General Discussion

hunter

(40,728 posts)

63. Their books-on-demand service is what I expected of the 21st century.

Tue Oct 21, 2014, 10:55 AM

Oct 2014

I do my best not to be a "consumer" in any way, but I do have a weakness for paper books, generally not popular books.

It still astonishes me that I can order a book from amazon and see it was printed in San Bernardino on the same day I ordered it.

I suppose my e-book reader is 21st century technology too, and I use mine frequently to read old books I've found on gutenberg.org, but that's not the same to me as a paper book.

My wife is more of a bibliophile than I am. She frequently buys used books from amazon and other sources, often the same edition of books she remembers reading as a child and teenager.

Ideally I think every community needs bookstores, books on demand machines, and free public libraries.

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Do you use Amazon to purchase products [View all] el_bryanto Oct 2014 OP

Pretty soon, with our "overlords" seeing to it that we work 2 or 3 jobs and have no time off at all. hlthe2b Oct 2014 #1

I use Amazon to read reviews. Then I purchase the item from someone else. tenderfoot Oct 2014 #2

Sometimes I do that. Their reviews have become an important part of decision-making. stevenleser Oct 2014 #59

Wal-Mart is cheaper too. tenderfoot Oct 2014 #67

Ugh. Comparing Amazon to Wal-Mart? stevenleser Oct 2014 #70

Is there a reason I shouldn't be? tenderfoot Oct 2014 #91

You realize what Amazon does to local and state tax revenues? joeglow3 Oct 2014 #92

I use Amazon to purchase camera equipment justiceischeap Oct 2014 #3

keh.com??? rdking647 Oct 2014 #21

Yep, keh.com justiceischeap Oct 2014 #29

I like B& H and Adorama to buy camera equipment csziggy Oct 2014 #43

I've been using KEH for years... bobclark86 Oct 2014 #46

I hate their new site too justiceischeap Oct 2014 #47

Almost never. Sometimes a retailer will only sell through Amazon, so then I'll use it. Brickbat Oct 2014 #4

I mostly use it to "buy" $0 books that I read in a browser their cloud server. eShirl Oct 2014 #5

Usually just for used books that I can't find in the stores around here. FSogol Oct 2014 #6

Check out Thriftbooks.com csziggy Oct 2014 #44

Thanks. I also use these: FSogol Oct 2014 #48

Thanks! csziggy Oct 2014 #68

1st editions make great gifts, but other than a Vonnegut and Jim Carroll, I don't own any. FSogol Oct 2014 #73

I use it for things I cannot get anywhere else at anywhere near the price seemingly. brewens Oct 2014 #7

But with Costco at least, they pay a living wage. closeupready Oct 2014 #66

Yup. I buy everything I can at Costco for that reason. We have Winco opening soon in my brewens Oct 2014 #76

Occasional... Wounded Bear Oct 2014 #8

Never bigwillq Oct 2014 #9

Privacy concerns? nt el_bryanto Oct 2014 #13

No bigwillq Oct 2014 #37

I would put ours at well over your maximum choice Lonusca Oct 2014 #10

Amazon is great for the environment. Nye Bevan Oct 2014 #11

Then the mall goes out of business Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #40

A dead mall has a much smaller carbon footprint than a live mall (nt) Nye Bevan Oct 2014 #41

People are going to drive around anyway Art_from_Ark Oct 2014 #42

The Internet has been putting malls out of business for years, kentauros Oct 2014 #45

Malls are buildings that can be used Skidmore Oct 2014 #55

You Left Out The TOXIC Airplane otohara Oct 2014 #65

Run "netstat -an" or "netstat -a" to see how many connections to Amazon servers seveneyes Oct 2014 #12

I use Amazon to purchase heavy items Sedona Oct 2014 #14

Yes. Ykcutnek Oct 2014 #15

Yes, absolutely. MineralMan Oct 2014 #16

well let's try an experiment whatthehey Oct 2014 #17

People like that can take a hike. Ykcutnek Oct 2014 #18

Yeah that's my issue gollygee Oct 2014 #19

Declining health and a dead car necessitate my need for delivered items BuelahWitch Oct 2014 #53

