< rant >
I remember fondly when Amazon billed itself as “Earth’s Biggest Bookstore” . That was 25+ years ago, and times sure have changed.
Today, Amazon sells and ships almost every conceivable consumer item (waiting for them to start selling new cars!). But when they only sold books they actually packaged them intelligently so they almost never got damaged during shipping. That packing method was to shrink-wrap the books in size order to an oversized piece of cardboard just large enough to fit snuggly in the box. The result was that the books always had a significant air gap with the box on all edges. I loved that method.
But now, I suppose precious few book buyers care about receiving undamaged books (though the comments on Amazon book pages are full of such complaints). I find that it is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to receive a book from Amazon that does not sustain at least some shipping damage, most often in the form of bashed corners. This is due to not bothering to use any reasonable protection and so let the book shift around in the box. All it would take to greatly reduce the likelihood of damage would be to lay a piece of bubble wrap as large as the total surface area of the box in first, and ensconce the book or books in it. Easy-peasy. But no. Instead they just put a crumpled up piece of brown paper haphazardly in the box that serves almost no purpose.
The result is that often, even after three exchange attempts, I fail to receive a book that meets my standards. And note that it only seems possible to exchange a book once due to shipping damage, after which you have to return the book for a refund and repurchase it. What a PITA this is, particularly if the price you paid was a sale price that is now not available.
Amazon has gotten rather lackadaisical with regards to packaging lately. I’ve had a number of things leak/burst in the last 2-3 years. Sometimes I chat with them and they give me a refund, sometimes I don’t bother, but that doesn’t help a bit with the mess it causes. Once a bottle of laundry detergent leaked all over my front patio, and then again inside the house. That was a HUGE pain to clean up! And just last week two or three bottles of water in a 40-pack burst open because they weren’t handled properly. I’ve never had a bottle of water burst in my Costco 40-packs that I lug home myself, so there’s no excuse for it to happen to an Amazon delivery person!
g01773528
"[quote=“g0177325, post:1, topic:112206”]
But now, I suppose precious few book buyers care about receiving undamaged books
[/quote]
Since mid 2020 (COVID), I have read 675 books on-line with the Libby app. The price is right and I can read anywhere (pc, phone iPad). Now back to Chapter 12 of Baldacci’s ‘To Die For’…
George
I almost never have a problem with broken bottles shipped from Amazon. They lovingly wrap even $5 jars of sauce or spices in bubble wrap and/or specially made protective carboard cocoons. But they don’t give a darn about books anymore. Sure, their prices are great, but only if you can tolerate damaged books, or don’t mind having to keep sending them back for replacements.
I’d really like Amazon to offer an extra cost shipping option for a few bucks to have books protected better. I’d pay up to 10% of a book’s cost. Heck, they’d even make money on it. Or perhaps a special “Gold Prime” membership for an extra $5/mo that entitles you to specially packing methods for books.
That’s great. I just can’t get into reading books on my Kindle, although I continue to amass an extensive Kindle library, “just in case”. And though it’s true that ebooks never sustain damage in the sending, they are often replete with textual errors, which is jarring when you encounter them.
That hasn’t been my experience using the Libby app to read books from my local library. Maybe the quality of the library eBook is better? Following is an excerpt from an email I received 3 days ago…
"Dear library Patrons:
You are receiving this email because you are one of the tens of thousands of people in our community who enjoy borrowing materials from Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla. eMedia, such as Overdrive/Libby and Hoopla, have exploded in popularity, particularly since the COVID pandemic. Library spends more than half its total collection budget on eMedia to provide materials in the format requested by our patrons. We continue to look for strategies to keep up with the rapidly increasing demand for eMedia combined with the rising costs of this format.
Publishers often set library prices for eBooks and eAudiobooks, such as those we purchase from Overdrive, at 3-4 times more than the consumer retail prices. In addition, libraries must re-purchase these titles after a designated period of time or after a publisher-determined number of total checkouts, to maintain access. This is a very different model than what libraries experience with print material where we buy a copy near the retail price and then permanently own the item… "
Yeah, that’s pretty bad. I’ve taken to only ordering one thing at a time these days, but that still doesn’t prevent book damage in most cases. I’ve got Prime, so I end up really abusing the free shipping benefit. I’m considering ordering 3 copies of the same book at once in hopes that the middle one will end up without damage, and then return the other two. But even then, there’s a chance that you’ll still get multiple shipments from different warehouses depending on local stock.
Just a thought, but are there any local bookstores that could fill your needs? Perhaps a branch of a giant chain, like B&N? Perhaps one that lets you order for pickup at the store? I certainly understand how easy Amazon is, but don’t such issues cancel that out?
Deliveries very often arrive bunched. One of my kids getting married in a few weeks has had registry items arriving daily. So today, 8 or 9 packages arrived (so far!), only 3 of them for me. And, of course, just my luck, one package today has something leaked all over it. Not leaked from any of MY stuff, probably from something else on the truck.
