RE: Beware Alibris was Beware of Amazon.com
Alibris lies when it comes to shipping time. I ordered something in late November for Xmas and, because I paid for "priority shipping", they promised two week shipping time. I received the book around Jan 15th. Needless to say I was a bit embarrassed regarding the Xmas gift. I downloaded a jpeg of the cover, printed it, taped it to the cover of my copy of Jansen's Art History, wrapped it, put it under the tree, and gave a full explanation on Xmas morning. They DO access rare books at reasonable prices...as long as you have a LONG time to wait for shipping. CHEERS! BOB -----Original Message----- From: Thom Mitchell [mailto:tjmitch@ix.netcom.com] Sent: Friday, September 07, 2007 3:33 PM To: alt-photo-process-l@usask.ca Subject: Re: Beware of Amazon.com Think of Amazon as a Mall with lots of little stores. Whenever you see a seller, usually labeled Amazon marketplace or just sellers, it isn't from Amazon. For example William Crawford's Keeper's of Light is out of print but available on Amazon from other sellers. http://www.amazon.com/Keepers-Light-History-Photographic-Processes/dp/087100 1586/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-3150362-2579851?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189192897&sr=8 -1 This is much like the Ebay buy it now feature. Any seller can name any price. It's the ultimate demonstration of caveat emptor. Amazon is just a business - whose pricing and interactions are fairly public unlike many other businesses. Like any business there are pros and cons. 20 Years ago if you wanted an out-of-print book and didn't live in NYC or Chicago - it was very difficult to get and involved many hours on the telephone. Now you can quickly search and find most anything between Amazon, Abe, bookfinder.com and Alibris. Amazon is a big business but so was Kodak (not so big anymore). They aren't a charity or a non-profit (although they didn't turn a profit for a long time) so they can charge what they want in a free marketplace. I use them as well as other bookstores. I find my transactions with them are straight-forward, error-free, and consistent. I also support my local bookstores but the local bookstore inventory is by necessity limited whereas Amazon can aggregate it's own, and it's marketplace sellers into a limitless selection. Just my 3 cents worth. -thom Judy Seigel wrote: > > Some months ago, a colleague e-mailed to tell me that Amazon.com was > charging $150 for, I think it was Reilly's book of Albumen & Salted > Paper printing. > > Absurd of course, so could I suggest some other source? I figured it > was simply an overblown estimate of value of an out-of-print book you > could download for free (I heard) from University of something in > California. Or find for $20 on Abe Books. > > But today, speaking with my friend, publisher of Midmarch Press (small > press that umbrella-ed Post-Factory, among others), I learn that > Amazon is charging $150 for Midmarch's most recent book, which is > actually priced at $25 (deliberately low, so artists can afford it). > She learned this from the book's editor, who called, distraught, > because a friend of *hers* had tried to buy it and been quoted that > price. > > It seems that Amazon is like E-bay that Ryuji can't reach -- Cynthia > (the publisher) cannot get to speak to any person at Amazon, they > ignore her e-mails, and don't take phone calls, or surface mail. She > told her friend the obvious, send a check for $25 to Midmarch, 300 > Riverside Dr, NYC 10025 (as I've mentioned on this list before, it's > always preferable to buy direct from author or small press as Amazon > takes a 60% cut -- you heard me, SIXTY PERCENT, plus publisher's cost > to ship to them)... > > But I wonder how many more such cases exist, whether it's a mere > computer glitch, or intentional. (How Amazon treats small publishers > is anyway outrageous... I'd bet the farm they don't treat large > publishers that badly. They get away with it because people are > lazy...Don't want to think or move their butt -- just order it on > Amazon.) > > This particular book by the way, is especially interesting to me and > one I intend to buy (and pay full price for!) myself... I've been > asked so many times about "The Club" (in part no doubt because there > are panels and snippets of its history in my own "Mutiny and the Main > Stream" and probably also because I've heard so much about it from, > for instance, Cynthia, whose late husband was also one of the > founders, as I believe was Harold Rosenberg). It's a memoir (title: > "Club without Walls") from the notes of the late Philip Pavia, another > founder & longtime Club secretary, edited by his wife, Natalie Edgar... > > Meetings were on 10th street, ending at the Cedar Tavern, also in this > general neighborhood... Another spot for tourist groups to stand in > front of and listen to lectures of loosely related facts, tho my real > estate tax will feel it anyway. ... I don't remember but heard about > the days when you could get a nice studio on 10th Street for $20 or > $30/month. (You will I trust excuse the mention... No communication > from these parts can go out by land sea or air without mention of real > estate. It's the law.) > > But lest my point get lost: beware of Amazon. com. They're out of > control. > > > love & kisses, > > Judy >
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