"unionized highly paid"? Buying from local mompop shop means they will have $ to buy from you uppityperson Oct 2014 #78

I think you're fighting a lost cause. Adrahil Oct 2014 #83

They will only survive if we help them. I order online also, but do what I can to keep asm uppityperson Oct 2014 #86

Well, here's a for example.... Adrahil Oct 2014 #96

I use Amazon prime frequently - TBF Oct 2014 #20

Much like Walmart, a few times a year I must buy there rurallib Oct 2014 #22

Hell yeah Reter Oct 2014 #23

I have used it to find books that are hard to find here. femmocrat Oct 2014 #24

I've sold quite a few textbooks. tammywammy Oct 2014 #27

I have, but rarely, I avoid it you could say. nt bemildred Oct 2014 #25

I've used it for books treestar Oct 2014 #26

Only real Books & Movie DVDs appalachiablue Oct 2014 #28

I do nearly all of my shopping online. Starry Messenger Oct 2014 #30

I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon Lurks Often Oct 2014 #31

I prefer to buy local Le Taz Hot Oct 2014 #32

I use it mainly to buy stuff that is either hard to find or hard to transport. The Velveteen Ocelot Oct 2014 #33

I use Amazon for almost anything I buy dumbcat Oct 2014 #34

"My UPS guy knows me well." CrispyQ Oct 2014 #36

My favorite place to shop is my local JAX stores, but I use Amazon a lot. CrispyQ Oct 2014 #35

Once every few years, but I'd probably use it more if I had money. GoCubsGo Oct 2014 #38

But not anymore!! applegrove Oct 2014 #39

Stop using Amazon, please. Orsino Oct 2014 #49

Eh pipi_k Oct 2014 #58

Their low prices hurt people badly. Orsino Oct 2014 #61

Like I said... pipi_k Oct 2014 #75

There are even more alternatives than you suggested. Orsino Oct 2014 #80

This is one of those catches d_r Oct 2014 #89

There is something to be said for lobbying Amazon as a customer. Orsino Oct 2014 #90

I but at least 5 grand a year from Amazon yeoman6987 Oct 2014 #84

I admit I did not expect such pride. Orsino Oct 2014 #85

I am glad you are willing to fight the battle joeglow3 Oct 2014 #93

I am learning there's a little more to it than that... Orsino Oct 2014 #94

Gone are the days of Southwest Airlines joeglow3 Oct 2014 #95

The one thing about Amazon... yuiyoshida Oct 2014 #50

I don't use them as much as I did BuelahWitch Oct 2014 #51

If it can not be obtained localy........... wandy Oct 2014 #52

They really do pipi_k Oct 2014 #60

Yes I use Amazon. We should keep in mind that this giant 'retailer' is also an snappyturtle Oct 2014 #54

I use it once or twice a year. Stellar Oct 2014 #56

I just set up an Amazon Smile account for the group I sing with. woodsprite Oct 2014 #57

Just ordered a set of 38 special sizing dies about 10 min ago. ileus Oct 2014 #62

Their books-on-demand service is what I expected of the 21st century. hunter Oct 2014 #63

Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2014 #64

On getting things free when they screw up, yes, I've also closeupready Oct 2014 #72

Message auto-removed Name removed Oct 2014 #81

I just looked and I have been making 2-4 purchases a month for physical items. dilby Oct 2014 #69

We have members of DU who have successfully self-published on Amazon. closeupready Oct 2014 #71

Only if it's something I can't find locally shanti Oct 2014 #74

I'm enrolled in subscribe and save. ecstatic Oct 2014 #77

All the time. Basically, on demand, online retail is the future. Adrahil Oct 2014 #79

No sales tax here in Colorado! El Supremo Oct 2014 #82

Does Zappos Count RadicalGeek Oct 2014 #87

I did when they started here in Germany. OldEurope Oct 2014 #88

I have, and use, an Amazon Prime account to get things both cheaper and that I cannot get locally. herding cats Oct 2014 #97