I can confirm, having desperately wanted to be able to do this, that UPS absolutely does not let you presign for packages, at least not without a paid membership.
Or rather, I think you maybe can if the package has been specifically flagged to require a signature, which I haven’t had in decades, but not if you, say, live in an apartment building and the driver wants a signature to deliver stuff.
Even Amazon have started to insist that I personally sign for booze, rather than dropping it at the concierge (who is of course over 18) like they do everything else (even when I’m in!). Presumably they’ve had the police complaining about underage purchases.
Amazon doesn’t even sell alcohol in the US, I don’t think? Certainly there are a bunch of restrictions on having it shipped to you from anywhere online depending on which state you live in, and it’s definitely an adult-only signature requirement, which is the single most restrictive category. Meanwhile, there’s a liquor store two blocks from me if I felt the need and I think the distance isn’t much further for almost anyone anywhere in my metro area. Go figure.
The UK seems pretty lax about this sort of thing, probably because you have to be over 18 (the drinking age) to get a credit card. I’ve never had anyone insist on it until the last couple of weeks, or even ask for any proof of age beyond a CC at the point of sale.
Does your liquor store deliver particular wines/beers you like every month, or as part of your online grocery shop?
In my state liquor stores, hard liquor, are state run. If it’s inventive, fun, online related or just inexpensive, we don’t have it. For Beer and Wine it’s just part of their regular services, including delivery… but they will check ID every time.
I don’t enjoy alcohol so I have never checked. I am guessing not. But my point was that I think all these arbitrary rules about shipping alcohol are silly when it’s not like it’s hard to get it just down the street a lot of places. And I think Minnesota has more restrictions than quite a few US states.
Prime Now sells and delivers alcohol locally. Here in Ohio we can only get beer and wine, but other places can get liquor.
Sounds like an interesting article, pity you need to subscribe & login to read it.
But someone didn’t do their homework, summary not the locked article, because this:
But there’s a big difference between buying from Amazon and buying from someplace else through Amazon.
May not always be true due to co-mingling.
I think they’re just referring to Amazon’s stance on liability.
Okay.
They’re talking about effectively policing third party sellers, and they don’t even mention one of their most controversial practices, one that has such a problem they don’t even allow it with specific items known for counterfeits. If a customer winds up with something banned, counterfeit or recalled, they cant’ even be certain that item actually came from that seller. It seems important to… know that.
Has anyone been having this issue lately where Amazon will automatically change the category to video games and a pop-up appears with Playstation 4 items?
It interrupts scrolling through items, where you have to go back to the search bar, remove the playstation 4 and continue. It’s annoying because it happens randomly about every 1-3 minutes.
With PlayStation 4, no. With other items, yeah the category will change automatically, and yes it is annoying.
I did the chat thing with support, all they said is “the engineers are working on it”, wouldn’t give me a timeframe but gave me $5 credit.
Heh, i wouldn’t hold my breath. That drop down changing by itself I think has been going on for years. Playstation specifically, not sure about that.
I was just thinking of this thread because I have noticed something not specifically done by Amazon but Amazon related.
Several times now I’ve gone to a book’s page and seen something like “33 new for $6.21,” but when you click the lowest price (price+shipping) is something like $21. Only when you click through to like page 7 do you find the “advertised” price, but with absurdly high shipping (e.g. $27) nestled in among the other higher prices books with the usual shipping cost.
Who benefits from this practice? Surely not the person listing their stuff which will probably never even be seen by most shoppers? Not Amazon, I assume? What is driving this?
Well you looked so someone is benefiting, probably not the one you mean.
Yeah for the third party stuff, sometimes I can’t even find that 6.21 anywhere, and it shows it. I have purchased a number of times from third party for books though, so not wholly opposed. I do Amazon these days because Barnes and Nobles third parties sent me library copies… without ever indicating that is what I was getting.
