Amazon Offers Free Shipping on Small Items (Even if You Don’t Have Prime)
Amazon’s newest perk for shoppers: If it’s small and light, you can get it shipped for free, no minimum order required.
The free shipping option is available to all Amazon customers, not just members of Prime, the e-commerce giant’s $99 annual membership program offering free two-day shipping on millions of items. Until now, you had to be a Prime member or make a $35 minimum order to qualify for free shipping.
It’s an effort to woo cost-conscious consumers who shop on eBay, at Target or Wal-Mart, Bloomberg reports.
“The new offer gives online shoppers an opportunity to order inexpensive goods one at a time without worrying that shipping costs are more than the price of the item or feeling compelled to buy additional products to meet a free-shipping threshold,” Bloomberg said.
The free shipping option applies to items that weigh less than 8 ounces, are smaller than 9 x 6 x 2 inches, and cost less than $10, WLS-TV said. The small, light items will ship out of a new Amazon fulfillment center in Florence, Kentucky. Delivery will take four to eight business days.
The bulk of the small, light inventory will come from third-party sellers who give Amazon a portion of each sale for providing storage, packaging, delivery and customer service, Bloomberg said.
“Customers love that even if it’s a $5 item, shipping is free for everybody, Prime member or not,” Neil Ackerman, a senior manager at Amazon, said in an interview. “Customers love it and sellers love it.”
What do you think of Amazon’s free shipping option? Share your comments below.
This article was originally published on MoneyTalksNews.com as 'Amazon Offers Free Shipping on Small Items (Even if You Don’t Have Prime)'.
