So true, and I send stuff all the time directly from Amazon to people in my family.  If a b-day comes up, BAM ! , Amazon ships it directly to them !  Great deal .  I know some people on Ebay do nothing more than buy a Prime Membership, auction items, and have it sent to the buyer.  They charge big time for shipping, too ( a lot more than it would take to recoup ^(sp?) the Prime's cost)!!  Selling something before you even have it on hand/in stock must be the way to go, huh?  I've never done this myself, as I am not too much of an Ebay seller (I am a pretty good Ebay buyer, though  ) , but I know of others doing it.

The costs associated with shipping add up in a hurry.  One time Amazon had some clear, air tight, roll-around containers on sale.  They are each about 5 gallon containers, and perfect for cat food or general storage.  They were on sale for about $6 each, and with free, 2 day shipping, the deal was unbeatable!  (I got 6 of them!! )

2 years ago we lost everything we owned in a middle-of-the-night house fire.  Absolutely ~nothing survived, as the house was pier & beam, and eventually burned from above and below.  We had to completely start over.  Needless to say, we got our "money's worth" on Amazon Prime's membership dues.  No telling how many items we ordered during the first 6 months after losing our home.  No telling how much we saved in shipping, but I do know that it would have been many, many times over the [circa ~$70] annual membership fee.