Is Amazon Prime worth it to Hawaii?

[macuu222]

I have noticed that some of you on Punaweb use Amazon Prime. I have never use the service myself because I don't order very much on-line in a year. Hawaii delivery times for Amazon prime are longer than the mainland averaging 3 to 7 business days for free shipping (of most items) which is the same for non members if the order is over $25.00 dollars.  Also do they deliver to your street address using fed ex or UPS...or do I also have to have a P.O. Box listed in case they switch off to the USPS? I dread standing in a long line at the post office for parcels every time my order comes in. It seems like its not worth it to me!

[ChunksterK]

I was an Amazon skeptic at first, but my neighbor convinced me to try it, and I'm now a happy frequent buyer. Even though some items don't ship free (or don't ship at all) to Hawaii, enough do to make it worthwhile. Add the fact that the prices on many items tend to be lower than in local retail places, and it's a double win. We even order canned foods from Amazon along with quite a few other grocery items. Frau Chunkster loves the video streaming service that comes with Prime, another plus. Always, check prices, however. Some items can be had for the same or less locally without waiting for shipping. We have generally been pleasantly surprised by how quickly our stuff gets here, fwiw.

[Wao nahele wahine]

We have had Amazon Prime for years and are happy with it for the most part.

Since Covid hit some items do take longer to be delivered. When items have been lost in transit Amazon has been quick to provide a refund or send a replacement. It is MUCH easier to deal with their customer service reps through their chat feature than to wait in a queue on the phone.

[malahini]

I use my Amazon prime all the time. You can find stuff there you just can't get on the island. Extremely useful. For example really long outlet screws I couldn't find anywhere else. Shipping from most anywhere else makes ordering prohibitively expensive.

I lately sometimes use Walmart though, but if I do I just try to go over $35 for the free shipping.

[AaronM]

Prime is worth it, imho. Compared with what some people charge for shipping, Amazon is frequently a good deal. The Prime Video is a nice bonus.

[leilanidude]

The only unfortunate part is that Amazon has cancelled their contracts with FedEx and UPS, and now sends everything via the USPS, which quite frankly, is pathetic in almost every regard. Just yesterday, I had an alert from Amazon that my delivery was being returned due to "damage". Tracking shows it had made it to Pahoa... At least they didn't complete the delivery and try to pretend nothing was wrong.

[Wao nahele wahine]

The only unfortunate part is that Amazon has cancelled their contracts with FedEx and UPS, and now sends everything via the USPS, which quite frankly, is pathetic in almost every regard. Just yesterday, I had an alert from Amazon that my delivery was being returned due to "damage". Tracking shows it had made it to Pahoa... At least they didn't complete the delivery and try to pretend nothing was wrong.

When did this go into effect?  I have a few Amazon orders that were placed in early November that shipped UPS.

[leilanidude]

Last Spring, I believe. I have had zero FedEx or UPS deliveries now for months. maybe you are ordering from non-Amazon fullfilled vendors?

[HereOnThePrimalEdge]

November that shipped UPS.

Yes.
Amazon still ships with UPS, but not FedEx.  My neighbor has Prime and gets most shipments UPS. When Amazon set up their own fleet of cargo planes they started flying from distribution point to distribution point, then handed off to USPS for final delivery.  

[Wao nahele wahine]

Last Spring, I believe. I have had zero FedEx or UPS deliveries now for months. maybe you are ordering from non-Amazon fullfilled vendors?

The last Amazon shipment I received  arrived by UPS last week.  It was three separate orders in one UPS shipment. Two items were sold by Amazon.com Services LLC.  The third item was sold by a third party vendor.  Orders were placed November 4th and 5th.  The shipment arrived November 12th.