Beyond Amazon

[pez]

The Book Depository has free worldwide shipping and their books are often a tiny bit cheaper than Amazon UK. Also useful when a book you want is out of stock on Amazon. (Their prices as an Amazon Marketplace seller is higher than the prices listed on their own site. I'm guessing that's because Amazon takes a cut of the profits.)

Also, I was looking at Spin: Repackaged on Amazon. I already have the Spin CD since it came out years ago, but didn't realise there was another version with a second disc that has tracks from live recordings. Seeing as it's Darren Hayes and he's better live than recorded and the CD is only £2.98, I thought I should get it... but then there was a problem. Amazon's free shipping starts at £5, and a £2.98 CD plus shipping would make it oh, £4.50? So I looked around to find something roughly £2.02 to buy instead and... didn't find any.

And then I remembered HMV. 8D It turns out they have free shipping on everything and they sell the CD for £2.99, one whole penny more expensive.

♪ There's life outside your apartment Amazon ♫ *hums to the Avenue Q song*

Sometimes I wonder. People blame email and other technology for the postal service's troubles. Sure, people probably don't write letter so much anymore, but we have many more businesses these days and also do so much online shopping, which didn't exist before. Why can't they just admit that their suckage at management has contributed to their own problems? For example, I'd be willing to use ParcelForce a lot more if they actually have decent customer service. Instead I look for alternative ways to get stuff sent to me and avoid using ParcelForce to send my own stuff out, opting for DHL and FedEx instead. The only company that's as bad or worse than ParcelForce is probably City Link...

Comments

[semishade (from livejournal.com)]

Internet shopping is a huge growth market for postal services - unfortunately they're not keeping up with higher demand. I've had issues with all the main delivery companies and I'm one of the lucky few who can guarantee them a weekday on which I'll be home! Generally, I find they're usually fine if you're there for the first delivery attempt,things go pear shaped after that. I'm actually more amenable to Parcelforce these days because they just drop stuff at the local post office if I'm not in rather than waiting for me to book a delivery!

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

The card Royal Mail (whose company also owns ParcelForce, obviously) leaves when they don't find you at home always has one of the tick boxes as "left at your nominated safe place". After so many years I still have to find out how to tell them where my nominated safe place is. With FedEx in the US you can register with them so that if they have any parcels for you when you aren't at home, they leave the parcel at the safe place.

Mail delivery service varies so much depending on area. Since moving out of London I've had much better luck with the mail. And the postie actually doesn't mind leaving mail with my neighbour (I can see why they wouldn't want to do that in London). And parcel delivery people actually speak English. >>

[semishade (from livejournal.com)]

When my parents lived in north Wales, whenever the postman had a signed-for delivery, he just used to sign the card himself and leave the parcel by the kitchen door! This was of course a very rural area...most times, you posted your mail by leaving it in your letter box for him to pick up!

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

I'm confused--don't you have to send packages through the post anyway?

[yuki-scorpio.livejournal.com]

But there are different postal companies to choose from! And the main postal company here, their parcel delivery service sucks.

[fic-faery.livejournal.com]

I've used Book Depository before and I loved the free shipping. And while the site said it would take 3 weeks or so to get to Japan it took only one week. I was very impressed with them.