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Comment by nkw | Hacker News Reader

Now that Amazon is shipping more and more with USPS with their pitiful tracking and erratic delivery, I really don't know why I have prime. It certainly isn't for videos, music, or whatever else they have piled on to it lately. Now that I'm paying sales tax on Amazon orders, if Amazon can figure out same day delivery they will stay my go to place to buy everything. If not they are now the choice that costs more and takes longer.

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I would for sure pay about $50.00 more a year to only receive packages via UPS. USPS has made some really inconvenient mistakes, and OnTrac has repeatedly left packages in strange locations.

Frankly the only saving grace is that I can have packages delivered to an Amazon locker in most cases. Otherwise Prime has become significantly less convenient than it was when it was UPS/Fedex only.

I'd pay $500 more to only receive packages via UPS. Where I live, USPS and FedEx are so bad it boggles the mind.

As an NYC resident I can't say I've noticed the difference (within the past 6 months or so, anyway). Almost all my packages get shipped via USPS but get there by the guaranteed delivery date.

Now I understand why some packages that I shipped to myself at my parent's address didn't get delivered and wound up at the post office pickup window - they don't have a mailbox at the street address.

At least Amazon has been good about refunds and replacements when the delivery service has damaged goods - I've had books shipped in manilla envelopes with no wrapping left in a puddle under the eaves on rainy days, and electronics (also without protection) thrown in the snowbank.

I can't say that I've noticed any decrease in quality lately.

If anything, I continue to be impressed. Monday night, I ordered a bunch of Christmas presents. They were all here by Wednesday, delivered on time to rural Vermont.

Yesterday I had 2 boxes delivered to my house: one some subscription items, and one Prime Pantry. The subscription box busted open a bag of dog food, and the Prime Pantry box had moisture on the bottom of it, damaging packaging for numerous items.

I intentionally try to wait until the very last minute for the two day shipping cutoff just so there is more of a chance that they avoid using USPS, but being so close to a shipping hub that doesn't always work.

Depending on where you are located, you may have needed to pay taxes all along.

Generally the situation is that you're supposed to pay sales taxes, even for out-of-state purchases, but absolutely nobody does.

Aside from huge-ticket items like automobiles, where the taxes have to be paid to register with the DMV. A lot of people in New England shop in New Hampshire, to duck the sales taxes in their states.

Oh, I'm sure there's a few goobers out there who actually do dutifully send in their use tax. Maybe even more than 5!

This would make a great Onion article. "Man keeps track of all his online purchases and pays use taxes to his state" I wonder what kind of picture they'd pick for the guy in the article.

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