An Amazon Prime membership promises a plethora of benefits for around $15 per month, including free and faster shipping,great deals, access to streaming services, and more. However, a recent TikTok video by user Daniel Schaal (@thatschaalfolks) has sparked a debate about a potential drawback of the service: higher prices at checkout for Prime members. Find all the details below.
@thatschaalfolks #greenscreen Bezos sent me a venmo request for $6 #Amazon #shady #conspiracy #amazonprime original sound – thatschaalfolks
TikToker accuses Amazon of charging Prime members more for items
Schaal, who occasionally uses his Amazon Prime account to order items for his sister who doesn’t have Prime, noticed a discrepancy in pricing during a recent transaction. He explained, “She went to buy it and it was $90.66. Starting price was $80.15, but you had a $3 shipping fee. Now, hers would show up in two weeks if she bought it… So when I buy it, it’ll show up today between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., which is amazing… But is it free?”
To his surprise, the total cost for him as a Prime member was $96.92, which was $6 more expensive than the non-Prime price. “How does that make any sense?” Schaal questioned. He speculated that Amazon might be offering lower prices to non-Prime members to entice them to buy without Prime benefits, but once someone subscribes to Prime, they might not notice the price difference due to the convenience of faster shipping.
Schaal his frustration, stating, “This is freaking bogus, dude… You’re a multi-billion dollar company, and you’re scrounging around for six bucks. Do you need some gas money, bro? I got you covered.”
Does Amazon charge Prime users more for items?
In reality, Amazon displays prices from various sellers, and sometimes items sold by third-party sellers are cheaper but do not qualify for Prime shipping. Prime members typically see Prime-eligible prices first, while non-Prime members are shown the lowest available price upfront. This pricing strategy can lead to confusion and frustration among Prime members who feel they are being charged more for the same items.
The comments section of Schaal's video reflects growing discontent among Prime members. One user noted, "Not to mention the items available to prime on same day, next day, or two day delivery… after ordering, ya get a notice of later delivery! Then what did I just pay for!!!????!!!!" Another commented, "Cancelled mine yesterday. This made me feel even better about my decision."
Another user highlighted the unreliability of delivery times, saying, "How about when you're buying something you need right away and see 'order within the next 4 hours and receive it by ****' so you order it, check tracking next day and BOOM it's now 2 days later!!"
While the convenience of Amazon Prime cannot be denied, the pricing and delivery issues highlighted by Schaal and others suggest that the service might not always be as advantageous as it appears. As more customers voice their concerns, it remains to be seen whether Amazon will address these issues to maintain its customer base.
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