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Comment by maldusiecle | Hacker News Reader

This is actually my biggest problem with Prime: it feels like a bunch of substandard services, most of which I don't need, bundled together. If I'm not going to use free Kindle books or Twitch discounts (and I'm not), their value to me is $0. If Amazon Music doesn't have the songs I want to hear, and I have to keep paying for Spotify for those, then its value to me is $0. Prime's value is mostly free shipping, and it feels like the rest is just promotional fluff (maybe with the exception of Prime Video, which has some well-regarded original content).

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I used to feel this exact way, and I do still think there are more than a few of their services that are pretty paltry.

But with Prime video, not only do they have highly praised original content, they fill in gaps that Netflix and Hulu have, with content from the HBO catalog, as well as TV shows that Netflix doesn't carry.

Add to that, the shipping for me, while not perfect, any time I've done free same day shipping, it's there.

My only request would be that I would gladly trade some of my benefits (Amazon music for example, along with others) in exchange for some type of access to audible.com content.

It would be nice if you could configure these services a la carte, but I doubt that's in Amazon's financial interest.

I use Netflix all the time, every time I check Amazon video the landing page looks the same, no new shows or movies. In fact my video landing page has looked the same for a good 2 months now. I'm not sure if they haven't added anything new or they just suck at promoting the new additions...

I 100% agree! Every app of theirs show the same stuff. I can't tell yet if theyre copying Netflix on their initial landing page on a consistent basis, but I feel like they've let some aspect of discovery escape them.

Overall, I do love their library, but they could evangelize it in such a better way.

But it's all shades of gray. While you might like Prime Video - others may find it useless but enjoy the free Kindle books or Twitch discounts or other included offers.

Personally, I order enough things throughout a year that Prime pays for itself in shipping costs. Any additional items are just that to me. Nice to have, especially since I'm not being charged extra, but are not why I'm paying.

> Nice to have, especially since I'm not being charged extra, but are not why I'm paying.

That's not how it works. Just because you aren't being billed by line item, you are being charged more. Those services come at a cost to them, and instead of being amortized across the users that benefit, they're being amortized across all users.

Case in point: this price increase. I'm sure it factors into account the price of all those services you aren't using/didn't sign up for Amazon Prime for. But you're paying it anyway.

EDIT:

The best example of this is one of the biggest complaints about cable tv services: to get channel x, you have to purchase a bundle of 2000 other channels too, which "justifies" an insane price of $80 more a month or whatever just for that one channel. The rationale is "but you're getting 20001 channels, not one, for that price!" and that's exactly what you're seeing here.

Only true without grandfathered pricing or with actual price increases. I've paid the same price for Prime as when I first bought into it, even as additional items have been added for what I have been paying.

My example is more like:

I pay $80 for 200 channels.

2 years later I still pay $80 for 200 channels and 50 other channels that have been added.

3 years later I still pay $80 for 250 channels and 10 on-demand movies

4 years later I still pay $80 for 250 channels, 10 on-demand movies, and their new music channels

I've had Prime since day 1 and the price went from $75 or $79 to $100/year, so that isn't true (at least for me, in case it somehow is for you).

But in all cases, while your price for that channel hasn't increased, the market price for that channel has. Your son moves out and he can't get the package you're getting now on his own; you're an exception that doesn't have anything to do with the fact that - in general - this one service now costs that much more.

You're correct, I've only been a Prime customer for as long as it's been $99 annually, which was sometime in 2014 [0]. However, they've still added more to what Prime membership includes since that time so my statement remains true for myself.

>But in all cases, while your price for that channel hasn't increased, the market price for that channel has.

The only important factor for what I receive for what I'm paying is the price I'm paying. Other people's pricing is irrelevant. Other people's prices are not what I am paying and are not a factor in determining if I feel I am getting value for my money.

If I think Amazon Prime is worth $99/yr and not a cent more - then if they ever increase my pricing then I simply cancel my subscription and now they lose my $99/yr. If they grandfather me in since I've been paying $99/yr for years then they'll likely continue to receive my $99/yr as long as I feel the price is still justified for what I receive. If they begin removing things (eg: Prime no longer is 2 day shipping) then I cancel as I'd no longer be getting my money's worth.

I am not stating "forced bundles" are good - but just that I don't pay for Prime because of any of the extra bundled items and the price I have been paying for Prime has not increased even with additional items being added. Even if the price point was set some time in the past under the assumption of these items being added before they had ever been added - I had no knowledge of it and deemed $99/yr to be a fair price to pay at the time, so they are viewed as value adds even if they (technically) might not be.

[0] http://time.com/23172/amazon-prime-hikes-price-to-99/ (Amazon's official announcement is in the second sentence but is a lengthy URL with querystrings)

Yep, that's exactly my sentiment.

I signed up for Amazon Prime for a month trial, and it seems pointless.

There's no Amazon Netherlands, so ordering from Amazon Germany instead who do have a lot. Not everything is subject to free delivery with Prime though. They wrote next day delivery. It took them 3 days. I can already order a lot from Bol.com with free shipping from 20 EUR order, and free return S&H. I suppose this is where, internationally, there's going to be larger differences.

Already got Spotify, not switching.

Already got cable, Netflix, and HBO. Not gonna add another. Already can't consume all this.

Free ebooks, I got a Kobo w/o DRM.

Twitch I don't touch with a 10 pole feet. I use Steam primarily, and bought various games on sale but I don't have time for games.

If you're using two of these services though, and it'd mean you'd ditch the competitor, then Amazon Prime is already worth it.

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