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1. I've ordered some new paperback books online. They arrived, almost all of them damaged, because why should Barnes and Noble bother to put in some bubble wrap for expensive books. Well, some of them have a velvet like almost fake suede like feel to the covers. The pages themselves are kinda sharp. They stick together, like corduroy would. So you can't slide them out of your bookcase very well without them sticking to whatever is next to it. Is this normal? I've never seen this before.
2. The second thing I'm seeing is a lot of the paperback covers, the ones with the regular feel to them, have a rough line down the front and back of the cover only where it looks like it was folded back. Was this done on purpose? It is very close to the spine, all the way down, but maybe a couple mm in. I don't know if I'm receiving bad books or if this is the norm now.
I can't believe that Barnes and Noble, brand new, full price, books are being sent to me like they threw them in the box and sent them off. They arrived with smashed corners, bent covers, bent in random places because they slid into the other book at random page. I don't know if I should order replacements, as this might be how they will send them again. Any thoughts?
I know what you mean about that soft cover paper. I sort of like the feel of it, but find that random stuff like lint and hairs stick to it when I carry a book around in my backpack.
I haven't noticed the line down the front near the spine, but will look for that. Maybe it is there to help the book stay open better? Odd...
And Amazon is no better than Barnes and Noble, I guess. Sometimes they package paperbacks in envelopes and they almost always have dented corners. Other times they are in a box and that is a bit better. The best of all is the cardboard packaging that almost wraps around the book itself - hard to describe, but it protects the book quite well. I have no idea why there are so many different packing styles from one company!
I try to get books in hardback form whenever possible. But for those books where there is no option, I upgrade my paperback books with a laminate exterior. It keeps them looking new for decades. It's often what libraries do.
I recommend Scotch Single-Sided Self-Seal Laminating Sheets. You can get a pack of 10 sheets, 8.5" x 11", for a few dollars at Walmart. Much better to use that poly material than hazardous vinyl.
Interesting, I had no idea about the laminate. Yes, fuzz completely sticks to these, so dusting will be a chore. I even got a book with the first few pages missing. It doesn't look like they torn them out, it looks like it was made that way.
And Amazon is no better than Barnes and Noble, I guess. Sometimes they package paperbacks in envelopes and they almost always have dented corners. Other times they are in a box and that is a bit better. The best of all is the cardboard packaging that almost wraps around the book itself - hard to describe, but it protects the book quite well. I have no idea why there are so many different packing styles from one company!
I know exactly what you mean - that cardboard packaging that is close to the book is best. I've gotten some damaged books from amazon -- I've contacted them when it happens because I want a pristine book (I'm buying it new, after all), and I also want them to know if there is a packing problem. Sometimes they've thrown a book in with other non-book items I've purchased and the book has arrived damaged.
The response I've gotten varies -- sometimes they just credit me for the book. Sometimes they give me a partial credit. And sometimes they send out a new one and I have to return the old one with a pre-paid packaging label.
Really, I'd usually be satisfied with a few dollars of credit if the book is for me. But if I'm giving it as a gift, I don't want it to be damaged.
I'd hate to see the waste of bubble wrap for something inexpensive and non-breakable like paperbacks, but they could certainly use a sheet of tissue paper.
Maybe they've cheapened the manufacturing. To be fair paperbacks from decades ago were not meant to last. The pulp ones weren't and many are falling apart or about to.
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