81–90 of 117 posts
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What about abebooks?
Some online booksellers that aren't quietly owned by Amazon include: * Alibris (aggregator like AbeBooks) * Better World Books (B Corp) * ThriftBooks * Bookshop.org (benefits local bookstores) You can also connect directly to nearby independent booksellers on https://www.indiebound.org/
I think it's run out of Charlotte.
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Parcel lockers are a very interesting concept. It's generally something quite straightforward - something that stores items for your at a location (and you get an email / SMS notification + can open it via code, or app). The idea probably was invented in many places, but I think Germany had them first. They are incredibly popular in Poland, because they are very reliable. Towns are full of them and in last years, bas…
US mail has been using parcel lockers in new neighborhoods for decades..
Sending a parcel is similar: you can prepare a shipping label at home and print it out. When you arrive at a locker, you just scan label's barcode, a door opens, and you pop your parcel in there. Or you can prepare the label at the parcel machine, it will print out a sticker for your parcel. Stick it on, scan the code, door opens, put your parcel there.
A standard parcel locker looks like this: https://i.imgur.com/X5Gj4JQ.jpg
Different size doors are for small / medium / large parcels. Center section has touchscreen, payment card reader, barcode scanner and a printer for shipping labels and receipts.
Such parcel lockers have been around for approximately 15 years, but usage exploded somewhat later.
There are no words for how much this sucks. If you are outside the US/EU, reasonably priced books in english aren't easy to find. CompSci literature in English? Forget it, buddy. Book Depository had decent prices with free international shipping to most of the world. Sure, I have to wait a month and sometimes they have to reship because it got damaged in transport, but if I need a book immediately Library Genesis is…
In Poland there is a whole ecosystem of resellers who sell various books on Allegro (which is basically polish equivalent of Ebay + Amazon). I am not sure exactly how do they get the book info, but it is quite clear that they get the inventory off Amazon, who ships the books to the resellers first, who repack them and send them to direct customers. Of course you can ask, "why not buy at Amazon (or Ebay) directly"? We…
They do exist, and have existed since at least 2010, when I first used one.
There are many thousands of them in cities big and small. Many are run by Amazon, but not all.
I can think of six locations within a few blocks of my home.
There are no words for how much this sucks. If you are outside the US/EU, reasonably priced books in english aren't easy to find. CompSci literature in English? Forget it, buddy. Book Depository had decent prices with free international shipping to most of the world. Sure, I have to wait a month and sometimes they have to reship because it got damaged in transport, but if I need a book immediately Library Genesis is…
I'm inside the EU (Ireland) and "reasonably priced books in English aren't easy to find" unless you're buying pre-owned books and in most cases I can't find what I'm looking for specially when it comes to tech books. As an island, we're very much dependent on Amazon.co.uk for books.
That strange site helped me get tons of books for college.
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US mail has been using parcel lockers in new neighborhoods for decades..
Is there any notification via email or SMS? "Decades" suggest that they are just physical lockers that you have to go and manually check for mail. We have these too in rural areas, where delivery to every single farmhouse is too expensive and time-consuming. But modern parcel lockers are different. They are networked computers connected to solenoids that operate door locks. You get a code via mail or SMS when a parce…
The USPS parcel lockers were around long before the internet. Back then when you had a package, the postman would stick a sticky note to your door to let you know to go pick it up.
Today, the USPS will email you a list of all the mail and packages with photos you are getting that day.
It doesn't notify you upon delivery, unless the sender requests it. But once you have the package ID number (which comes with the email), you can put it into any number of free or paid apps that will alert you immediately upon delivery.
A standard parcel locker looks like this: https://i.imgur.com/X5Gj4J
The one you show looks like a bog-standard parcel locker operated by any of dozens of delivery companies, office buildings, apartment buildings and retail stores around the country for years and years.
Nothing special. Here's the USPS version, which has been around since 2011: https://gopost.usps.com/media/images/gp/USPS-gopost-unit.png
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Are books VAT free in NL? If not that's probably why.
Books are not VAT free. On a €15 book I ended up getting charged €9 for customs: €1 for the reduced VAT for books €6.50 for the customs handling fee €1.50 for VAT on the customs handling fee So it’s the customs handling fee being added that’s contributed to the price increase. Seems like the Netherlands started to enforce it for even small value orders from the UK.
I wonder if Goodreads is next under the guillotine.
In case anyone cares, I started looking for online bookseller alternatives to Amazon a while ago, and have generally enjoyed shopping with Alibris.
First dpreview.com, now this. I wonder who's next...
