Amazon to offer new shipping options, mixed reception by sellers and customers

Amazon is redefining the concept of shipping again with the introduction of Sunday parcel delivery.

Amazon Prime members will now be able to order items from Amazon.com and have them delivered to their doorsteps on Sundays, a day most likely customers will be available at their homes. The new initiative, in cooperation with the US Parcel Service (USPS), is already available in New York City and Los Angeles and is planned to expand to St. Louis and southwestern Illinois on March 16th.The USPS announced the idea of Sunday shipping a year ago, to combat the growing amount of online orders.

"In some areas, we'll be delivering packages on Sunday starting soon, so that's a big innovation. It's going to happen soon.” Stated Post Master General Patrick Donahoe. Fast-forward 9 months later and it was found that Donahoe’s statement was linked to a conjoined project between Amazon and the USPS.

The notion of Sunday shipping has received mixed reviews from Amazon sellers, due to the premium feature not only being made available to Prime members, but also through certain sellers paying a premum to offer the option.

"The only thing I don't like is that the USPS isn't doing this for all businesses, just the ones that pay. Don't want to send a carrier out to pick up my packages, fine but at least let me drop off my already paid for packages from my website. All you would need is one worker to be there to take my package and scan the scan sheet," stated one Amazon seller.

Sellers offering the premium shipping option, free to Prime members, have been reported on increasing item prices to combine and conceal shipping costs. Claims such as these have not only been related to Sunday shipping, but have been related to Prime shipping all together. One Amazon customer, A. Cemal Ekin , has already filed a class action suit against the Ecommerce giant, claiming Amazon has coaxed sellers participating in its Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) program to up total prices to cover shipping costs.

Amazon Prime is an additional $79 yearly cost, and brings with among other incentives the ability to have free 2 day shipping, and now Sunday shipping, on selected items.

"Dr. Ekin and other Prime Program Members were harmed and deceived by Amazon's activity because they paid the $79 annual Prime Program membership fee solely for the benefit of free shipping. However, the prices of FBA items offered to them as Prime Program Members were routinely inflated to include shipping charges," stated Ekin’s lawsuit.

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