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Why I shop Amazon, but buy B&N

image Um, actually, it’s easy:  B&N wants my money; Amazon doesn’t.  B&N takes PayPal.  Amazon doesn’t.  And I don’t have a credit card at the moment.

imageSo there you go.  It’s not complicated, just a  little frustrating sometimes.

By the way, I do use Amazon.com all the time nevertheless.  I have been using Amazon for almost 15 years now (wow – that long???).  I have reviewed hundreds of books there (I think) and it keeps careful track of my preferences, so that it can make new suggestions every time I visit the site.

So what do I do with the suggestions, considering I can’t afford to buy (many) books?  Tab over to the Toronto Public Library catalogue, where I search for the book and put a hold on it. 

If the library doesn’t have a particular book (sometimes, they just haven’t ordered it YET), I add it to my Amazon.com wish list.  That way, a) it stays there to remind me so I can search every few weeks until it comes in, or b) even if I can’t read the book itself, Amazon keeps making recommendations of similar books, so chances are, I’ll find something similar to keep me entertained.

image 

Vast fun!  As is affixing clip art to various organizations copyrighted logos and service marks, by the way.

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Comments

  1. Shady LadyFebruary 01, 2011 5:18 PM

    I totally love Amazon. It keeps me from having to go into a store. I hate shopping. We paid for Amazon Prime so all of our stuff ships 2-day for no charge. Love that! We use debit card rather than credit. But it would be totally cool if they took PayPal. I love PayPal, too. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousFebruary 02, 2011 1:10 PM

    Hi!
    You should really check out Better World Books - they accept Paypal and have great prices. The also help spread literacy throughout the world.

    Book Depository is another great one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. TziviaFebruary 02, 2011 4:46 PM

    @CY: Better World sells through B&N, so it is always an option if their prices are competitive. I've noticed a number of charitable booksellers, such as Goodwill and one for AIDS in NYC. I buy based on price, and if the $ goes to tzedaka, that's great, too.

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousFebruary 06, 2011 1:18 PM

    No kidding! I didn't know that BandN had a BWB connection! That's amazing. I also really had to mention that I'm a Bookmoocher - it's an online community that swaps books. www.bookmooch.com - I'm obsessed with it! I've gotten some really great books that way.
    Being in Israel, free shipping is a big deal for me! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. TziviaFebruary 06, 2011 4:13 PM

    @CY - well, I don't know about Israel, but I hardly ever ship anything anywhere anymore, because Canada Post is SO darn expensive. Why pay $7 to ship a used book, when I could just drop it off at Value Village for nothing but pick up a "new" used book there for $2-3???

    I also stopped joining buying co-ops etc in the US, and even free "round-robin" type parcel things because it's no bargain once I pay for shipping. :-(((

    (this is the 2nd largest country in the world, with a relatively tiny population, so those of us in the dense southern cities are subsiding mail delivery to the arctic and beyond - blah)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousFebruary 08, 2011 3:24 PM

    I've heard Canadian bookmoochers complain about the very high shipping rates. :( Even within Canada. It's a shame. Thankfully, shipping rates here are very reasonable.

    ReplyDelete

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