I've discovered an excellent alternative to Amazon.com for those of us who live outside the US and have to cop the massive shipping charges and lengthy waits for our purchases (at time of writing: $5 per shipment plus $5 per item from Amazon, and $12.50 per item for Marketplace purchases; up to 3 months delay in receipt of items between November and January, three to four weeks at other times of the year).
The Book Depository offers free shipping worldwide (beat that Amazon). I ordered some books last Thursday evening and they arrived on my doorstep on Tuesday afternoon. While their prices are a little higher than Amazon's (about a dollar on average), it certainly makes up for it if you are saving $10 to $12.50 on postage, and I have to say that the prices are far, far cheaper than books in Australia at the moment (I am a traitor, I know).
Thanks so much for this. I used to buy a lot of books from Amazon. They sell a lot of poetry that you can’t get in Australia, but the postage was killing me. I’m going to check out the Book Depository right now!
I hope you find the books you’re after. It works out so much cheaper without the postage costs.
I’m shocked Australia doesn’t have it’s own Amazon division. I guess the population is too small for an outlet.
I buy from Amazon all the time, so I’ll check this out. It’s a shame that we can buy books cheaper overseas, even with the postage. I’m not sure what this will mean for bookstores here if everyone catches on. I’ve been a follower of the blood-red pencil for some time. Hi. Cheers, Simon.
Weird, isn’t it? It’s also annoying that you can’t use PayPal to pay for Amazon purchases.
Thanks so much for the visit Simon. I’m glad you’re enjoying Blood Red Pencil.