Amazon Shakes Up Prices of Prime Pantry Delivery

Within a couple of months of raising the price of a Prime membership, Amazon has raised the price of a Prime Pantry delivery.

Shipping for a Prime Pantry order now costs $7.99 per order, no matter how big the order is. Previously, shipping for a Prime Pantry order cost $5.99, although the order size was capped at whatever would fit into a single Prime Pantry box.

One exception to the $7.99 delivery fee is for folks who purchase a Prime Pantry membership. More on that below. But first, let’s explain Prime Pantry.

What is Prime Pantry?

Access to Prime Pantry is one of the many benefits of an Amazon Prime membership.

Prime Pantry basically refers to a collection of thousands of products that are commonly carried by supermarkets or drugstores. You can scope out these items on Amazon's main Prime Pantry webpage. They even include some Whole Foods Market products now.

Here’s how Amazon explains Prime Pantry:

“Prime members in select regions can shop for groceries and household products in everyday sizes, such as a single box of cereal, with Prime Pantry. … With our wide selection you can choose between thousands of items available, including snacks, breakfast foods, beverages, beauty and personal care items, and household products and save a trip to the store.”

Amazon describes the costs of Prime Pantry items themselves as “low-priced.” The company also notes that Prime Pantry features deals, exclusive coupons and special promotions.

Prime Pantry products are shipped differently than other items sold on Amazon, though.

For example, they ship separately from other items, packed in large Prime Pantry boxes. They also ship via ground due to their size and weight, so delivery can take one to four business days, according to Amazon.

What is the Prime Pantry membership?

Amazon describes a Prime Pantry membership as a “supplemental membership,” as it’s a membership you must buy in addition to your Amazon Prime membership.

It’s effectively a new payment option — an alternative to the $7.99-per-order delivery fee. A Prime Pantry membership costs $4.99 a month, or $59.88 a year, and entitles you to free shipping for any Prime Pantry order that totals $40 or more.

So, if you place at least one Prime Pantry order of at least $40 every month, a Prime Pantry membership could save you at least $3 every month.

On the other hand, if you’re unsure whether you would order that often from Prime Pantry — or whether you would meet the $40 threshold each time — the membership may not save you money. Amazon notes: “All orders under $40 will incur a $7.99 delivery fee.”

Amazon offers a free 30-day Prime Panty membership trial, though. So, you can test it out risk-free, provided you cancel the membership before the trial ends if you decide you don’t want to pay for it.

To sign up for the free trial, visit the webpage about Prime Pantry and click the yellow button.

What’s your experience with Prime Pantry? Share with us below or on Facebook.