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[quote=Cida;51058874]First, keep in mind that Amazon in fact hasn't produced a fine product. It's a service. It is, in effect, leeching off of companies that do provide products.
Second, keep in mind that you've been conditioned to think that you need something "quickest" when you usually don't.
Third, I do wish everyone had great return service, of course. But I can't help pointing out that your example is that they screwed up your order to begin with. If you are buying something in person from a store, that doesn't happen.
Fourth, if I change your question to "Why knock someone who has a fine service" - well, as I said, Why support a billionaire who doesn't really need your money? Why support someone who is driving others out of business? Why not support your own community?[/QUOTE
If you want to find out about a book. An Amazon search is quick and informative. There are often publisher’s descriptions and reader reviews which I find helpful. Today I received a copy of a used cookbook from an individual seller who markets through Amazon.
I think Amazon’s good service is its principal product, and that is why it is so successful.
And, Amazon produces the best e reader. I use the Kindle app on my IPad. But there are plenty of Kindle e-readers out there.
I have hated to see local bookstores close. I am happy to visit B&N, especially for picture books but also for other reading material. I requested a copy of the last Ursula le Guin title, and they had it for me in three days.
For avid readers I think there is room for Amazon, with all its faults, and other booksellers. The key is, fostering book reading. With enough reader demand, there should be space for all providers. But saying that Amazon does not produce a good product, much of which is its service, is simply not true.
And of course a reader can certainly opt for patronizing local booksellers exclusively, if she has access to them.
Where do you all buy your paperbacks and hardcover books from? I usually use amazon and also the book outlet for mine plus book of the month club!
I almost exclusively use Amazon. My interest is very specific, so I doubt the books I want to read are even carried at my local bookstore. A couple of years ago, I did find some interesting theological books at an old used bookstore where I used to live. That had to have been one of the only times in like the past decade that I haven't used Amazon to buy my books.
Mostly on Ebay if I want a specific book. I browse alot for new authors I might like at thrift shops and hit up all the libraries - some sell books all the time by me, others have pretty good sales. I do try to buy a few books at Barnes and Noble only because I hate like hell to see them ever go out of business. Not that the few books I buy will rescue them, but I figure if everyone just bought a few books there - they might be able to stick around for a few more decades.
Mostly on Ebay if I want a specific book. I browse alot for new authors I might like at thrift shops and hit up all the libraries - some sell books all the time by me, others have pretty good sales. I do try to buy a few books at Barnes and Noble only because I hate like hell to see them ever go out of business. Not that the few books I buy will rescue them, but I figure if everyone just bought a few books there - they might be able to stick around for a few more decades.
I buy books for the grands there. I like to read the picture books, or early readers to tell if I lije them. I keep books around for then when they visit.
First, keep in mind that Amazon in fact hasn't produced a fine product. It's a service. It is, in effect, leeching off of companies that do provide products.
Service is a product. And it's no more 'leeching' than an actual bookstore.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Second, keep in mind that you've been conditioned to think that you need something "quickest" when you usually don't.
I always choose the cheapest delivery option. As for finding an answer to my question when searching for something, it's not a matter of need but of want. Yes, I'd prefer to find the title of the book I want, for sale, in one minute rather than in ten minutes. That's not conditioning, it's just a better allocation of limited time resources.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Third, I do wish everyone had great return service, of course. But I can't help pointing out that your example is that they screwed up your order to begin with. If you are buying something in person from a store, that doesn't happen.
LOL
You must be the only person who hasn't been overcharged for one or more of the 100 or so things in the grocery line, only to notice later. Or having been sold an incompatible device by a someone 'in person' who assured you that it was what you needed to solve your problem. Or driven away from the sandwich shop or the pharmacy or any one of numerous other locations only to discover that what you ordered is not what was handed to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cida
Fourth, if I change your question to "Why knock someone who has a fine service" - well, as I said, Why support a billionaire who doesn't really need your money? Why support someone who is driving others out of business? Why not support your own community?
What a silly comment.
Are you posting this on a PC or a Mac? Just wondering which 'billionaire who doesn't need your money' you've supported when buying this piece of hardware, when there were other options.
I buy books for the grands there. I like to read the picture books, or early readers to tell if I lije them. I keep books around for then when they visit.
And I bought my book journal there!
I want them to stick around, as you do.
Hurray! I tried to rep you but I got the message I gotta spread it around first - LOL!
I buy from Amazon first and ebay 2nd if the Amazon price is too high. I tend to compare prices and buy the cheapest if I buy an actually book. I buy mostly for my kindle unless they are priced higher than the print copies.
These days, I typically only buy fiction if it's 99 cents on Amazon - otherwise I go to the library. I WILL buy it on impulse when I'm traveling though. There are some very good selections in the bookstores. Also, sometimes I will go to a good indie bookstore and see something I haven't seen before - if I'm looking for reading material and like the store, I will often get the book. But mainly I go to the library.
Nonfiction, I will frequently purchase. Usually from Amazon, but often I get books that are meaningful at the time that I'm traveling.
I get all my books from Amazon, thru the resellers. Choose the 'used' books by condition, and the best resellers. I got The Million Dollar boy for $6 in mint condition last week. And this week The Woman in the Window evidently brand new in a sealed plastic sleeve, arrived yesterday for $11. Those included shipping and maybe tax if that applies; you can't go wrong. Almost 'instant' gratification.
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