Amazon Increases Free Delivery Minimum For UK Shoppers

[engine]

Amazon UK is doubling the requirement for free delivery minimum spend. Apparently, Books are still at £10, but all other items are now £20 or more to be eligible for free delivery.

Of course, it's not really free, but it was probably, previously, supported and a loss leader to grow the business. Clearly, Amazon UK feels the time is right to push the free delivery option up further, from it's original introduction in 2013.

Clearly, the $57 Million loss in the first quarter might have been an additional driver to push the decision.
[phx.corporate-ir.net...]

This has to be a good thing for many smaller competitors that have often seen Amazon's free delivery service as unfair competition.

[lucy24]

Interesting if you consider that in the US, free (i.e. included in product cost) delivery jumped up from $25 to $35 just a year or two back. Are we getting closer to the same price range?

:: detour to Oxford Dictionary of Music to find out who the heck Bartolomeo Cristofori was ::

[engine]

Yes, it's getting closer, but will probably never be exactly the same.

I usually choose the delivery option that suits my needs. If I need it quickly, i'll pay, but if I just need it in the next 7-10 days, i don't mind waiting, which is usually the "free" option. Now that it's doubled, it means I have to either order more, which I don't necessarily want, or wait even longer until i have added more items. It's only going to make me look more closely at the shipping costs of Amazon vs other suppliers, which i've always done. I have no plans to "upgrade" to Amazon Prime.
I don't mind paying for delivery if it's not OTT.
I'm happy to spread my business more widely, and this may just be the tipping point for more than just me.

[Hinso]

Free delivery in the UK means using courier firms as opposed to Royal Mail. Mostly those firms can't take the pressue at busy times, e.g. Christmas. Tried it a couple of times. Never again.

[engine]

Oh, yes, Hinso, and at busy times such as Christmas, opting for free delivery is asking for trouble, even starting as early as three weeks prior. That means the end of November!