It seemed too good to be true. Free shipping to anywhere in the world. No annual fee, no strings attached.
I regularly used The Book Depository for my reading purchases. Sometimes they were cheaper than Amazon, sometimes they weren't. I would get Flame Tree Publishing books weeks ahead of time. I never ordered a book without checking to see who had the better deal.
You couldn't get most of the independent releases from The Book Depository. Most books of this nature, my own included, are Print on Demand from Amazon.
I always liked ordering from the Depository. It felt like a purer alternative to Amazon. Yes, I know, Amazon owned The Book Depository. It still seemed like spreading the wealth a little bit.
Obviously there wasn't next day or two-day shipping. That never bothered me. I have plenty of reading material around here at all times.
Here's another thing: I never once, in the dozens of orders I made from The Book Depository, received a package with damaged books. I can't say the same for Amazon.
The Book Depository sold books. That was their business. Not toys and lawn mowers and gewgaws. Books.
Nothing can replace a real bookstore, but we never really had any decent ones in my town. I mostly have been forced to shop online.
The Book Depository recently announced their impending closure. I was deeply saddened to hear the news. They remained opened for a few weeks, and I made two final orders. A last Flame Tree purchase from Brian Pinkerton and a biography of Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Yesterday, April 26, 2023, was the last day The Book Depository accepted orders. They will stay afloat until all previous purchases are satisfied.
I want to thank all the Book Depository employees for the exemplary service I received for the past decade. I've never had anything but pleasurable experiences in my dealing with the company. How often can you say that?
The world is a little darker today. Smaller. If the big corporations have their way, we won't have many choices in which to spend our money. Amazon would flood everything away in its path if it could, and it has been doing a great job of it. I am a Prime member, and I shop there a lot, but I try to help the underdogs when I can. A few purchases here and there won't hurt The Bezos Bunch, but they will definitely help the competition.
Written by Mark Sieber
I regularly used The Book Depository for my reading purchases. Sometimes they were cheaper than Amazon, sometimes they weren't. I would get Flame Tree Publishing books weeks ahead of time. I never ordered a book without checking to see who had the better deal.
You couldn't get most of the independent releases from The Book Depository. Most books of this nature, my own included, are Print on Demand from Amazon.
I always liked ordering from the Depository. It felt like a purer alternative to Amazon. Yes, I know, Amazon owned The Book Depository. It still seemed like spreading the wealth a little bit.
Obviously there wasn't next day or two-day shipping. That never bothered me. I have plenty of reading material around here at all times.
Here's another thing: I never once, in the dozens of orders I made from The Book Depository, received a package with damaged books. I can't say the same for Amazon.
The Book Depository sold books. That was their business. Not toys and lawn mowers and gewgaws. Books.
Nothing can replace a real bookstore, but we never really had any decent ones in my town. I mostly have been forced to shop online.
The Book Depository recently announced their impending closure. I was deeply saddened to hear the news. They remained opened for a few weeks, and I made two final orders. A last Flame Tree purchase from Brian Pinkerton and a biography of Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Yesterday, April 26, 2023, was the last day The Book Depository accepted orders. They will stay afloat until all previous purchases are satisfied.
I want to thank all the Book Depository employees for the exemplary service I received for the past decade. I've never had anything but pleasurable experiences in my dealing with the company. How often can you say that?
The world is a little darker today. Smaller. If the big corporations have their way, we won't have many choices in which to spend our money. Amazon would flood everything away in its path if it could, and it has been doing a great job of it. I am a Prime member, and I shop there a lot, but I try to help the underdogs when I can. A few purchases here and there won't hurt The Bezos Bunch, but they will definitely help the competition.
Written by Mark Sieber
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