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As you may notice the information on this page is fairly out of date. I updated the paragraph about Amazon.com and recommended ecampus.com on 4/21/2001, but I didn't change much else. Hopefully I'll get back and do more work here soon. - mjl
Most of the links on this page take you to somewhere in Amazon.com.
It used to be that I found Amazon's S&H costs outrageous, but felt that their customer service was good, and their information about the various books was great. However, since they have changed their privacy policy, I no longer do business with them, and I recommend that you don't either!
I currently buy my books online from ecampus.com because their prices are good, and they have free shipping.
Well ecampus now (July 25, 2001) charges just as much as Amazon for shipping, so I guess I'm going to have to look for another site the next time I need to order books!
I have just (8/28/01) found another online bookseller that has free shipping--1bookstreet. I have not yet ordered from them so I can not comment on their service.
Traitor's Moon (Nightrunner Series bk 3) by Lynn Flewelling - finished 9/1/99
Aurian, Harp of Winds & Sword of Flame by Maggie Furey
I'm still (4/18/00) in the middle of Sword of Flame. Although I bought the other 3 after reading Aurian, there are things about the plot and characterization that aren't right and keep tossing me out of the book, which is why haven't yet finished the series. I can't say that I don't like the books, but I haven't been drawn to them enough to finish them after several months.
The Harry Potter books on the other hand were awesome. I agree with the cover blurb which said J.K. Rowling takes after Roald Dahl, and I would add Diana Wynne Jones. I read all 3 in less than a week. The 3rd one I started when I woke up on a Saturday, and I finished it that evening.
When this list reaches critical mass, I'll be placing an order with Amazon.com, but because of their S&H I won't buy just a couple of books at a time (or only paperbacks).
* Just placed an order on 9/11/99
I don't understand why amazon.com feels it has to gouge it's customers on delivery of products. They charge $3 plus $1 per book. Selling over the Internet, they have no high-priced commercial store to support, the savings from this should cover the cost of shipping and handling. Their handling costs can not be much more than a brick and mortar bookstore which still has to take deliver, unpack and display the books, and package and return unpurchased books. Hmm, given all that amazon.com's handling costs may even be less.
This is why I feel that S&H from amazon.com should be free, at least if the order is over a certain amount, say $50, and even under that amount they should charge just the exact cost of shipping.
Of course, feeling this way, I shouldn't do business with them, but no other online bookstore that I've found has done the right thing with regards to S&H either, so I still consider them the best online bookstore. I like their site better than Barnes & Noble (although I have to admit I haven't visited the Barnes & Noble site in a while).
Amazon's customer support is still top notch, for example I sent them a question very late Friday night, and I got a response later that night, and I wasn't even expecting a response until the next business day!
Lastly, you can find just about any book you care to look for on their site, even those that are out of print. You may not be able buy that out of print book, but at least you can verify it's existence and a little something about it.
Note that I wrote this essay about Amazon.com in 1999, when I still felt that Amazon was a good company to do business with. Since then, they modified their privacy policy in a way that I feel compromises my rights and I no longer do business with them.