Delivering with Amazon Flex
Discussion
I see from a Google search that Amazon Flex has been mentioned on here in the past so I thought I'd post my experience having completed my first block of deliveries yesterday.
Backstory is that I run my own business (from home), things have slowed down, got bills to pay of course. I registered with Amazon Flex via the app, went through and completed all the tasks then it's up to their background check partner to do their bit before you're almost ready to go. After more than the ten days had passed, I called up three times over a week to see what was going on and got different responses. Turns out from the last guy I spoke to that I was due to be sent a link by that background check firm, which I eventually received, and had to then do all the ID, address history etc with them too, which isn't made clear in my opinion when you're doing it all the first time for Amazon.
That all gets approved a week later (this is a couple of weeks ago now) and it's time to complete the last bit... insurance! As my current provider (Axa) doesn't cover delivery or hire/reward driving (although I think some main players do, I've since found out) - I went with one of Amazon's partners/own firms - Zego. This is the eye-watering bit. Not only did the Axa cancellation cost me £52 (three months before the anniversary and also a forfeit of the year's no claims), the Zego premium (domestic, social and Amazon) is £183 *per month*, based on 8,000 personal and 4,000 Amazon miles a year. This is for a 2018 Golf 1.5T - the Axa premium for the year I've just cancelled was around £330.
I'm all ready to go and it's time to pick a "block". This is the bit where I learn that there are no regional pickup points, but as a Flex driver you're going to big warehouses in cities or at Morrisons that seem to be in close proximity to these warehouses. This is where Flex could be a winner for some people - if you live within 15 minutes of one of the warehouses. The first block I selected for yesterday's delivery was at my second-closest warehouse - 40 miles away
. Being a newbie that was a good 70 minutes I left for the journey and the arrival 15 mins before the slot begins.
Arrived at the warehouse, which had a really off-peak vibe (which surprised me - I assumed Amazon would always feel like a peak-time operation with people coming and going). The staff were really nice, wished me a good first go and were helpful when I asked for assistance. You can watch the "training" videos on the app as much as you like but doesn't quite prepare you for the "first time". I got given a high-vis vest and two bottles of water (my first thought being "you don't even get this on BA!").
After about 15 minutes waiting, I drive up to "my" crate. I had booked a 3.5 hour block, the lady helping me with what to do says it looks like one that can be completed in two hours (I think "yeh right ok") and tells me what to scan and when and leaves me to it to load up the car. All in all I had 42 parcels which took me to about 18/20 different (urban) addresses in the same city. I had two drops that were in two/three storey blocks which is quite annoying when you're going up to doors looking for the correct flat numbers etc but I'd say out of the 18/20 addresses, it was about 50/50 in terms of handing to someone v letterbox drops. I managed to complete the job in about 1h45 which was a surprise but I had a sense of relief that I'd broken the back of it and would now be familiar with the system for the next block - booked last night for this afternoon - at my closest warehouse.
If you consider Amazon Flex as an additional job it could work well. I am surprised there don't seem to be any morning slots (in my area, that I have seen on the app yet) and judging by my first block, I think Flex acts as a clean up operation for deliveries that were not able to be made by a bigger van the same or previous day. The more blocks I do I guess I'll find this out and whether I'll only ever be doing urban drops.
The pay is minimal at best when you consider wear and tear and fuel on top of the insurance. It's hard to discount the travel to and from home but if you do then my hourly rate for yesterday's block was about £27.
Backstory is that I run my own business (from home), things have slowed down, got bills to pay of course. I registered with Amazon Flex via the app, went through and completed all the tasks then it's up to their background check partner to do their bit before you're almost ready to go. After more than the ten days had passed, I called up three times over a week to see what was going on and got different responses. Turns out from the last guy I spoke to that I was due to be sent a link by that background check firm, which I eventually received, and had to then do all the ID, address history etc with them too, which isn't made clear in my opinion when you're doing it all the first time for Amazon.
That all gets approved a week later (this is a couple of weeks ago now) and it's time to complete the last bit... insurance! As my current provider (Axa) doesn't cover delivery or hire/reward driving (although I think some main players do, I've since found out) - I went with one of Amazon's partners/own firms - Zego. This is the eye-watering bit. Not only did the Axa cancellation cost me £52 (three months before the anniversary and also a forfeit of the year's no claims), the Zego premium (domestic, social and Amazon) is £183 *per month*, based on 8,000 personal and 4,000 Amazon miles a year. This is for a 2018 Golf 1.5T - the Axa premium for the year I've just cancelled was around £330.
I'm all ready to go and it's time to pick a "block". This is the bit where I learn that there are no regional pickup points, but as a Flex driver you're going to big warehouses in cities or at Morrisons that seem to be in close proximity to these warehouses. This is where Flex could be a winner for some people - if you live within 15 minutes of one of the warehouses. The first block I selected for yesterday's delivery was at my second-closest warehouse - 40 miles away
. Being a newbie that was a good 70 minutes I left for the journey and the arrival 15 mins before the slot begins.Arrived at the warehouse, which had a really off-peak vibe (which surprised me - I assumed Amazon would always feel like a peak-time operation with people coming and going). The staff were really nice, wished me a good first go and were helpful when I asked for assistance. You can watch the "training" videos on the app as much as you like but doesn't quite prepare you for the "first time". I got given a high-vis vest and two bottles of water (my first thought being "you don't even get this on BA!").
