Frustrated by Amazon’s new UK delivery charges? Here are some simple techniques and loopholes you can use to avoid paying extra for delivery when you place and order.
It’s hard to find fault with Amazon. They offer an almost unrivalled choice, make online shopping relatively painless and even deliver right to your door.
Up until recently they even offered ‘Free super saver delivery’ on all their items – a service which was fantastic for us as consumers (but no doubt crippling for other online businesses struggling to compete with Amazon’s razor thin margins).
Sadly in July this year Amazon UK announced that they were no longer providing ‘Free super saver delivery’ for total spends of under £10.
It seems that even Amazon, undisputed kings of the online jungle, couldn’t stomach loss leading on delivery charges for giant low-cost items like children’s toys (often giant plastic monstrosities) that only sell for a few pounds but cost the GDP of Tuvalu to package and ship.
But have no fear! Rather than lose out to these new changes and pay over the odds, there are a few simple steps – and a clever loophole – you can take advantage of to avoid these charges.
Here’s how to avoid paying the Amazon UK delivery charges and still get your items delivered for FREE
1. Don’t complete your order until you hit £10
The first thing to bear in mind is that this new rule ONLY applies to shopping spends of under £10. Once you’re over that you automatically qualify for free delivery.
If you’re not in a great rush to receive the item, log into Amazon and save it in your basket. It’ll remember it next time you shop on the site then next time you add one or two items in their hopefully you’ll be able to reach the £10 free delivery threshold.
2. Simply include an item in your order that does qualify for free delivery (and everything else in your order will be delivered for free)
Amazon’s new UK delivery charges rules does not apply to a number of items including books, music, films, software and computer games. They are completely exempt from the new rules so if you’re order a CD or a DVD, for example, you can shop away as normal without worrying about delivery charges.
And here’s a loophole – if you’re buying an item that doesn’t qualify for free delivery simply add a low cost book or CD (some paperbacks can be bought for under £2 for example) to you order and you’ll get free delivery for the whole order – even if it’s under £10!
3. Get a 3 month free trial on Amazon Prime and dodge the charges
Amazon Prime is Amazon’s premium service. It costs £49 a year but give you free, next delivery on most items supplied by Amazon (no matter what the total cost). Sign up for the 3 month trial and you won’t pay a penny. Just make sure you remember to cancel it before the trial finishes if you don’t want to continue.
To do this just go into your account settings and switch off the ‘auto renew’ function.
Have Amazon’s new delivery charges affected you? Do you have any tips for getting around these charges? Please leave a comment below.
Newsflash: The new UK delivery charge is great news for Amazon Marketplace sellers
One of the most frustrating things for Amazon Marketplace sellers in the past was previously having to battle with Amazon’s own ‘free delivery’ policy.
This new development has given independent sellers much more breathing space – and a chance to increase their profits.
If you’re interested in Amazon selling I highly recommend taking a look at Sharon Fussell’s excellent course. You can see it here: Sell, Dispatch, Now