Amazon Will Now Sell You Even Cheaper Stuff—but You’ll Pay in Other Ways

Just ahead of Black Friday, Amazon launched a beta program called “Amazon Haul,” offering even cheaper prices for a platform already known for being one of the lowest-priced retailers. But, there’s a catch: while Amazon Haul products are all $20 or less, delivery could take up to two weeks.

Amazon Haul Is Serving Low Prices but Longer Shipping

Now rolling out in beta, Amazon Haul will present users in the US with a wide selection of products, all priced under $20. The inventory includes “fashion, home, lifestyle, electronics, and other products,” according to Amazon’s news site.

While Amazon Haul will be backed by the same A-to-z guarantee found throughout the rest of the platform, protecting buyers in cases of defective products, there is one key difference with Haul—shipping time. Haul items will be delivered in one to two weeks, regardless of whether you have Amazon Prime or not. That’s a bit different from the platform’s typical one to two days.

Haul is currently only available on mobile devices. To find it, open the Amazon app, or Amazon on your mobile browser, and search “haul.” As always, make sure your app is updated.

If you search “haul” on a desktop, Amazon will show you a QR code and direct you to your mobile device.

The prices are already as low as can be, but Amazon revealed a few potential discounts you can take advantage of with Amazon Haul:

If your order is under $25, you will have to pay $3.99 for delivery.

The Battle of Super Bargain Marketplaces

Look out Temu: Amazon is coming for the high-volume, low-price market. It will be interesting to see if Amazon Haul ends up facing criticism similar to the common user complaints about Temu, which include allegedly poor-quality products, users feeling catfished by items that don’t look like they did in the pictures, and so on. My guess is that Amazon Haul will earn the same reputation, but at those prices, who would be surprised?

The real question is whether this beta program will last on a platform like Amazon, which has completely transformed expectations around shipping. Will consumers be able to wait for two weeks for a chic pair of shades, knowing that they were only $5? Amazon might have dug its own grave with its speedy shipping, effectively annihilating American patience.