Is Amazon.com slowing deliveries on purpose?

[Papa Deuce]

I have two books on order for about 5 days now. They haven't shipped yet. They appear to be in stock. I chose free Supersaver shipping. Do you think they are slowing delivery to discourage the free shipping option?

I know that this is like a ton of other orders I have placed and I ALWAYS get those in 5 - 7 days if the items are in stock.

EDIT: Actually the order was placed on July 31st.

 

[powellrj]

I ordered items last week and they aren't showing they will be shipped until Monday. I assume its the free shipping too.

 

[LoveWDW]

I'm glad you posted. I wondered the same thing. My orders are taking longer to get here.

 

[Charade]

I just ordered two items (a book and an electric shaver) on Aug 1st. They shipped (supersaver free shipping) from Nevada (I'm in PA) on the 5th. They are in transit.

Works for me.

 

[Minniespal]

I usually find by using the super saver option books take on average double the time to arrive.

 

[eclectics]

I've used the free shipping many, many times and never a problem. On the item page it tells you the availability of the item, such as, "usually ships in 24 hours" or "ships 1-2 days", "4-7 days" etc. Check the items you ordered. Also, there is a link to "Track" your order to see if it has been shipped yet. Hope this helps....

 

[pdchris]

I've never noticed a slowness to Amazon shipping. When I choose free shipping, I'm assuming it is going to be slow. Plus they ship 'media mail' which is the slowest method that the USPS offers.

 

[amid chaos]

There is no question the free shipping takes longer I usually check out all options before placing my order and the time fo shipment always changes for free shipping.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I think I read on their web site that with the free shipping option they only ship one day per week.

 

[SpecialK]

I ordered two items a couple of weeks ago and used the free shipping. I received them in under a week.

 

[eclectics]

I think I read on their web site that with the free shipping option they only ship one day per week.

I don't think that is the case, but they do ship "media" mail which in most parts of the country is not much longer than first class on average. 2-3 days extra usually for the lower 48 (except if you are in a rural setting).

 

[icebrat001]

I ordered something on Amazon.com Thursday (2 items) and I choose the free shipping option and it shows that it will be here on Wednesday, that doesn't seem bad.

 

[Duckfan-in-Chicago]

I don't think that is the case, but they do ship "media" mail which in most parts of the country is not much longer than first class on average. 2-3 days extra usually for the lower 48 (except if you are in a rural setting).

I live in Chicago, close to O'hare. This is a major shipping hub. I get things as quick paying the cheapest shipping as if I paid for 2nd day more often than not. That is not the case with Amazon free shipping. This leads me to believe that they hold on to the items longer. Also I think I got an e-mail from them last year to that effect. I ordered a bunch of stuff for Christmas WAY in advance (In Nov.). It was all in-stock when I ordered it, but when they went to ship it, a few days later some of it was missing, so the order kept getting pushed further and further back. Kept adding and deleting to the order, and something else would be out of stock. Ended up paying for the shipping and getting it on about the 23rd. Not only do they not ship it daily, I don't think they pull it like they would for a regular order.

 

[DisneyLovingMama]

At the beginning of the year, I paid the $79 for free, two-day shipping (Amazon Prime) and it's great! I had been tired of waiting for the free shipping, so was paying standard rates anyway. Most of the time, I get my items next day. It was a well-worth it investment.

 

[eclectics]

I live in Chicago, close to O'hare. This is a major shipping hub. I get things as quick paying the cheapest shipping as if I paid for 2nd day more often than not. That is not the case with Amazon free shipping. This leads me to believe that they hold on to the items longer. Also I think I got an e-mail from them last year to that effect. I ordered a bunch of stuff for Christmas WAY in advance (In Nov.). It was all in-stock when I ordered it, but when they went to ship it, a few days later some of it was missing, so the order kept getting pushed further and further back. Kept adding and deleting to the order, and something else would be out of stock. Ended up paying for the shipping and getting it on about the 23rd. Not only do they not ship it daily, I don't think they pull it like they would for a regular order.

I honestly don't know, but I would think holding up orders would cause an enormous backlog. Just think of the thousands of orders they recieve in a day. If they held up shipping it would cause chaos, imho, but like I said, I'm not privy to their operations. Just a guess on my part. But "media" (free shipping) does indeed take longer than "standard" (paid shipping). You can also choose to have some of your order shipped separate if it is available quicker than another item. If that option is clicked off, that can also be causing a delay. I have found that their time estimate on each item page is quite accurate and they always promptly send me a email if anything changes.

 

[Chuck S]

I ordered a DVD and two books on July 30, recieved, to my surpise, a shipping confirmation the next day. Confirmed on the Post Office site that the items had made it to Cincinnati on Aug 1. The scan shows it left Cincinnati...period...no further scans...just in transit. I really hate that the post office isn't better about scanning their items at all the stops along the way, isn't that what the tracking service is for?

I really don't order "enough" to justify the $79 annual two-day fee, which is why I chose Amazon's free shipping over other sites that charge for shipping. And in my case, it isn't Amazon's lack of service, but the post office. I mean...I realize it isn't going "first class", but just how long do they let stuff pile up before they put it on a truck if it isn't first class...and why? Right after the UPS strike the post office was great...it seems they are back to their "regular routine" now

 

[eclectics]

Another interesting fact I forgot to mention was, that depending on the size of my order (with or without the free shipping), it is delivered either by USPS or UPS. The smaller orders come USPS and the larger heavier ones come UPS. That's how they operate in my neck of the woods (suburb of NYC). Don't know if it's like that anywhere else.

 

[mommytotwo]

I had ordered a bunch of items last month and while all but one item was sent, the other one was on back order. They were still selling that item at a great price and other people that I knew were ordering them, when I still did not recieve my order. Then a week later, it arrived. You would think that the slow down period would be closer to Christmas not now. Hope they service improves.

 

[Papa Deuce]

I've used the free shipping many, many times and never a problem. On the item page it tells you the availability of the item, such as, "usually ships in 24 hours" or "ships 1-2 days", "4-7 days" etc. Check the items you ordered. Also, there is a link to "Track" your order to see if it has been shipped yet. Hope this helps....

Did all that. That is why I posted my question.

 

[bicker]

My order from last Saturday was shipped (for free) on Monday and arrived on Wednesday.