Amazon vs. bookshops

[AutumnOctober]

Ordering a book on Amazon:

Great! You've chosen to buy a book. Would you like it in Kindle, Audio, or paperback?
Paperback please
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS ITEM IS AVAILABLE FROM OTHER SELLERS
Okay thanks that's fine I'd just like to order the paperback please, I don't really mind who the seller is
FREE DELIVERY BY MON 5TH JULY
Thanks, I don't really care, I just want to buy a book
YOUR ORDER QUALIFIES FOR FREE DELIVERY IN THE UK
Okay whatever thanks, I just want to buy the damn book and complete the checkout process
PREMIUM DELIVERY CHARGE: £3.99
Wait, what? You said it was free. I didn't ask for premium delivery
GET IT BY TOMORROW IF YOU ORDER WITHIN THE NEXT 17 MINUTES
Okay forget it, you're being weird
YOU HAVE PRE APPROVAL FOR A CREDIT CARD - CLICK HERE
Jesus closes app
reopens app
ADD £4.30 OF BOOKS DISPATCHED BY AMAZON TO GET FREE UK DELIVERY
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RETURNS ARE EASY! UNLIMITED PRIME DELIVERY FOR JUST £8.99 PER MONTH!

Ordering a book from a bookshop:

Hi, do you have this book?
No but I'll gladly order it in for you at no extra charge
Cool, thanks

I only ever buy books on amazon, I click buy now button, job done, purchased and delivered quickly!

I went into a bookshop last week but the 2 books I wanted would have cost me £14 more than from Amazon. Unfortunately that’s too much of a difference for me to pay to support the local bookshop

I compromise and order from Waterstone's online. Not as ethical as supporting an independent bookshop but better than Amazon.

I thought that too, I never wanted to pay high street or independent prices when it was so much cheaper on Amazon. The thing is, it's only cheaper on Amazon now if you pay the Prime subscription. If you're just buying books from a local seller, you don't pay any delivery fees, you're not tied in to any sort of subscription, you aren't giving up your data for ads, and let's face it it feels pretty nice to support small businesses instead of that Bezos guy

I use Hive books online - prices very similar to Amazon and free delivery. With each purchase they make a donation to a local bookshop.
Saves some of my guilt for using Amazon too much.

I mainly read on my Kindle. I get through three or four books a week and find that books which are £10 or more in physical form (wherever they're purchased) can often be found for Kindle at 99p. The plus it saves on space (I already have thousands of books) and it's greener.

Yes I know Amazon is all kinds of evil but reading is my main pleasure!

and let's face it it feels pretty nice to support small businesses instead of that Bezos guy

Of course it does, but like others the huge difference in price means supporting local businesses isn't always possible. Also it depends on if you're lucky enough to have an independent bookshop nearby, the only options I have locally are WH Smiths or the supermarket book section

I mainly buy Kindle books from Amazon as they are usually cheaper and I don't want a load of read fiction books cluttering my bookcase, I don't think you need Prime for this

Non fiction books are often bought secondhand from places like World of Books via Amazon or eBay, the occasional new book is usually bought off Amazon as they are usually a bit cheaper and I have Prime anyway as I order loads from Amazon and watch Prime TV

The only book shop we have near is WH Smith's which is tiny and the Asda book aisle, no independent book shops for miles and haven't been for about 30 years so long before Amazon. Nearest Waterstones is probably 12 miles away and a hefty parking charge if I wanted to use it

Agreed why do people buy from Amazon. Convenience. When you walk down your high st don’t bitch about the boarded up shops. I get depressed thinking about this

I prefer to use the local bookshop. But we I checked afterwards and Amazon wasn’t any cheaper than the bookshop. So bookshop it is.

@Universe1969

Agreed why do people buy from Amazon. Convenience. When you walk down your high st don’t bitch about the boarded up shops. I get depressed thinking about this

Supporting local businesses is fine, if you can afford to. But if you're on a low income you're not going to spend £10 on a book (plus the fares to get to town to buy it) when you can get it for 99p on Kindle. That's the harsh reality I'm afraid.

A lot of people read fiction on Kindle as it is cheaper and reduces clutter and waste

I've switched to using bookshop.org where possible. They fulfil and dispatch the books (not quite as fast as Amazon but pretty prompt) but give a portion of your money to local bookshops - you either choose a bookshop that is signed up with them or it goes in a pot for general distribution.

I do still have a kindle for holiday reads but honestly, as well as dubious employment practices, Amazon are known for being ruthless is dealing with publishers to maximise their profits which reduces the money going to the people who write and produce the books. I know a few people who work in publishing and hate having to deal with Amazon (but they have no choice but to).

Times have changed. If I had a local high street that had a book shop, greengrocers, butchers etc. I would gladly go and do my shopping there. But I don’t. We have Iceland, Morrison’s, Argos and pound shops and charity shops. Not an independent store among them. That ship has sailed. So I do 99% of all my shopping online.

Regarding books in particular. I love a proper paper book. But I already have loads (and I don’t like parting with my books) so I now have a kindle. The books are a lot cheaper and no storage issues.

We don't have independent bookshops near me. We have Waterstones. I can't get upstairs to the non fiction books because there's no lift. The only other way to buy books is charity shops which is obv hit and miss if you want something specific. And Amazon never takes me as long as it seems to take you

For many their local high street bookshop (if they have one at all) is Waterstones and their business practices are hardly commendable either.

The nearest independent bookshop to me is about 20 miles away and is very, very expensive.

I find the opposite.
Amazon:
Type in name of book, select format, click "buy it now", arrives next day.

Book shop: schlep 2 kids to the book shop, spend ages browsing because you're not sure if the book comes under the "crime" or "thriller" section, meanwhile stop 2YO from pulling all the books off the shelf, check both sections to find that the book isn't there, queue up, ask to have the book ordered in, yes it will be here next week, repeat process one week later to buy the book for 50% more than it costs online.

Its how you write it isn't it.

Although I do like to support small businesses, and I do with many things, books aren't one of them because they're so much more expensive to buy from book shops, not always available and exactly the same product. Not like when you go to the butchers and get much better meat or get something quirky from a gift shop. I end up with an identical book, for more money and more effort.

The only book shops local to me are Oxfam (opening hours are very inconvenient for me at present), Waterstones, and a independent one (at the two times I've been there, he was very rude and impatient). Plus we don't have a lot of money to stretch and I love reading so I use a mix of Amazon sellers, Waterstones and library.

Love love love my Kindle Paperwhite - and 99p books.

[not ashamed at all - or depressed]

I like to buy second hand books so most of my fiction books come from charity shops. If there is a specific book I need for work or something then I buy from Amazon using the other sellers bit where you can buy second hand books. I do use Amazon for new books occasionally and find it very easy, just make sure your total comes to more than £10 and the delivery is free.

I only buy books from bookshops too.

Use Hive for books, they support independent book shops.

Abebooks for me-second ham dans convenient. I also rediscovered the library which now has an app so I can order stuff from anywhere in the city and it comes to our local.
I would spontaneously combust in a bonfire of my own smugness but I’m aware that the high street is dying and I still can’t be arsed to go out and shop, paying the ‘in person’ premium.

“Second hand and”. I even proof read this one