What's up with Amazon? Seems I have to apply for their credit card to place an order now? I was just trying to order a couple of quick connects for my dust collection system and the connects are considered add on items?
What's up with Amazon? Seems I have to apply for their credit card to place an order now? I was just trying to order a couple of quick connects for my dust collection system and the connects are considered add on items?
Last edited by Bruce Page; 08-14-2014 at 11:53 AM.
No, you don't have to use their credit card to buy something from them. They heavily promote their credit card, but you can still use any credit card. They did start making certain items add-ons. You can't just buy those items by themselves for some reason. They should just charge for shipping if those items are not ordered with something else.
I just checked and seem to have my standard (AMEX credit card) payment option available...
I wonder how many Amazon users find themselves unexpectedly enrolled in "Amazon Prime"? Their web pages make it easy to join accidentally. At least the "Amazon Prime" tape on their packages makes you aware..
I'm about fed up with driving to Target or Home Depot or Lowes or Office Max or Best Buy or Radio Shack or Shopko or Walmart or Costco or AutoZone or pretty much any B&M store only to find they don't have what I went in for. I've pretty much decided to buy everything I can from Amazon or Ebay. I don't waste gas or time, usually get it quick, almost always cheaper. If the local stores want my business, they better start stocking the shelves...
As for Amazon's over-zealous 'check out' sections, I agree they're a pain, but I've had enough practice to avoid the BS.
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ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
FOUR - CO2 lasers
THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
ONE - vinyl cutter
CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle
You can have Prime for free for a year, just cancel it at 364 days and you're not charged.
It's up to $100 per year now I think, but I know a lot of people who have it and think it's well worth it.
Amazon explains the add-ons, and it makes perfect sense to me: "The Add-on program allows Amazon to offer thousands of low-priced items that would be cost-prohibitive to ship on their own." It isn't just the shipping, it is the handling/packaging as well...
I've read tales of folks getting around this by pre-ordering a movie, game, or other item offered for sale at the same time as the "add-on" items. The add-on items then get shipped immediately, and then they cancel the pre-ordered item. No idea if it actually still works, and what happens if you do it enough.
I've found at times that I can often find the same item listed on Amazon, once as an add-on item, and once not as an add-on item, from a different seller on Amazon, sometimes at the same price.
" Be willing to make mistakes in your basements, garages, apartments and palaces. I have made many. Your first attempts may be poor. They will not be futile. " - M.S. Bickford, Mouldings In Practice
We have had Amazon prime for over a year now it has paid for itself on the shipping alone and we use the movie and music stuff too.....
I placed one add-on item in my cart with Amazon. I don't see any way that signing up for the Amazon credit card would allow me to buy that item when I could not otherwise. I was not offered a checkout button because I didn't have enough items in my cart. They will allow you to buy only add-on items if you buy at least $35 worth.
I don't use Amazon all that much because most of the time their shipping is slow without Prime, or the prices are too high. I mostly use them when I get Amazon gift cards through my credit card rewards.
I too have had Prime for quite a while. The benefits of 2 day shipping, movies, less time spent driving, parking and shopping make it the best $100 I spend every year. I'd rather work in the shop than spend my time going to the store. It sure makes my life far less hectic. The prices aren't too shabby either. I am tired of driving to the stores they do not have what I need.
Wife and I have prime, but with the last increase in price to $100, we're letting it expire this year. My daughter loves to watch cartoons in prime, but there is a lot of full-length cartoon stuff posted on youtube these days. We thought when we got prime that we'd get baby supplies, but those turn out to be cheaper in store brand stuff like target, or in bulk at sams if name brand. Same with formula, baby food, etc, it's cheaper local.
Otherwise, to wait a few extra days to get things shipped, or to bundle things until we get $35 is not a big deal for us because we never buy staples from amazon. We also have buyers clubs and department stores out the wazoo in my township, and things that are small are often cheaper in person than they are at amazon - especially if they're bulky. That, and amazon's prices in general have gone up since they saturated the market - there's only two ways to increase revenue once you've saturated the market - higher prices or lower expenses.