After about 15 minutes waiting, I drive up to "my" crate. I had booked a 3.5 hour block, the lady helping me with what to do says it looks like one that can be completed in two hours (I think "yeh right ok") and tells me what to scan and when and leaves me to it to load up the car. All in all I had 42 parcels which took me to about 18/20 different (urban) addresses in the same city. I had two drops that were in two/three storey blocks which is quite annoying when you're going up to doors looking for the correct flat numbers etc but I'd say out of the 18/20 addresses, it was about 50/50 in terms of handing to someone v letterbox drops. I managed to complete the job in about 1h45 which was a surprise but I had a sense of relief that I'd broken the back of it and would now be familiar with the system for the next block - booked last night for this afternoon - at my closest warehouse.
If you consider Amazon Flex as an additional job it could work well. I am surprised there don't seem to be any morning slots (in my area, that I have seen on the app yet) and judging by my first block, I think Flex acts as a clean up operation for deliveries that were not able to be made by a bigger van the same or previous day. The more blocks I do I guess I'll find this out and whether I'll only ever be doing urban drops.
The pay is minimal at best when you consider wear and tear and fuel on top of the insurance. It's hard to discount the travel to and from home but if you do then my hourly rate for yesterday's block was about £27.
On the subject of insurance, I'm sure I saw a Youtube video of some chap doing deliveries and using a service where you paid hourly for delivery insurance on top of your normal insurance which worked out cheaper than getting an annual policy if you were a part timer.
I think it even linked in with the delivery apps so you didn't even have to let them know your working hours.
I think it even linked in with the delivery apps so you didn't even have to let them know your working hours.
Thanks for that - I'm going to have a look at other options before the end of the month. I'm a bit twitchy at the thought of Zego covering me for social & domestic use in the event I need to contact them!
It's been a busy time. I booked a last minute Sunday afternoon block which turned out OK as it was sunny. After having done six or so blocks now, I can say that there are pros and cons to each location. Sunday's was rural, which was a good change, but wear and tear on the car feels higher and having three half-mile driveways in one shift starts to become tiresome!
My most recent delivery day was busy - I finished my morning block (first one I've done) an hour early (semi-urban) so when I had five or six packages left to deliver on that one, I pulled over and checked the app for an afternoon block. I found and booked one at the depot closer to home than I was, so I was able to get some of the commute done off-peak around lunchtime. That afternoon's block turned out to be a regional town, and whilst it was even closer to home (bonus) it was quite tiresome and I felt the app was poor this time around because a) I spent ten minutes with it not loading (you cannot deliver a parcel if you cannot tell the app you've delivered it to carry on with the next) and b) parking was a chore. As a result, for my last handful of packages, knowing they'd likely be all grouped together, I parked up, paid on Ringo and walked my last four deliveries (six parcels I think it was), which eased the mind a little!
I've got an AM and PM slot booked tomorrow (looks v rainy!) and this morning booked a slot for this afternoon, so will see how it goes.
It's been a busy time. I booked a last minute Sunday afternoon block which turned out OK as it was sunny. After having done six or so blocks now, I can say that there are pros and cons to each location. Sunday's was rural, which was a good change, but wear and tear on the car feels higher and having three half-mile driveways in one shift starts to become tiresome!
My most recent delivery day was busy - I finished my morning block (first one I've done) an hour early (semi-urban) so when I had five or six packages left to deliver on that one, I pulled over and checked the app for an afternoon block. I found and booked one at the depot closer to home than I was, so I was able to get some of the commute done off-peak around lunchtime. That afternoon's block turned out to be a regional town, and whilst it was even closer to home (bonus) it was quite tiresome and I felt the app was poor this time around because a) I spent ten minutes with it not loading (you cannot deliver a parcel if you cannot tell the app you've delivered it to carry on with the next) and b) parking was a chore. As a result, for my last handful of packages, knowing they'd likely be all grouped together, I parked up, paid on Ringo and walked my last four deliveries (six parcels I think it was), which eased the mind a little!
I've got an AM and PM slot booked tomorrow (looks v rainy!) and this morning booked a slot for this afternoon, so will see how it goes.
if you are self employed op you should keep recpts for parking, fuel, car repairs and any other expenses and look at writing those off with HMRC, You may be able to look into and deal with this yourself rather than pay an accountant.
I'm not sure if flex is employed or self employed.
If employed then remember there should be holiday and possibly sick pay.
£27 per hour sounds ok. But with too few hours and your high expenses it's pitiful.
All you need is a breakdown, puncture or accident and you are fkd.
Sounds like modern day slavery to me.
I'm not sure if flex is employed or self employed.
If employed then remember there should be holiday and possibly sick pay.
