This article is based on personal experience and various online sources. And not to be taken as an official statement from Amazon. I, the author am not getting paid to publish this article.
Amazon FLEX is to pickup amazon packages from an Amazon warehouse (Amazon call it distribution center) and to deliver them to customers in various locations for $18-$25 per hour pretax.
Here’s a video from Amazon FLEX website to give you some info before we start talking about it
The $18-$25 per hour is the net amount you get transferred to your bank account. But you have to deduct your own taxes when you file your taxes in February. So basically it’s going to be less than 18-25.
The first step to work for Amazon FLEX is to install Amazon FLEX app on their official website below:
Amazon FLEX web site
The 2nd step is to fill out all the required info in the app including your name, address, email ..etc
Afterwards, they will run a driving history check via the DMV and this can take quite some time (for me it took about 4 weeks). After they have that check done you will have access to some video tutorials in the app which will show you how to deliver the packages, when to leave the package and when to call the customer .. etc. Don’t worry they are easy to understand, self-explanatory and mostly common sense.
Once you finish watching all the videos you will have access to delivery blocks. “Delivery blocks” or “Offers” is the term Amazon uses for delivery tasks. Once a delivery task appears on your app, you will be able to accept the delivery task (the delivery block). (You may have to keep hitting refresh from time to time to see if any tasks become available)
You can also per-define some dates and times during which you are free to accept offers, which means FLEX will give you priority during those times and will give you early access to offers before they are released to everyone else.
Right now in Philadelphia area, you can see tasks from three different Amazon distribution centers:
1. Langhorne
2. Port Richmond
3. King of Prussia
Once a delivery task becomes available, you will see which distribution center the task is located at. I personally tried the Longhorne location couple times. Once you accept the task the app will show you an option to begin traveling to the distribution center. The app will show turn by turn guidance exactly like google maps on your phone. The only caveat is when you arrive at Langhorne distribution center, the app will send you to the back of the warehouse (where the fulfillment employees entrance is, not where Amazon FLEX associates entrance is), so basically you just need to keep driving to the next intersection. You will see a big sign saying (DEW4) which is the code name for Langhorne distribution center by the way.
Now to the fun part. You will drive your car INSIDE the warehouse. Yes, you are allowed to drive your car inside. and drive through the warehouse (there is a specific route and you can’t really get lost even if you want to) until you see other cars waiting inline. Every car will get some packages and when your turn comes you will be given some packages (the number of packages varies), you will scan them with your Amazon FLEX app on your phone, and you hit start traveling.
Most of the packages from Langhorne distribution center are going to NJ locations (or that’s what I have noticed anyway). So don’t expect to see destinations near Langhorne or even Philadelphia you lazy human 😀
After following the turn by turn directions from the app you will arrive at your first destination. you will park in a safe location (I park in the parking lot of the house where I deliver the package) and find the package that matches the description on the app (customer name and address), and deliver the package!
If no one is home, it’s a common courtesy to give the customer a call (you can call the customer from within the app and your personal phone number won’t show but Amazon number will show at the customer end or the caller ID will say UNKNOWN NUMBER).
If the task says “customer presence not required to deliver”, you can just leave the package in a safe location (behind a floor mat or something) and take a picture of how you left it and hit (complete) to skip to your next package. Usually, the packages you receive in the distribution center are in the same area or at least near each other. If at the end of your shift any packages were not deliverable because customer presence was required and no one answered, you will have to take it/them back to the warehouse. And you will get paid twice a week, every Tuesday and Friday.
1. When you get closer to the destination house, stay alert to house numbers as the GPS is not very accurate and can take you to the next house or one house before. Keep in mind that usually odd houses are on one side of the street and even numbers are on the other side of the street (believe it or not it’s not a rule in NJ 😀 I found about that the hard way!).
2. Consider it part of your investment and get yourself a reflective vest. It may save your life in NJ narrow streets especially if you are going to deliver in the dark. You can buy the vest from the link below (get one size larger than you to wear it on top of your jacket) :
Reflective Vest Size Large
Reflective Vest Size XL
3. If you want to take your personal safety to the next level, you can get yourself a top light with magnets to stick it to the top of your car which will become handy when you are about to make some dangerous turns in one-way roads to park your car or something. You can buy it from the link below:
Buy car top light with magnets
4. Make sure your car trunk is empty as you may get so many packages and you will need all the space you can get. The number of packages varies. One time I got 10 packages on a 3 hours shift and one time I got 25 packages on a 4 hours shift, and other people online reported an average of 60 packages in a 4 hours shift. So don’t think it’s gonna be one or two packages!
5. Depending on how desperate Amazon is for some packages to be delivered, the price can go from $18 per hour to $20 or even $25 per hour (see the pictures below). And that happens usually between 4-5 PM EST when the last few packages need to be delivered and not many people are willing to drive in the dark and also happens during the holidays. However, after 6 PM you won’t see any available delivery tasks. So don’t wait too long to pick a delivery block if you are willing to make some money.
Finally, you can see some pictures/screenshots from the Amazon FLEX App below:
Good luck.
