Cool concept, but the books I compared were 20-50% higher than Amazon, and they charge another $3.50 to ship in 7-10 days.
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Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
21–30 of 87 posts
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#22Cool concept, but the books I compared were 20-50% higher than Amazon, and they charge another $3.50 to ship in 7-10 days.
Is cost the only variable to optimize for? The commodity is the same in both places (barring some reports of counterfeits in Amazon's stock), but is the labor?
I'd argue that buying from Amazon has some externalities that aren't captured in the price (particularly in their treatment of labor). I pay more for some times of food that avoids things I consider negative externalities, I'd do the same for books and other commodities. That's just an opinion, though, feel free to disagree.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#23This type of site has excited for almost 15 years in Denmark (antikvariat.net). It's a shared archive and purchasing platform for all used book sellers, and it has proven to work exceptionally well.
Used bookshops have been on abebooks.com for years in the USA. This is new booksellers.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#24Did someone really call their bookshop 'Bookshop'? And I really don't get it - printed books are commodities. They're the same wherever you get them. Anyone except the author is a middleman. Independent bookshops can't value-add anything except in-person, and even then it's limited to creating a nice environment. I love my local bookshop, and we're buying from them during the crisis to be delivered, but being honest…
The value-add of bookstores is discovery. You can browse a bookstore. I don't go to a physical bookstore if I know I want to buy . I go to a bookstore because I want to find something interesting on a certain topic. You can browse Amazon of course, but for some reason it's still an awful user experience.
Yes, this. There's very little serendipity in browsing amazon. I often discover just the book I never knew I always wanted when browsing a physical bookstore's shelves.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#25Cool concept, but the books I compared were 20-50% higher than Amazon, and they charge another $3.50 to ship in 7-10 days.
Is cost the only variable to optimize for? The commodity is the same in both places (barring some reports of counterfeits in Amazon's stock), but is the labor? I'd argue that buying from Amazon has some externalities that aren't captured in the price (particularly in their treatment of labor). I pay more for some times of food that avoids things I consider negative externalities, I'd do the same for books and other c…
The cost is a factor, but the 7-10 day delay is far worse for me and it’s ~$10 shipping to get 2-3 day delivery.
Also, do we know for sure the Ingram warehouse employees are better treated than Amazon?
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#26Cool concept, but the books I compared were 20-50% higher than Amazon, and they charge another $3.50 to ship in 7-10 days.
Is cost the only variable to optimize for? The commodity is the same in both places (barring some reports of counterfeits in Amazon's stock), but is the labor? I'd argue that buying from Amazon has some externalities that aren't captured in the price (particularly in their treatment of labor). I pay more for some times of food that avoids things I consider negative externalities, I'd do the same for books and other c…
I don't disagree in theory, but I don't understand how Bookshop protects indies from Amazon in a way that selling their books directly doesn't, especially if they don't offer an advantage on price or convenience.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#27Did someone really call their bookshop 'Bookshop'? And I really don't get it - printed books are commodities. They're the same wherever you get them. Anyone except the author is a middleman. Independent bookshops can't value-add anything except in-person, and even then it's limited to creating a nice environment. I love my local bookshop, and we're buying from them during the crisis to be delivered, but being honest…
I'm not all against digital seller, but at least when I was a kid, I read in the bookstore almost every day after school. I've only got the allowance of one book per week from my parents, so the bookstore was the only way for me to read though a few books a day. I'd like for bookstores like these to continue to exist.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#28Did someone really call their bookshop 'Bookshop'? And I really don't get it - printed books are commodities. They're the same wherever you get them. Anyone except the author is a middleman. Independent bookshops can't value-add anything except in-person, and even then it's limited to creating a nice environment. I love my local bookshop, and we're buying from them during the crisis to be delivered, but being honest…
Yes, a big part of what local bookshops offer is the physical environment. Mine (near the University of Chicago) does book events, which is why I keep supporting them.
Good bookstores also provide a free service: curation. Really good bookstores are usually small, located near a good university and are run by book-loving alumni who never left the area. Small is important -- limited space means having to be super selective with inventory. A good bookstore display can give you a sense of the zeitgeist, a feeling for what thinking people are interested in at the moment. There's nothing more pleasant than spending a Saturday afternoon stumbling across new ideas in the stacks.
Unfortunately, you're right -- all these things can now be had online. Curation and bibliophile owners? Follow interesting people like Tyler Cowen (Marginal Revolution) and you'll get some of the best book recommendations around. Book event? Can be done via video conference.
All that's left is the physical environment, and now that's gone too.
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#29Did someone really call their bookshop 'Bookshop'? And I really don't get it - printed books are commodities. They're the same wherever you get them. Anyone except the author is a middleman. Independent bookshops can't value-add anything except in-person, and even then it's limited to creating a nice environment. I love my local bookshop, and we're buying from them during the crisis to be delivered, but being honest…
I'm not all against digital seller, but at least when I was a kid, I read in the bookstore almost every day after school. I've only got the allowance of one book per week from my parents, so the bookstore was the only way for me to read though a few books a day. I'd like for bookstores like these to continue to exist.
Is that not what libraries are for?
Re: Thanks to Bookshop, indies stand a chance against Amazon
#30Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is cost the only variable to optimize for? The commodity is the same in both places (barring some reports of counterfeits in Amazon's stock), but is the labor? I'd argue that buying from Amazon has some externalities that aren't captured in the price (particularly in their treatment of labor). I pay more for some times of food that avoids things I consider negative externalities, I'd do the same for books and other c…
The cost is a factor, but the 7-10 day delay is far worse for me and it’s ~$10 shipping to get 2-3 day delivery. Also, do we know for sure the Ingram warehouse employees are better treated than Amazon?
To be honest, Amazon shipping works because it's a monopoly. They don't care how much you buy, it's almost the same for the company, they have to hire the same amount of staff, and same paid hours, at least in urban area. But for any independent store, they have to negotiate a rate with a shipper, which would charge a flat base rate, and overweight if there are any. So it can be difficult for them to offer quality and fast shipping in terms of cost. In a way, they are less efficient than Amazon.