Book Buying - Amazon vs. Local

[matt819]

Yes, Amazon is evil. Yes, I shop Amazon.

Now that that's out of the way. . .

I have a friend who has insisted that I buy books from the local indie bookstore. I don't buy many books - thank goodness we still have libraries - but I do buy some, and Amazon had been my seller of choice. Until my friend insisted I buy local.

So I have started doing that, including books that the bookstore doesn't have in stock and has to order. You know something? It's not breaking my piggy bank, and I do feel a bit smug for buying local.

An example. I wanted to buy a book for my friend, and she'd be pissed if I bought from Amazon. But I had to check. This particular book, a paperback, was available from Amazon for $12.54 and thanks to Amazon Prime it would have been delivered this morning. Instead, I called my local bookstore to see if they could get it. Sure. It will be here Friday, maybe Monday, and the cost is $14.00. Okay, it's 10% higher, but the extra $1.46 isn't going to break the bank, and I'm buying local, and I'm making my friend happy. Oh, and then there's the carbon footprint thing. So that's a win-win-win-win.

Granted, the differences aren't always that insignificant, but, you know, it's worth an extra few minutes to check.

[JustAnotherGen]

1. I seriously

Do not have a local bookstore. The closest I have is 8 miles away and it is a Barnes and Noble. I'd love to go to the bookstore again someday . . .

[yeoman6987]

5. I buy from Barnes and Nobel

Second choice is Amazon for books, but B&N is first choice for books. I like the environment. The only change I wish the would make is more chairs in the stacks. I know they have the lovely sitting area around Starbucks. I just wish the had comfy chairs throughout the store.

[n2doc]

10. I'm in the same boat

Nothing but a B and N here. Last visit to Asheville, NC was great, they have a wonderful indie bookstore downtown. But we don't even have an indie art store downtown anymore, and we have a big art school there.

B and N is ok, but there is nothing like a good indie book store for finding new authors.

[MohRokTah]

2. I mostly only buy eBooks any more.

I rarely ever purchase a hard copy of any book and any book I'd want in hard copy would be more expensive through any local brick and mortar.

I'm an Amazon Prime member, so I get a book cheaper and get is shipped fast and free. Not to mention that at least 95% of my book purchases are delivered nearly instantaneously (the only latency is the internet download).

[Frustratedlady]

3. I buy many books for my great-grandchildren, so I buy local...

I want the chance to look the books over to be sure they are suitable for their age group and content.

Besides, I shop in the following way: 1) Local/Mom-Pop stores, then, 2) Local chains, then, 3) Internet or catalogs.

I figure the more I support my local stores, the more my city will grow and the lower my property taxes will be.

[brer cat]

4. Many booksellers are both

local b&m and sellers on Amazon and other internet sites. I sell used books, and list on Amazon the ones I think need greater exposure to sell. Since Amazon takes 20 percent of the price, I sell cheaper in my b&m shop.

[tabbycat31]

6. Last book I bought

Was one that I had taken out of the library several times. I found a copy at a used bookstore near my grandmother's nursing home. It felt good to support a local business (and buying used).

Truth be told I rarely buy books (and more ebooks than paper books). I use the library.

[dixiegrrrrl]

7. the nearest bookstore is 90 miles away from me, so I can't support one locally.

I get ALL my books online now, rarely spend more than 4.00 for them.

The secret?

1. Book swap clubs.
I use paperbackswap.com. They only allow books ( hardbounds and paperbacks AND audiobooks) to be in very good condition.
the cost? You pay shipping to send a book out to club members., they pay shipping to send a book to you.
.Right now, depending on how heavy the book is, PO charge is 2-3 bucks.
Most members ship "media mail" rate, which keeps the cost down. A few books have been sent to me via faster postage.

2. Amazon used book sellers.
I choose only books in good to very good to like new condition, for ONE cent.
Yep, a penny is my limit. The sellers charge 3.99 for shipping, even sellers in England!
and Amazon guarantees the transaction, I have had to get refunds only 3-4 times in the last 10 years.
So I get pristine books, mostly hardbound, for 4.00, read them, then put them up for swap at the bookclub.
I may have to wait a bit for the wanted book to get down to a penny, but with 3 bookcases groaning under the weight of current books,
that is no problem for me.

Only gas I use is to drive the 8 blocks to the PO.

[SheilaT]

8. I do have a good local bookstore, and

I now buy almost all of my books there. Once in a while I get to the Barnes & Noble 45 miles away. And when I want to send books to someone I know who is in prison I do use Amazon because, at least in his prison system, they will ONLY accept book shipments from Amazon. And it has to come from Amazon itself, not from one of the other sellers on the site.

However, I don't buy very many books any more, instead I use the library. If I don't see a book I want listed in their catalog, I'll put in a request to order it online. Twice in the past two weeks, they've put through the buy order within 24 hours of my request, and put me on the top of the list to get it when it arrives. I'm quite impressed.

[Orsino]

9. That feeling of smugness is worth a lot.

So is undermining the systematic enslavement of workers that Amazon champions.

[MohRokTah]

12. Amazon mostly outsources fulfillment.

They don't own and operate warehouses, they outsource it.

It's the big warehouse fulfillment companies that run the enslavement of workers.

So really, you get the worst of both worlds, outsourcing jobs to save the money and big time fulfillment warehouse companies than enslave workers for minimum wage.

[Orsino]

13. Amazon indirectly sets wages and working conditions...

...through pricing demands it's in a position to make. Much as Wal-Mart does.

