Amazon Tests Charging Non-Prime Members $35 Minimum for Free Shipping
Amazon is requiring some non-Prime customers to order more if they want free shipping.
For years, the company has required non-Prime users to spend at least $25 on their orders to receive free shipping. But some users are now seeing that threshold jump to $35, according to EcommerceBytes, which says Amazon is testing this "randomly by ZIP code-grouped region."
One user on Reddit noticed Amazon implementing the change on Aug. 8. “I just suddenly noticed it so idk [I don’t know] how long it was there,” the user wrote. “Amazon is sneaky trying to make me order more for them to pay less for shipping.”
Others have posted on Twitter with screenshots showing the $35 amount, while asking: “When did the minimum for free shipping on Amazon go from $25 to $35?”
So far, Amazon has only said it’s testing raising the minimum free shipping threshold to $35. But the company didn’t say when the change was implemented or where.
“We continually evaluate our offerings and make adjustments based on those assessments,” Amazon says. “We’re currently testing a $35 minimum for non-Prime customers to qualify for free shipping. Prime members continue to enjoy free delivery on over 300 million items, with tens of millions of items available for free Same or One-Day Delivery.”
Amazon has tested increasing the free shipping threshold in prior years. It raised it to $35 in 2013 and then $49 in 2016 before dropping it back to $25 in 2017. Now it looks like the company is considering bringing the amount back to $35, or what Walmart and Target also require for free shipping (unless you subscribe to Walmart+).
The higher threshold could be an attempt to push more users to subscribe to Amazon Prime, which currently costs $139 per year and offers free
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