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Prime is adding ads to their streaming service
(sh.itjust.works)
I think I might cancel. I'm not watching ads and I'm not going to pay the extra $3/mo to opt out. I don't know if I'd end up paying more than the subscription cost in shipping though....
Prime is SGD2.99/month in Singapore (~USD2.26). For that you get free next day (sometimes same day) shipping, Prime Video, Prime Gaming, access to buy Amazon Fresh groceries, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting. Singapore also has low import duty which means access to a lot of Amazon US products which also come with Prime shipping, albeit they usually take a week or two to deliver.
It’s very obviously predatory pricing and I assume one day it’ll go through the roof like it has in the US but it’s interesting that Amazon can do this, right?
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It’s unusual pricing as Singapore (rather notoriously) has a high cost of living and a lot of wealthy people kicking about. Usually digital service costs are comparable to US/European prices. There are a few other online shopping options (eg Lazada and Shoppee) that could be regarded as incumbents with likely higher market share, hence my suspicion on the predatory pricing, just as you say really.
Curious, where in Singapore do you live? Last time I tried Prime, it usually took a few days for them to ship my stuff, even with Prime listings that were fufilled by Amazon SG. To be fair, it was a year or so ago, so maybe things have changed, but I thought that next-day shipping was only a US thing 🤷♂️
I’ve lived on both the East and West sides and have always had next-day shipping regardless, at least since 2021 anyway. There have been a few items that have taken 2-3 days - particularly recently with the holidays - but that’s been the exception, not the rule. I’ve even seen same-day shipping for a few items recently but I think that’s charged.