meeting the spirit of it. Besides that, the number of truly late packages this year exceeded the late packages from the previous several years. It’s annoying when companies make big bold statements of X that are undermined by their own definition of what “X” means. They know they are gaming the system and it’s tiresome, but they all do it so there is little way to avoid this. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/22 "2017-01-29T02:56:22Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > At the bottom, under “Let Us Help You” click on “Help”. Scroll down, under Browse Help Topics, click on “Need More Help”, then “Contact Us” from the pop up menu. After you sign in, it’ll take you to your recent orders. Scroll down to “2) Tell us more about your issue” and choose “Where’s My Stuff” and “Shipment is late”, scroll down and pick the option you want and go from there. Personally, I’d suggest you pick chat. > When the box pops up, give them the order number and a short version of what you said above and hit enter. You’ll get a few canned messages while they check to see what’s going on and then they’ll apologize and offer to extend your prime membership by a month. Accept the deal, say thanks, they’ll ask you if there’s anything else they can help you with, say no, close the window and that’s that. > > And no, you really can’t give a product a bad review because Amazon shipped it one day late. > ETA, I just looked at your post again. They may make you wait until tomorrow, after the shipment has actually missed the deadline before they offer you a credit. Actually, they changed the deadline between the checkout page/order confirmation email and the shipping notification email so it will not show as late. Sneaky, sneaky. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/23 "2017-01-29T04:17:49Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > Actually, they changed the deadline between the checkout page/order confirmation email and the shipping notification email so it will not show as late. Sneaky, sneaky. You still have the confirmation e-mail that listed a guaranteed delivery date. Tell them that. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/24 "2017-01-29T04:21:55Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > It’s on me for not realizing that it wasn’t Prime when I changed the color or size, but it’s on Amazon for not telling me I was buying something from another country. The checkout page should have had a delivery estimate reflecting the fact that it’s coming from overseas. Apart from that, why should it matter? I’ve had it happen a few times - note that the delivery time says 3 weeks, order anyway because it’s not urgent, and later notice that it arrived from China. Fine by me. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/25 "2017-01-29T05:28:30Z")
> [@pohjonen](#): > > Actually, they changed the deadline between the checkout page/order confirmation email and the shipping notification email so it will not show as late. Sneaky, sneaky. > [@scr4](#): > > You still have the confirmation e-mail that listed a guaranteed delivery date. Tell them that. Yeah, I’m just saying that since the original date on the product page, the check out page and the confirmation page isn’t until Sunday/tomorrow/the 28th (probably at 8:00pm), they may want pohjonen to wait until that time passes before they’ll offer anything. You can try now, I’ve had it go both ways, some reps will just give you the credit (or whatever they’re offering up at the time) sometimes they’ll ask you to recontact them after the delivery has missed the original deadline. Since that hasn’t even come and gone yet, it could still show up tomorrow, especially considering that USPS’s tracking is awful, you may not know. OTOH, it’s worth a shot now since you could get the credit AND it could show up on time. > [@scr4](#): > > The checkout page should have had a delivery estimate reflecting the fact that it’s coming from overseas. Apart from that, why should it matter? I’ve had it happen a few times - note that the delivery time says 3 weeks, order anyway because it’s not urgent, and later notice that it arrived from China. Fine by me. The checkout page probably did say that, but like I said, I buy a lot of stuff on Amazon so I often don’t pay attention to that when I “know” (or think/assume) I’m buying something prime. I just add it to my cart, go the checkout and hit the button to make the purchase. It’s not that it came from overseas that mattered, it was the two weeks that mattered. Even non prime things that just come from else where in the country, assuming they shipped the next business day\* still get to me in one week or less. Furthermore, had I realized that I wasn’t buying direct from Amazon, which I almost never do if I can avoid it, I would have read a few reviews for the store itself and probably avoided just on the basis of the two week shipping time when I could have purchased something similar, from Amazon and had it in two days. \*And to make it even faster, Amazon will ship things on Saturday and Sunday as well. You can order something on a Friday and often times it’ll start moving on Saturday. You can order on Saturday and sometimes it’ll show up on Monday or even Sunday. Their strange connection with USPS makes things happen real fast on weekends…which reminds me, I think I ordered this thing on a Friday which had the following Monday as a holiday, so that added 3 or 4 days on top of everything else. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/26 "2017-01-29T06:01:59Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > That only selects listings for which there’s at least one Prime seller available. As I said earlier, the default (corresponding to the price being displayed, and the one you get by pressing the “Add to Cart” or “One-click” button) may not be a Prime seller. It usually is, but not always. > > Sometimes there are different options for that product (color, size, etc), and only some of those options are available with Prime shipping. Sometimes the seller that offers Prime shipping is out of stock, but another non-Prime seller has it in stock, and therefore that’s the default selection. You posted the same thing I posted two hours later. You’re such a dumbass. You probably voted for Trump you idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 6:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/27 "2017-01-29T06:18:44Z")
Weak pitting, imo. Sure, Prime is not always exactly two days (as in 48 hours from right now), but for anything shipping from an Amazon warehouse they are clear and transparent about expected shipping times throughout the order process, and the failure rate is a few percent in my experience. And for the rare problems a human being responds promptly for online chat, and issues get fixed efficiently, usually with a sweetener. Once I didn’t renew Prime because I had the misguided impression that I rarely need stuff urgently, so I’d just use regular shipping. Three days later I needed something urgently. Life is too short _not_ to use this service. If you think it’s sub-par, what’s the competition? Where else can I get service comparable to what they provide? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/28 "2017-01-29T06:35:39Z")
I’ve had Amazon Prime for years & am quite satisfied with shipping speed. Nearly all Prime items arrive within 2 days. Free. I do order stuff from non-Prime merchants–usually books at excellent prices; of course I don’t expect them as quickly. Prime Video & other percs are just icing on the cake. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/29 "2017-01-29T06:56:06Z")
> [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](#): > > I think some of these sellers have maybe 20 items under the item description and a percentage are Prime (multiple colors of a pillow case with only white and black as Prime). So you select the non-Prime one because it isn’t very obvious that the Prime label only applies to a percentage of the items. This is one way this problem occurs. You posted the same thing I posted two hours later. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2017, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/30 "2017-01-29T14:37:14Z")
> [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](#): > > You posted the same thing I posted two hours later. You’re such a dumbass. You probably voted for Trump you idiot. I’m heartened by the fact that even someone as rude and misguided as you is opposed to Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/31 "2017-01-30T03:02:35Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > You posted the same thing I posted two hours later. This alternative fact shit has gone too far. Stop fucking up my country with them. > [@scr4](#): > > I’m heartened by the fact that even someone as rude and misguided as you is opposed to Trump. Oh _now_ you oppose Trump. Little late to the party. Thanks for nothing. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/32 "2017-01-30T03:28:26Z")
I find them to be pretty accurate- maybe not a strict 48 hour period, but if I ordered something now (9:23 on a Sunday night) I could legitimately expect it on Wednesday. Sometimes, since there are fulfillment centers in the area, things will be delivered in one-day even if I didn’t choose that option, so that’s cool. Only very infrequently do they flub it, and they’re usually pretty eager to make it right- if it shows up late, they’ll give you some freebie, and if it doesn’t show at all, they’ll re-send it and overnight it to you, even on the weekends. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/33 "2017-01-30T13:36:31Z")
Most I’ve ever had a Prime delivery go is 4 days. Delays happen so infrequently that it makes me wonder WHAT the OP is buying and WHERE he lives that the Prime shipping fails so much. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/34 "2017-01-30T13:48:08Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > I have had Amazon Prime for a while now. It comes with a variety of perks but the only reason I have it is for the free two day shipping (their video selection mostly sucks). > > The shipping guarantee is where it is at but more and more I am seeing caveats and exceptions and whatnot. > > Sometimes you specify “Prime” as a filter and somehow, maybe because they have one thing that will ship in two days, you get a list of things that will come in weeks. > > The two day shtick is a bit of a dodge too. > > - Order today but it processes tomorrow > - Don’t do weekends > - So, order on Monday processes on Tuesday, ships on Wednesday arrives in two days on Friday. > > This is not true of all things on Amazon. Often shipping is crazy fast. But not always and you never know. > > I have had a few items I needed for work and needed them “now” relying on the Prime promise only to be left in the lurch. > > Seems to me the issue is Amazon third party providers. Amazon need to put the screws to them and make them live up to the promise or not be on Amazon. I think a lot of it depends on where you live. I live in the DC metropolitan area and some crazy percentage of the stuff I buy ships from a warehouse less than an hour away in the boondocks. But I generally agree that the 2 day guarantee is not really 2 days for all the prime items anymore. Its 2 days if they have it in the warehouse near you but I have waited over a week for some stuff on prime. I am more upset with Amazon for getting rid of their $1 credit on amazon videos for “no rush” delivery and replacing it with a $5 credit on groceries that come with a $5 delivery charge. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/35 "2017-01-30T13:59:37Z")
> [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](#): > > Oh _now_ you oppose Trump. Little late to the party. Thanks for nothing. Huh? Are you confusing me with someone else, or do you just use “Trump supporter” as a general-purpose insult on anyone who upsets your delicate sensibilities? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/36 "2017-01-30T14:21:16Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > I think a lot of it depends on where you live. > > I live in the DC metropolitan area and some crazy percentage of the stuff I buy ships from a warehouse less than an hour away in the boondocks. But I generally agree that the 2 day guarantee is not really 2 days for all the prime items anymore. Its 2 days if they have it in the warehouse near you but I have waited over a week for some stuff on prime. The OP mentioned putting the screws to the third party vendors and I think that’s the problem, no third party vendors offer prime delivery. There may be some misconceptions, but most people that have Prime are aware that you have to buy things that are sold by and shipped from Amazon to get the two day delivery promise. Even if you aren’t aware, you only make the mistake once or twice and then you start paying attention. It’s an [Amazon] life lesson that we all make. > [@](#): > > I am more upset with Amazon for getting rid of their $1 credit on amazon videos for “no rush” delivery and replacing it with a $5 credit on groceries that come with a $5 delivery charge. I still can’t bring myself to use Amazon grocery. It bugs me that I’m required to have prime to use that service and then I still have to pay a delivery charge. So far, I still haven’t checked to see how their prices are compared to grocery stores. I’ve used Jet once or twice and they were pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/aca169/32.png) [@Inbred\_Mm\_domesticus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inbred_Mm_domesticus)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/37 "2017-01-30T15:15:49Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > Huh? Are you confusing me with someone else, or do you just use “Trump supporter” as a general-purpose insult on anyone who upsets your delicate sensibilities? No, you are a plagiarist and therefore you support Trump. Duh. But it is a good insult to use in any situation. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/38 "2017-01-30T20:37:39Z")
My problem with Prime is how easy it seems to be to accidentally sign up for it. I never wanted it, because I didn’t want my packages delivered by UPS and left on my front porch if I wasn’t home to receive it. Aside from the chance of theft (my apartment is right next to a major street), on one occasion a package left at my door while I was at work was found and opened by a neighbor’s 3-year-old kid. In that instance the package, fortunately, only contained some Pixar DVDs. I would really not want that to happen if I ordered some “adult” products. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 30, 2017, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/39 "2017-01-30T20:41:00Z")
> [@Mister\_Rik](#): > > My problem with Prime is how easy it seems to be to accidentally sign up for it. I never wanted it, because I didn’t want my packages delivered by UPS and left on my front porch if I wasn’t home to receive it. Aside from the chance of theft (my apartment is right next to a major street), on one occasion a package left at my door while I was at work was found and opened by a neighbor’s 3-year-old kid. In that instance the package, fortunately, only contained some Pixar DVDs. **I would really not want that to happen if I ordered some “adult” products.** You should be supporting your local economy whenever possible. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 31, 2017, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404/40 "2017-01-31T02:44:28Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > You should be supporting your local economy whenever possible. For some of us, Amazon is part of the local economy- I’d wager their fulfillment centers around here employ more people than a hundred mom and pop shops. To some degree, that kind of thinking is about like worrying about the slide-rule producers in the 1970s when electronic calculators and computers came about. There’s a sea change in retailing happening, and no realistic amount of local buying is going to change that particular tide. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-prime-two-day-shipping-not-so-much/778404.md?page=3)