£27 per hour sounds ok. But with too few hours and your high expenses it's pitiful.
All you need is a breakdown, puncture or accident and you are fkd.
Sounds like modern day slavery to me.
loskie said:
...
All you need is a breakdown, puncture or accident and you are fkd. ....
Indeed. It would be interesting to work out the average daily mileage you rack up doing such jobs, then you can work out a car running costs budget over and above what it just costs you for owning the car for personal use.All you need is a breakdown, puncture or accident and you are fkd. ....
I suspect Flex is a good option for an very part time side hustle where you want a few hours here and there, rather than a regular gig.
Thanks for the replies - glad the subject is of interest!
I am self-employed, no sick pay, no rights at all haha. The insurance, petrol, wear and tear is all on me. It's the Golf's MOT time in Jan so yes, keeping fingers crossed for no surprises.
Some figures:
Two weeks' ago today I started.
Miles covered - 770
"Blocks" / shifts worked - 10
Total hours of those blocks - 34
Total pay - £597
Being very approximate, let's say that's three tanks of petrol at £60 a go £180. Which then is the same as this month's insurance (as per previous post) £180
I'm not including tax as the car was already taxed prior to starting this but it's a good job I'm doing this principally to get out of the house as the "take home" currently stands at £237, which, if I am to have a wear & tear slush fund, equates to SFA!
On the plus side, bear in mind I've always finished a block at least 15 minutes early and on two occasions I've finished 60/70 minutes early. Every little helps
Running my own business, I can answer calls/emails on/in-between shifts, which is good.
I am self-employed, no sick pay, no rights at all haha. The insurance, petrol, wear and tear is all on me. It's the Golf's MOT time in Jan so yes, keeping fingers crossed for no surprises.
Some figures:
Two weeks' ago today I started.
Miles covered - 770
"Blocks" / shifts worked - 10
Total hours of those blocks - 34
Total pay - £597
Being very approximate, let's say that's three tanks of petrol at £60 a go £180. Which then is the same as this month's insurance (as per previous post) £180
I'm not including tax as the car was already taxed prior to starting this but it's a good job I'm doing this principally to get out of the house as the "take home" currently stands at £237, which, if I am to have a wear & tear slush fund, equates to SFA!
On the plus side, bear in mind I've always finished a block at least 15 minutes early and on two occasions I've finished 60/70 minutes early. Every little helps
Running my own business, I can answer calls/emails on/in-between shifts, which is good.
Flex routes are normally routes dropped by a service partner or excess volume that can be accommodated by the service provider or late line haul
you will see people waiting outside as there waiting for the surge routes to come out the extra £20 per route soon adds up
Amazon for 8 years - 5 within operations before moving to corporate
you will see people waiting outside as there waiting for the surge routes to come out the extra £20 per route soon adds up
Amazon for 8 years - 5 within operations before moving to corporate
Since I wrote my last post, which is the first time I did the sums as I was exactly two weeks in, I've been looking for different work
The Golf's MOT is due in Jan and I just know (well, I don't really, I just reckon) that there's going to be a sharp intake of breath when I pick it up from the garage! I'll see. I just need to put it through a car wash though as it's looking a little unloved now I'm 890 miles in!
Yesterday was a busy day - started off with a 4 hour block from my furthermost depot, which whilst urban was a little "bitty" - that's to say every six/seven drops I had a good five minute drive to the next few drops.
I then saw and booked a 3.5 hour slot at my closer depot (ie, it's on my way home) and somehow I got a 2 hour block, which was a welcome bonus after the long morning (still paid for the 3.5 hour block I booked). It was a rural one too which I was hoping for after the morning's work. My first stop was a college to which I delivered 15 (out of 43) parcels - always welcome! I also had two parcels to deliver to a pub where I'm pleased to report I resisted the temptation to have a swift half-pint of an IPA!
Day off today - got to catch up on work admin. I stuck £60 of petrol in the Golf and met a friend for a decent pub supper on my way home, so that's yesterday's earnings obliterated
The Golf's MOT is due in Jan and I just know (well, I don't really, I just reckon) that there's going to be a sharp intake of breath when I pick it up from the garage! I'll see. I just need to put it through a car wash though as it's looking a little unloved now I'm 890 miles in!
Yesterday was a busy day - started off with a 4 hour block from my furthermost depot, which whilst urban was a little "bitty" - that's to say every six/seven drops I had a good five minute drive to the next few drops.
I then saw and booked a 3.5 hour slot at my closer depot (ie, it's on my way home) and somehow I got a 2 hour block, which was a welcome bonus after the long morning (still paid for the 3.5 hour block I booked). It was a rural one too which I was hoping for after the morning's work. My first stop was a college to which I delivered 15 (out of 43) parcels - always welcome! I also had two parcels to deliver to a pub where I'm pleased to report I resisted the temptation to have a swift half-pint of an IPA!
Day off today - got to catch up on work admin. I stuck £60 of petrol in the Golf and met a friend for a decent pub supper on my way home, so that's yesterday's earnings obliterated
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