How To Use Amazon Hub To Make Deliveries Easier

Almost like it was expertly planned, Amazon has launched its new Amazon Hub parcel pickup service. That means when you inevitably purchase an unreasonable amount of stuff during the holiday sales period, you know the Black Friday and Cyber Monday kind, you’ll have a few new options on how to retrieve them. Here’s how it works.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/09/amazon-blitzkrieg-all-the-new-gadgets-coming-to-australia/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/xnemi28yw27ihurp8vkm.jpg” title=”Amazon Blitzkrieg! All The New Gadgets Coming To Australia” excerpt=”Amazon announced it was releasing a bunch of products today, like smart ovens and AirPod competitors, because why the hell not? As expected, Australia won’t be receiving the full US lineup, but we will be able to get out hands on four of the products at launch. Here’s what we’re getting.”]

Wait, what is Amazon Hub?

Available from November 20, Amazon Hub is a new delivery or pickup service for anything you purchase on the service and it won’t cost anything extra. It comes in two forms — Locker and Counter — depending on your preference and what’s located most convenient for you. The Locker is a self-service kiosk, similar to ones you might’ve used with Australia Post, while the Counter is staffed by your local newsagent, store-owner or, strangely enough, bank branch.

The locker service originally launched in the United States back in 2011 so it’s been a long time coming.

How does Amazon Hub work?

Once you purchase something on Amazon, you’ll still be able to choose between Standard and Expedited but instead of delivering it to your home or work, you can select a Locker or Counter as your delivery address.

Once the parcel has been delivered to your chosen location, you’ll receive an e-mail notification with a unique barcode as well as a six-digit code. If you selected a Locker, you just have to rock up and scan the barcode or use the six-digit code. If it’s at a Counter, you’ll have to provide the staff with your barcode or six-digit code. They’ll then scan it, retrieve the parcel, and hand it to you.

For Lockers, you have three days to collect parcels whereas Counter deliveries give you more leeway with 14 days. The main difference will probably come down to opening hours for many with Lockers being open earlier and closing later compared with a bank or newsagent Counter location. Some Lockers are even opened 24 hours a day.

Are there any restrictions with deliveries to Amazon Hub options?

Interestingly, yes. Anything age-restricted, sold by third-party sellers as well as hazardous materials cannot be delivered to Lockers but everything else will also have to fit within the Lockers’ dimensions. That means no fridges or TVs, in case you weren’t sure.

In terms of Counters, the size restriction isn’t specified as it will depend on the pickup locations capacity. Here’s what Amazon specifies:

Lockers

What kind of items can be delivered to an Amazon Locker?

Items dispatched by Amazon are eligible for delivery to an Amazon Locker. This includes Marketplace items that are Fulfilled by Amazon (usually items from Amazon Merchants or Warehouse Deals). Currently, Lockers can accept parcels up to 42cm x 35cm x 32cm in dimension, with a maximum weight of 4.5kg.

What kind of items can not be delivered to an Amazon Locker?

Items sold by third-party Sellers, age restricted and hazardous material items aren’t eligible for delivery to an Amazon Locker.

Counters

What kind of items can be delivered to an Amazon Counter location?

Items dispatched by Amazon are eligible for delivery to a Counter. This includes Marketplace items that are Fulfilled by Amazon (usually items from Amazon Merchants or Warehouse Deals).

What kind of items cannot be delivered to a Counter location?

Items sold by third-party Sellers, age restricted and hazardous material items aren’t eligible for delivery via Counter. If the combined size, weight or dimensions of your parcel exceeds the size restrictions of your selected pickup location, you’ll need to remove items or select a different delivery address to proceed with your order.

Are there any Amazon Lockers or Counters near me?

There more than 100 lockers already available around the country with “hundreds” more due by the end of the year, according to Amazon. It also says there’ll be thousands installed during 2020 so prepare for the Amazon locker apocalypse.

Right now, Lockers are concentrated in the major cities as well as “dozens of Commonwealth Bank of Australia branches, Victorian Authorised Newsagents Association (VANA) locations, and Stockland Shopping Centres.”

For example, there are already a number of Lockers available in Sydney.

You can check for yourself if there’s one in your area by using Amazon’s pickup location locator.

[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2019/09/amazon-blitzkrieg-all-the-new-gadgets-coming-to-australia/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/t_ku-large/xnemi28yw27ihurp8vkm.jpg” title=”Amazon Blitzkrieg! All The New Gadgets Coming To Australia” excerpt=”Amazon announced it was releasing a bunch of products today, like smart ovens and AirPod competitors, because why the hell not? As expected, Australia won’t be receiving the full US lineup, but we will be able to get out hands on four of the products at launch. Here’s what we’re getting.”]