Amazon Haul: 4 Things To Know Before You Shop – Technologist

If you want to find low prices on an array of goods, Amazon is not normally the place you would shop.

“Most of the time, Amazon’s not cheap anymore,” money expert Clark Howard says. “It’s about convenience. So if you’re about the lowest price, Amazon ain’t it most of the time.”

Well, Amazon wants to change that. The retailer recently announced Amazon Haul, a shopping experience that gives U.S. customers affordable prices across a broad range of items such as electronics, fashion, home, lifestyle and more.

Introducing Amazon Haul, a Low-Priced Alternative

In this article, I’ll tell you everything you need to know about Amazon Haul. I tried out Amazon Haul to see if the prices were as low as they say. Read on to see my conclusion.

1. What Is Amazon Haul?

Amazon Haul is Amazon’s new app and foray into low-priced options.

According to an Amazon news release, “Amazon Haul offers a wide selection of products—all priced $20 and under—backed by Amazon’s A-to-z Guarantee, which protects customers when they buy in our store whether they are sold by Amazon or one of our selling partners.”

2. When and Where Is Amazon Haul Available?

Amazon Haul is now available to U.S. shoppers as a mobile-only experience in the Amazon app (Android and iOS) via searching “Haul” in the search bar or by tapping it in the menu.

I tried both methods and was able to find Amazon Haul very easily.

The company says it is now rolling out in beta and is “available to U.S. customers when they next update their Amazon Shopping app.”

When I opened my Amazon app, “Haul” was front and center in my menu. When I clicked on it, it showed me all the deals.

3. What Are Some Features of Amazon Haul?

Amazon Haul, which has its own search, art and checkout experience, includes several features that savvy shoppers may be interested in:

Items Priced $20 and Below

You’ll find that all items in Amazon Haul are priced at $20 or less – and many go for $10 and under. Like ultra-low price competitors Shein and Temu (that have some ethical issues), Amazon Haul shows you items at bargain basement prices. On the app, I saw things for $2.19, $2.99 and $5.99.

Pricing Discounts 

When you add items in a single order, Amazon says you become eligible for pricing discounts such as 5% off orders $50 and over, and 10% off orders $75 or more. You also get free shipping on orders above $25.

Free Returns

With Amazon Haul, customers can return items priced over $3 for free within 15 days of delivery. According to the news release, consumers can return items at more than 8,000 drop-off locations across the U.S., including Amazon Lockers, Whole Foods stores, UPS and Staples.

Delivery Times

Amazon Haul customers can expect delivery on their items in either one or two weeks, which is not as fast as you may be accustomed to receiving Amazon items. Meanwhile, Prime members will still enjoy same-day and one-day delivery on millions of items, says the retailer.

4. What Are Some Cheaply Priced Items on Amazon Haul?

Looking around Amazon Haul, there are several categories to find cheap stuff, including Men, Women, Jewelry, Home, Beauty, Electronics, Office, Crafts and more. At the bottom of the app, you’ll find a navigation bar that shows “Crazy Low” deals.

When I tapped the “Crazy Low” button, I saw deals such as a polyester linen throw pillow for $2.99, a women’s elastic waist buckle for $1.99 and a 100-piece acrylic nail drill bit set for $2.99.

In the Electronics category, I saw numerous iPhone cases, cell phone stands and car phone holders — but not one iPhone charger, which is what I was shopping for.

Also on Amazon Haul, I found small items like these basketball nets, but they were cheaper on Walmart.com.

I did buy a shirt for $13.99 on Amazon Haul. With all the fees, the total was nearly $20. I even used my Amazon Prime Visa card to get 5% cash back. Check out our best cash back credit cards.

Conclusion

After searching through all the categories and even hitting the purchase button, I can say that Amazon’s low-price option, Amazon Haul, is a legitimate alternative to the other discount marketplaces out there. Because of the added discounts, Amazon Haul might even make Prime worth it.

Yes, Amazon haul has tons of cheap items, but not some of the merchandise you’d expect. For example, I couldn’t find cell phone chargers or pots and pans.

Some of the sellers listed items that said, “Final Sale — No Returns,” while others were labeled as “Free Returns.” So if you purchase an item on Amazon Haul, remember to check the return policy of the particular seller.

As always, only buy from sellers that are highly rated and make sure you read the reviews. Amazon is full of fake reviews so you might want to read our guide on deciphering fake Amazon reviews to make sure you’re reading product feedback from verified purchasers.

Want more ways to buy things for less? Read our in-depth guide on how to save on Amazon.

The post Amazon Haul: 4 Things To Know Before You Shop appeared first on Clark Howard.