In 5 9 Days (Or Tomorrow) - Blog - Seen Creative - Web Design and Consulting

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01.04.07

In 5-9 Days (Or Tomorrow)

Nick Adams

Here is a tip: Don't waste $4 on upgrading from Free Super Saver Shipping to Standard Shipping at Amazon. The 3-5 day delay incurred by choosing the Free shipping option is pretty much bull.

I'll explain a little further. I almost always buy things from Amazon in bunches in order to take advantage of the Free Super-Saver Shipping that's offered when your purchase is for at least $25. Choosing this Free Shipping option also causes me to be continually reminded of the following fact throughout the checkout process: Your order will take an additional 3 to 5 days to ship.

In addition to this friendly reminder I am also given the option to upgrade to Standard Shipping, which takes just 3 to 5 days to ship, avoiding the additional 3 to 5 day delay that comes with the Free shipping. This upgrade costs about $4.

Don't be seduced into choosing that upgrade.

During my most recent purchase I refused to be tricked into the "upgrade" and came to grips with the fact that it would take an extra 3-5 days to ship my items. Oh well. But wait, yesterday I receive an email notifying me that my shipment has been sent. How's this? That's just 1 Day after placing my order. So this "additional 3 to 5 days to ship" line is just a fear tactic used to squeeze an extra couple bucks out of unsuspecting customers? It seems so.

The little things can go a long way towards improving the perception of a company. The details make you stand out from the competition. So when I come across things like this shipping quirk and this story about strange price changes, it damages my perception of the Amazon brand. Is it worth risking the integrity of your brand for a few extra bucks here and there? I don't believe it is. Not when you could loose a customer who consistently spends $50 over $4.

Also, shipping is a major hurdle for online purchasing, so why would Amazon make it even more confusing? Seems like they are only magnifying a weak link in the purchasing process.

You can probably guess that I am a big fan of transparency and that I hate being mislead and confused (who does?), which is why I am bothered by a measly $4. But it's principal more than anything.

Lesson? If you really need to get your package ASAP, choose Overnight or 2-Day shipping, at least you know the extra cost has an actual effect on the shipping speed. Otherwise go with the Free Super-Saver shipping, the "additional 3-5 day" line seems like bull. Your package will probably be shipped on the same day as if you would've upgraded to Standard.

Update: My packages were waiting for me yesterday when I came home from the office. That's 5 days from shipment to delivery (excluding Sunday) and 6 days from order to delivery (also excluding Sunday).

This article was posted on Jan. 4th, 2007.
It is categorized under: Practices
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Comments for "In 5-9 Days (Or Tomorrow)"

Kelli

commented on Jan. 4th, 2007 at 10:37 pm

I've noticed this with Amazon before, too. They could even just reword the phrase to something like "orders are usually processed within _____ days, however, choosing this option may cause a delay of up to 3-5 days in processing your order." Not that this is a lot better, but instead of saying "Hey, upgrade to standard shipping. It'll be quicker!" they'd just be telling their customers "Uhm... OK, so this is free, but it could potentially make things a bit slower... It probably won't though." Then at least you'd know that it's probably not going to amount to a hill of beans, but if you're in a hurry, hey, it's $4.
Nick

commented on Jan. 11th, 2007 at 4:58 pm

@Kelli (off topic)

Noticed you updated your personal site. It's looking good.

Don't you also have a blog as well? I cant seem to find the link on your site.
Kelli

commented on Jan. 12th, 2007 at 2:55 am

Thank you! :) Yes, I do, though I've been a bit lax in writing anything lately. http://www.thecyanpepper.com
Alan

commented on Feb. 6th, 2007 at 2:20 pm

Hey,
Just wanted to thank you for your thorough and helpful information about this - I was just about to check out, and had the exact same moment of hesitation and googled super saving shipping to see what I could find out, you were in the first page of organic results. So now I can take my free shipping and feel good about it (wasn't that the original point?) You're right about their little trick, it's lame that they're willing to deceive and confuse for the extra $$, especially when shipping is the big downside and what deters me from using amazon.
Anyway just wanted to thank you for taking the time to publish this info.
Bob Aman

commented on Feb. 6th, 2007 at 2:25 pm

I personally order enough stuff from Amazon.com that I just opted for the Amazon Prime stuff. It's especially nice to have around Christmas time when you're running out of time. Permanently free 2nd day shipping easily pays for itself within a year if you order from Amazon with any regularity, plus you can share the service with your family and friends. Or at least friends who are willing to pretend to be your Uncle.

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