Has anyone ever bought a book online before? (1 Viewer)

[Kittikhun]

Especially from 'The Nile' bookstore? I'm strongly considering buying a dictionary from there to take full advantage of its interim free shipping, however, I have never ever bought anything online before. So, I just want to ask those of you who already have, are the books that you have bought online always in good condition and not creased or crushed in any way? What happens if they are? Would the process of returning a book because of a flaw be really annoying and frustrating?

Thanks.

 

[-may-cat-]

Never heard of them. If you are worried about it try the book depository, they also have free shipping and are very reliable, i get books from there all the time. If the exchange rate is good books often end up being a hell of a lot cheaper as well, prices in Australia are ridiculous.

EDIT: probably bought about 30 or so books from BD, never had a problem with bent covers, creasing, damage etc.

 

[Sprangler]

I've bought from amazon and booktopia. If the place is well known, then unless the books are second hand they will be fine. Crawl around their website for a help/FAQ page or something to see if they have a return policy.

 

[Kittikhun]

Thanks for the replies. A few more questions.

How do they send you the books? Are they sent inside one of those bubble wrap bags inside an envelope or box or are they just sent in some random envelope and nothing else with no regard for the book?

Thanks.

 

[Sarebs]

It depends what they're sent in.

But if it's just sent in a parcel, I've always found it'll be wrapped in bubble wrap.

 

[-may-cat-]

BD sends each book separately in a bubble wrap package, which can be annoying if you bought a few cuz they can arrive a few days apart but it's no big deal if you don't need them in a hurry.

 

[russianROULETTE]

i bought one from a site called fishpond. it was shipped quite quickly and came in perfect condition, wrapped in bubblewrap inside a cardboard flat-pack.

 

[CountVonChocula]

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk

thank me later ok

 

[SylviaB]

i ordered a bunch of books for my parents to give to me for christmas (lol) from Amazon because they were like 50% cheaper than local book stores


but yeah it told me that my items had shipped on November 16, estimated arrival date: 24 December 2009 LOL

 

[Tulipa]

Bookdepository is the best online bookstore.

Don't go any where else unless they don't have what you're looking for. Good prices, free shipping and everything always arrives in great condition.

 

[many-eyeshere]

Um I've brought out of print books online and some comics. I only buy from Ebay, the official website of the book or author, or the branch bookstore website (Borders, Kinokuniya, Angus and Robertson etc).

Everything I've brought online has been delievered in perfect quality and was considerably cheaper. My Ebay things were shipped from the US and UK and they were in perfect condition when they got here.

Alot cheaper as well, I've goten out of print trade paper backs for under $30 AUS that would otherwise be hundreds of dollars. And I i got a book I've been looking for to reread since 2004 for $3 AUS and $2 AUS shipping. That one shipped from the UK in two days.

My advice just always check the shipping cost, and if on ebay read the item description and look at the picture before bidding. And if you can buy outright because the account selling is a retailer just buy it straight out.

I'm always wary of buying online because of my parents paranoia of the threatening 'interwebz', but I haven't been screwed over yet. Paypal is a must have, completely confindental.

Anyway that's my two bits, hope it helped.

 

[Absolutezero]

I've bought quite a few over the years, primarily from Amazon and eBay. Always came in the condition that was described. Packaging often uses bubblewrap or other forms of protection.

I've only ever had one problem, where a product didn't arrive. My computer was almost dead at that point, and so I couldn't chase it up. However, most of the time you should be fine. It's only those rare circumstances where things go wrong.

As for sending them back, if you got it for under $10 (or even $20 for that matter), it's usually just easier to keep it. However, if something is seriously wrong, like pages missing, wrong book, or severe damage, then it's definitely worth sending back.

 

[jirwin]

I've also bought from Book Depository and I would definitely recommend them. The book was delivered quickly and with only a slight crease on the top right hand corner of the cover (which although disappointing at first, the cheaper price certainly makes up for it).

I once attempted to order from Amazon, all was going great until it said that my address didn't exist...

 

[Kujah]

Agreed, Book Depository is to be recommended. The prices are amazingly inexpensive and free shipping that comes pretty quickly.

 

[ehtefaz.hedayet]

agreed, book depository is to be recommended. The prices are amazingly inexpensive and free shipping that comes pretty quickly.

+1

 

[KnifeySpoony]

whats the average eta on shipping from the book depository?

 

[Kujah]

About a week.

 

[lonely-lass]

I believe it's not a good option to buy things online.

 

[Absolutezero]

I believe it's not a good option to buy things online.

Based on what?

 

[binary star]

I've used Amazon before. Wasn't too bad.