Amazon is Testing a Higher Free Shipping Minimum Order Value for Non-Prime Members

Amazon has begun testing a higher minimum order value for non-Prime members to get free shipping, which has been set at $25 since 2017.

Amazon Has Previously Made the Free Shipping Minimum Order Value Both Higher and Lower

As stated above, the minimum order amount for non-Prime members to receive free shipping has been set at $25 since 2017. However, the company raised it and lowered this threshold in the years prior. The price started at $25 before the company raised it to $35 in 2013. Amazon raised it again to $49 in 2016, then lowered it to $35 not long after. Finally, the company settled on $25.

Regarding the testing, an Amazon spokesperson said the following:

“We continually evaluate our offerings and make adjustments based on those assessments. 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.”

The $35 free shipping threshold hasn’t rolled out to all non-Prime accounts yet, and the company is reportedly testing it in random regions grouped by ZIP Codes. Non-Prime Amazon users will have to log in to their Amazon account and check the sidebar status near an item’s price to see which price their minimum order value is currently set to.

Prime subscribers have to meet a minimum order value to receive same-day delivery. That order value is currently still set to $25.

A Broader View of Amazon Prime Membership

Amazon’s upcoming price hike for non-Prime members to enjoy free shipping may lead to more people signing up for the company’s Prime membership. Prime costs $139 per year and removes any minimum order amounts on items that qualify for free two-day shipping. As a result, the eCommerce giant will add more to its bottom line by boosting subscription revenue.

Amazon has laid off about 27,000 workers so far in 2023, echoing the trend of layoffs imposed by many tech companies since 2022.  The company announced that it currently has 200 million Prime members worldwide. That user base has doubled since early 2018, going from 100 million to over 200 million subscribers who pay for this service.