Amazon Add-On Items

I'm a regular shopper at Amazon.com. The selection of items is truly amazing, and they are very quick to ship orders. I even spent $75 to get a Prime membership so I could get free two day shipping, even on small orders.

Amazon recently announced a new "Add-on" program. The help file explains that items marked as an add-on are too cost-prohibitive to ship on their own. So you must purchase a minimum of $25 of other merchandise in order to be allowed to purchase the add-on item.

I smell something fishy....

These are called "tub tattoos". They are non-slip decals for your tub. The clown fish variety above is an add-on item. They cost $5.99 for a package of five. There are many different styles to choose from, including these turtles:

The turtles are made by the same manufacturer and offered for the same price. But they are not an add-on item. How can these be cost-effective to ship on their own, when the clown fish are not?

What's really puzzling is there is no option to purchase an add-on item, except to buy $25 of other merchandise. Some customers on the Amazon forums said they even contacted Amazon and offered to pay extra shipping charges to purchase an add-on item by itself. Amazon still said no.

For this to come from a company like Amazon, who is well known for making smart business decisions, is a real head scratcher. My prime membership is up for renewal in another month. If I keep running into these add-on items, I doubt I'll be renewing it!