Amazon Prime Launches in Canada, Unlimited 2 Day Shipping for $79 Per Year

Amazon continues to expand its services to Canada. Back in December the company launched their Amazon Kindle Store here and today they have announced the launch of Amazon Prime for $79 per year. Customers part of Amazon Prime will receive unlimited two day shipping all year round (with no minimum purchase order), and is great for those who want their online shopping to arrive quickly.

Amazon Prime will be offered to most cities in Canada, but the company says customers in rural areas won’t be promised the two day guarantee. Some select areas will also get the option of upgrading to one day shipping for an additional $3.99 per item (time is money, right?).

Amazon Prime in Canada will lack Prime Instant Video and Kindle Books lending available to U.S. customers, notes Steve Oliver, the Canadian manager for Amazon.ca, to the Globe and Mail. Amazon Prime has been in the works for the past year:

We have been working on (it) over the last year and we’re very excited to launch,” said Mr. Oliver from the retail giant’s headquarters in Seattle.

Mr. Oliver says the company knows that consumers are not only looking for selection and value when shopping online, but convenience.

He said selection and price are important and the “other critical piece of convenience is knowing you can get products quickly and when you want them.”

The company has fulfillment facilities in Mississauga, Ontario, and recently opened its second in Delta, B.C.; the latter’s completion last fall allowed Amazon Prime to finally launch in Canada. The service will apply to millions of items available on Amazon.ca. For those that live near these fulfillment centres though, you’re already experiencing pretty fast shipping.

Amazon Prime has been available in the U.S. and six other countries for a while now. If you love shopping on Amazon.ca, guaranteed two day shipping on all your items is huge, but of course you’re going to pay for it. It works out to just under $7 per month to use the service.

Click here to learn more about the service on Amazon’s website–it comes with a one month free trial. Anyone signing up for this?