Amazon has scrapped free delivery on some products worth less than £10 in a sign that it may finally be focusing on improving profitability.
The change, which begins with immediate effect, means items which would have been accessible through its supersaver delivery, which takes up to five days to arrive, will now carry a postage and packaging charge of £3.99.
However, the new threshold will not apply to books, DVDs, music, video games and software products.
Amazon said the move would “affect only a very small proportion of orders”.
The etailer, which achieves about £3bn a year in UK sales, said multiple orders worth less than £10 could still be delivered free if they included a qualifying product, such as a DVD or book.
Amazon has focused on growing revenue rather than profits which has enabled it to build market share while earnings remain comparatively small. It introduced free delivery in 2009.
The introduction of a threshold will allow Amazon to offer “a significantly expanded selection of lower priced products,” it said.
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