Amazon Pantry?

georgewickstaff

Hi all
I'm new to the world of Amazon Prime and I was just struck how cheap things like Washing Powder, Dishwasher tablets and cereal were!  I thought that I could get a free delivery to my RoI address but of course all the items I chose could not be shipped to my Irish address.
I use parcel motel a lot but it would be a disaster if the 5 items came in 5 boxes (which Amazon have form for).
Do any of you guys use Pantry? Any hints and tips? Workarounds?  
Many thanks

seamus

The whole purpose of pantry is to let you buy one-off stuff online like a box of washing powder or dishwasher tablets rather than having to buy a crate of it.

Basically you pay the same shipping whether you're shipping one item or ten items - they stick them all in the same box.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/pantry/info/

There's no way they'll ship five items in five boxes; that costs them money.

Your only problem shipping to Ireland is that you've got £3 for the shipping, plus €3.50 for parcel motel - which will probably erase any savings over shopping locally.

Also PM may reject the boxes if they believe the box contains items on their prohibited list.

georgewickstaff

I wonder would the Pantry box fit in Parcel Motel locker.. just thinking out loud!

Yggr of Asgard

I do quite often use Pantry with DPD Parcelwizard (as they do home delivery and have a larger box size allowance). I usually shop a full box and that box won't fit into any Parcelmotel, which is why I use DPD. DPD never had a problem with the size, especially as the box is maximum 20 kg (at which point Amazon shows you it's a 2nd parcel).

Pantry usually delivers your goods in the amount of parcels they show you during the order. If you order you can see that it fills a virtual box in the top right corner and tells you how much space you have left. If it says 1 box than you usually get 1 box, if it says 2, than you get 2. There has so far only ever been 1 incident in which something got split but that was because it transpired that the weight configuration was wrong for the item.

Even with the 2.99£ Amazon charge and the 3.95€ for DPD there are substantial savings to be made if you compare and shop carefully.

As a tip, I however would not shop liquids as that is a.) against the T&C of DPD and b.) in case there is breakage it's a nightmare to sort out.

Also pantry is not next day to NI, they often say 2 days but during busy periods and depending on which courier Amazon used to NI it can take 3 days to reach NI.

sunbeam

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

As a tip, I however would not shop liquids as that is a.) against the T&C of DPD and b.) in case there is breakage it's a nightmare to sort out.

Hi, I'm just wondering has DPD Parcel Wizard ever refused to deliver any order of yours that contained liquids? I was about to order some salon sizes of shampoos/conditioners to be delivered by them until I saw your post.

Yggr of Asgard

sunbeam wrote: »

Hi, I'm just wondering has DPD Parcel Wizard ever refused to deliver any order of yours that contained liquids? I was about to order some salon sizes of shampoos/conditioners to be delivered by them until I saw your post.

No, but in the one case where there was a damaged package it contained liquids. DPD called and offered to deliver it damaged as it is or to discard it giving that it is a technically a bio hazard if the washing liquid did run out into the package and damaged the goods.

In the end Amazon did do a refund for it (initially still demanding the goods back but that was quickly taken off once I called it a bio hazard), but in principle DPD did not need to pay for the damage even if did happen during their end of the transport and I would have been out of pocket for it.

I still have liquids in my order, but I never mix them with other stuff as sometimes the packaging skills of the amazon workers are not the best.

So as long as you accept the risk that in case of damage you will need to sort it out with Amazon you should be fine.

huddlejonny

Yggr of Asgard wrote: »

No, but in the one case where there was a damaged package it contained liquids. DPD called and offered to deliver it damaged as it is or to discard it giving that it is a technically a bio hazard if the washing liquid did run out into the package and damaged the goods.

In the end Amazon did do a refund for it (initially still demanding the goods back but that was quickly taken off once I called it a bio hazard), but in principle DPD did not need to pay for the damage even if did happen during their end of the transport and I would have been out of pocket for it.

I still have liquids in my order, but I never mix them with other stuff as sometimes the packaging skills of the amazon workers are not the best.

So as long as you accept the risk that in case of damage you will need to sort it out with Amazon you should be fine.

What about beer or fizzy drinks? You could fill 1 box but would DPD have an issue delivering? I presume Amazon would have their usual packaging on the box.

MuddyDog

How are these boxes packaged generally? If there is a bunch of crisps and say shampoos and a bottle of whisky are they just thrown in together and potentially the glass bottle could break or are they more carefully packed?

Radharc na Sleibhte

I just ordered from pantry:
1 x 900ml shampoo
1 x 900ml conditioner
1 x large toblerone
2 x oral b toothpaste
2 x SMA toddler tubs
1 x 12 Heineken beer
1 x 12 Sol beer
All for €35 yip EURO!
Whether it all arrives or not now we shall see. I use DPD Parcel Wizard.

I have got liquids off dpd numerous times in the form of alcohol and washing liquid and shampoo. Never ordered 24 bottles of beer before though.....

Dantian

Hi Folks,

Just to check, is the€3.85 from the Virtual Address to your selected address in Ireland a flat rate?

I've just moved down and I dont want to lose my pantry orders!

nava

Dantian wrote: »

Hi Folks,

Just to check, is the€3.85 from the Virtual Address to your selected address in Ireland a flat rate?

I've just moved down and I dont want to lose my pantry orders!

Yes it's flat rate, for the size of the boxes from Amazon it should be only the €3.85, some exceptions if the item is quite big they charge an oversize rate, but never heard of anyone been charge for oversize with parcel wizard.

aflossj

Radharc na Sleibhte wrote: »

I just ordered from pantry:
1 x 900ml shampoo
1 x 900ml conditioner
1 x large toblerone
2 x oral b toothpaste
2 x SMA toddler tubs
1 x 12 Heineken beer
1 x 12 Sol beer
All for €35 yip EURO!
Whether it all arrives or not now we shall see. I use DPD Parcel Wizard.

I have got liquids off dpd numerous times in the form of alcohol and washing liquid and shampoo. Never ordered 24 bottles of beer before though.....

Any problems with the bottles of beer?

Davy

MuddyDog wrote: »

How are these boxes packaged generally? If there is a bunch of crisps and say shampoos and a bottle of whisky are they just thrown in together and potentially the glass bottle could break or are they more carefully packed?

Packed fairly well with air bags but everything is in one box. The boxes are usually a stronger quality than normal deliveries.

I'm sure Amazon will replace anything that is damaged without issue.

The Ayatolla

Just had a glance at the Pantry prices, I imagine ordering with a Revolut card to get a good rate on sterling would mean you save a fair bit compared to local super markets?

Yggr of Asgard

The Ayatolla wrote: »

Just had a glance at the Pantry prices, I imagine ordering with a Revolut card to get a good rate on sterling would mean you save a fair bit compared to local super markets?

Yes for some items you can save significantly.

But the prices on Pantry for an item can change quite drastically during a day, so you need to make sure you order what you want in one go.

There are some great bargains available if you shop around, but some things are more expensive.

I love Pantry, the only issue is that the packers are not always the best, so try avoiding mixing liquids with other stuff, that is just dangerous.

ED E

FWIW I used to use S&S and on the first order everything was individually packed with subsequent orders in a single box. If using PM that would have been 5 charges.

The Ayatolla

I use subscribe & save at the moment. Everything comes in a separate box. Painful enough. And a waste of carrier charges and boxes for Amazon.