When I started this blog my focus was on book reviews but now that it has grown, I want to share some stuff other than book reviews. Ramblings Keep Me sane is essentially about, well, ramblings. It could be book-related ramblings… or not. It’ll be like a discussion post where readers can share their opinion about anything under the sun.
Books Lost in the Mail
I have noticed that there are some bloggers complaining about buying books online but never receiving the said books. There are millions of mail that are being being shipped to different places around the world and there is no guarantee that all of those mail will arrive at their destination. What if one of those lost items is yours?
I rarely buy anything online. I only buy stuff on the internet when I can’t find them in shops or if they’re really rare. One of the reasons why I don’t always shop online is the amount of the shipping fee. Most online sellers I buy from are from the US and since I am from the Philippines, the shipping cost tends to be more expensive. Another reason is that I am worried my order might not arrive on time or might not arrive at all!
Amazon and The Book Depository are some of the pretty well known online book sellers. Amazon offers free shipping on orders more than 35 dollars but it’s only for customers living in the US so it’s no use for me. The Book Depository offers free shipping fee and they ship to most countries and they also offer discounts on books. This sounds like a really good deal, right?
When buying books– or anything for that matter–online, be sure to remember these:
- Check and double check the shipping address – this is one of the most common reasons why mails don’t arrive in the right destination.
- Check the site’s policies – it never hurt anyone to check the site’s FAQ before purchasing anything. Read their return policy so that you’d know what to do if the goods they sent you is damaged.
- If you need this item right now, it’s probably not a good idea to get it online – consider this if the seller is not based in your country. It can take up to 20 days or a month for a book to arrive at the destination depending on which corner of the globe you live in.
- Research and read reviews – if you’re unfamiliar with the vendor, remember Google is your friend. You can search and read reviews of the seller. Read also the customer feedback to get a glimpse of the quality of service your chosen vendor has to offer.
- If there’s anything unclear to you, ask! – don’t hesitate to send an email to the seller if you have questions that aren’t covered in their FAQ.
- Customs Tax/Fee – most sellers are not responsible for the customs fee/tax of the goods you ordered once it arrived in your country. Depending on the country you live in and the customs policy, the customs tax/fee can be very expensive. It’s important to consider it when you buy something from another country.
You can find a lot of great things on the internet and sometimes it is tricky to buy them. Just remember these tips and you’re good to go.
Do you buy books or other stuff on the internet? How often? Have you had books lost in the mail?
Books Keep Me Sane 
Since I’m from a little country in Central America most books don’t come here. So, I have to order them online. The problem with The Book Depository is that sometimes the books arrive a month after they are shipped. And the good thing about Amazon is that if you order more than 2 books in the same package they come sometimes in 12 days or less.
Anyway, there’s always a chance a book get lost, but all those points you make are really useful!
amazon is an excellent online seller but I don’t like shouldering the shipping fee so I prefer TBD even though I have to wait for 20 days. Small price to pay for free shipping lol.
I’ve never lost anything in the mail, personally but I know people who have. I have heard some bloggers who went to BEA last year complain about losing their ARCs in the mail, which sucks.
Great post!
I heard the same horror story from BEA goers last year. I think it’s better to carry your BEA books with you when you return home than have the books shipped to your house. I think it’s safer that way.
I send out tons of books to readers, and so far all of them have arrived, although it’s often taken awhile to get there. I did have one book routed to an old address of mine, but it eventually found it’s way to me!
Glad to hear you haven’t experienced getting any items lost in the mail 😀 I’m always hesitant to shop online because it takes 20 days to a month for items to get to me and I get paranoid and think they’re probably lost in the mail lol.
I buy books online from Barnes and Noble often because they send me so many tempting coupons. I live in the US and have a membership card with them so no matter what I spend, I’m getting free shipping on it. Sometimes I order from Amazon-I just used a giftcard to get a few books from there but because I don’t have much experience with the site I’m kind of worried about how long shipping might take!
Wow having B&N membership has a lot of perks! If you buy from Amazon US and you live in the US you won’t have any problems, if i’m not mistaken they have same-day delivery or next-day delivery. :))
We shop online usually 2-3 times a month, especially on Amazon. I’ve never had a lost package though, knock on wood 🙂
Glad to hear that! Amazon is a pretty trust-worthy seller 😀
A couple of times I’ve had stuff get lost in the mail. However, if it is a genuine shop, they usually offer a replacement or your money back. It’s only ebay stuff that are a lost cause.
I heard a lot of fraud and items getting lost without getting replacement in Ebay. I personally don’t recommend buying on that site unless it’s absolutely necessary. Book sellers like TBD, Amazon and B&N offer replacement so I think it’s pretty safe to buy from them.