[geek tragedy]

11. difference is convenience rather than price for me

Three mouse clicks and outside my front door vs hours invested in two trips to indie bookstore, dealing with complication of having them order it online for me, etc. the books I order are usually specialty topics that small bookstores won't have.

Realistically, the small bookstore is an outdated, likely unsustainable business model. For most people the alternative to amazon is B&N.

[Dreamer Tatum]

14. I shop Amazon almost exclusively and couldn't give a shit what anyone thinks.

I eat most meals at home from grocery-sourced foods - should I feel guilty for not eating out more often? Hell no.

The books I want are on Amazon or are at an Amazon partner. I don't see the need for the time and expense of waiting for the local bookstore to order it up for me. I don't see the value in going to a small bookstore, not finding what I want, and paying MORE and waiting LONGER just so they can take longer getting it to me than Amazon would. That is ridiculous. I don't owe a local bookseller a cut whether they have the book I want or not. Call me whatever name you like; I'll still order from Amazon.

Here is a list of things I buy locally, from individuals or mom & pops: coffee (small kiosk, better than Starbucks by far), tamales (family selling door-to-door), certain vegetables (weekend farmer's market), lawn and home maintenance services, my favorite Greek food, and myriad other services which are by definition local. I fail to see what is holy or noble about a bookstore.

[upaloopa]

24. My mother in law opened a local bookstore

It was a "woman's issues" type book store. She had no business opening that store. She has no business sense and bankrupted her husband and herself. They lost their house and the money they borrowed from her husband's pension.
She had this bullshit idea about the sophistication of the area she lived in (Los Osos, CA ) and the sophistication of the residents there.
It is all make believe and fantasy but you can't tell local book store lovers anything. It's like a religion or something.
She blamed her problems on the chain book stores which also was bullshit. She had no market for her product that was the truth of it. But some people think you should buy something from her because she was there.

[Blue_Adept]

15. My "local" bookstores closed years ago

And by years ago, I mean before Amazon's rise to power. They all moved to the malls and ended up dying alongside those.

If I want to buy a book locally, I can go to Target. That's pretty much it within a 20 mile range.

And their selection is crap of course.

Thankfully, I jumped early on the ebook bandwagon and haven't looked back. I no longer have the space to store books. So I have no "local" option anyway.

[matt819]

16. A couple of comments

Points are well taken that there may not be a local indie bookstore and/or that the nearest store is miles away. I'm fortunate to live in a small town that has an indie bookstore that survived the arrival and departure of Borders and seems to be surviving/thriving against the online market. For me there is no incremental cost to make a trip to the bookstore to have a look around.

And, yes, from all reports Amazon does appear to be a nasty company to work for, and Jeff Bezos seems to embody the worst of the tech billionaire ethic. That does suck, but the reality is that, apart from books, Amazon does provide a service that many people find valuable, including me. I can, and do, shop around for options online, and, like another poster, in enough cases I don't waste time running around town looking for things I might not find.

Another point I'd like to make, without singling out any one poster, is that this was a fairly straightforward post, making one, relatively simple, straightforward point. And most responses were thoughtful and rational. Yet some find the need to go on the offensive, or the aggressive defense, with what I consider an over-the-top response. I've been that kind of person, and I probably indulge more than I should, since, at my age, I should know better. And maybe it's because I do live in a small town, and it's seriously inappropriate and counter-productive to exhibit this sort of rage. It's not necessary. It's a discussion forum, not life and death.

[Dreamer Tatum]

17. For some reason, local bookstores and Amazon bring out passions.

Myself, I don't care for 'indie' bookstores at all, not in the least, not at all, with the exception of LARGE indie bookstores
with good selections. For example, I love Strand NYC, and Half Price Books in Texas. I can find what I want, a few things that attract my interest, and all at reasonable prices. I'm not shamed for not buying something "cool."

On the other hand, the tiny indie stores try my patience and tolerance. When I want a copy of The Beetle Leg, guess what - I want a copy of the The Beetle Leg. I don't want to be told they don't have it (duh - no one does) but they can have it in "a week or two." I can get it from Amazon in a DAY or two, thanks. I also don't want to be told to read X, because X was written by Y and Y is "as good as, if not better than, Hawkes," which is inherently nonsensical and insulting. I don't want to be followed around a 600sf store and be given suggestions based on THE ONE BOOK THEY KNOW I WANT BUT DON'T HAVE. I also don't want to be sneered at because I pick up a copy of Gilead and am told "it's OK, if you like your writing on the crazy religious side." I also don't need to explain to a "knowledgeable" bookstore clerk that Sinclair LEWIS and Upton SINCLAIR are not the same person, and I'm not "mistaken."

All true, annoying stories.

[Brickbat]

18. For those who don't have a local independent store, buying from Powells.com supports an independent

bookstore with the convenience of online shopping.

[Dreamer Tatum]

19. It passes the Sorrentino test nt

[Brickbat]

22. I have no idea what that means.

[Dreamer Tatum]

23. You can buy Gilbert Sorrentino books there.

Whereas my local "indie" store had to go to...wait for it...Amazon to see who he was.

[dhill926]

21. + a bunch……..

great website as well….

[upaloopa]

20. When I buy books from Amazon they usually

come from some "local" book store. I usually buy used out of print books. When I go to Amazon for the book I get a list of the ones available, their condition and price. The books are at various book stores around the country. So even though I am buying on line at Amazon I really am buying from a local book store somewhere. That book store ships the book to me and asks me to rate the transaction.