FWIW I used to order kitty litter on Prime. Free shipping and all that. Turns out they hugely marked up the retail price for the free shipping. I’ve since found it on Walmart’s website for about 40% cheaper. Free shipping if I order 5 at a time.
> FWIW I used to order kitty litter on Prime. Free shipping and all that. Turns out they hugely marked up the retail price for the free shipping. I’ve since found it on Walmart’s website for about 40% cheaper. Free shipping if I order 5 at a time.
This is really common on Amazon, even for things that aren't heavy/large. Amazon used to be a place that gave you some of the best prices on things, but that hasn't been true for a long time.
Awhile ago I used to sell a lot of consumer grade electronics on eBay, and one of the first things I noticed was that people were generally willing to pay more to have free shipping. $X+$Y shipping could easily turn into ($X+$Y+20%) + free shipping, and people would do it to themselves -- I'd start iPhones bidding at $0.99, and without fail I'd drum up a ton more business than I ever could with substantially lower fixed prices and accurate shipping costs.
For the expensive-to-ship items that I've specifically looked into I've generally found that Amazon's price with "free" shipping is cheaper than the price with 2 day shipping from anyone else, but more expensive than slower shipping. When I actually need something in a hurry that makes Amazon the best choice, but I've mostly stopped buying from them for recurring purchases that I can do well in advance.
Had mediocre results with pet products on Amazon. Had an entire bag of dog food busted open because of how it was shipped. Often the litter products I get aren't available, and it's a mixed bag with other pet food. I pretty much stick with Chewy except for rare one-offs.
