11-29-2021, 02:29 PM
It’s partly that they can’t advertise something is free if a cheaper option without it exists. And so with no cheaper option available to the customer it’s rarely an issue. You’re still paying for delivery, although not as much as you think because they’re contracting with people who aren’t charging HD on a per-item basis or if they are, HD is compensating them enough to make it worth the effort. And then just rolling that cost back into revenue offsets elsewhere.
Where it becomes super annoying (for me) is when a seller advertises free shipping but the product is advertised elsewhere for less, and shipping brings price parity up TO the “free shipping” vendor. Amazon’s Prime tier is grossly guilty of this. eBay sellers who similarly include shipping where they total just so happens to be similar to other non-free-shipping vendors do the same thing.
Where it becomes super annoying (for me) is when a seller advertises free shipping but the product is advertised elsewhere for less, and shipping brings price parity up TO the “free shipping” vendor. Amazon’s Prime tier is grossly guilty of this. eBay sellers who similarly include shipping where they total just so happens to be similar to other non-free-shipping vendors do the same thing.