Amazon offer a wonderful supply of both new and rare to find and out of print edition books, all with substantial discounts and some of the best prices on the web. As a UK resident, my review is geared primarily to https://amazon.co.uk but the information also relates to the .com site.
The site is beautifully presented and stocks an enormous array of titles on just about any subject, including some very to find or ex-print items. The site has an excellent search facility which is very thorough and very fast but the best thing about Amazon are their prices, which are incredibly competitive and you are almost guaranteed to get savings on just about every title stocked. I’ve found titles with as much as 80% off the list price and most items are at least 20% cheaper than the recommended retail price!
Amazon (the UK site) have recently added new products to their range to include films, DVDs, software and video games and although at present the range available is fairly limited, Amazon are increasing their stocks rapidly and I feel sure that they will soon be a force to be reckoned with in these departments too.
Placing your order on the site is very simple and you have the choice of the encrypted secure server or the more basic one. Your address and paytment details can be stored on the site securely so that future orders can be made at just a couple of clicks of your mouse. This saves you having to constantly re-input your personal and payment details.
There is a charge made for delivery as you have probably guessed, but this is fairly reasonable and with the discounts on offer you should still make savings even when the fee for postage and packaging is added on.
The speed at which Amazon despatch your goods to you is first rate, my orders have never taken longer than two working days to arrive unless I’ve ordered a title that is currently out of stock or pre-ordered a soon to be published title. And I am always kept informed of the progress of my order with regular emails and confirmation of when my items are despatched.
Amazond also have an excellent returns system should you need it. I once had to return a book to them when they sent me the wrong book by mistake, but their Customer Services Dept went out of their way to be helpful and apologetic. They sent me pre-paid return labels that arrived the very next day and a personal letter of apology with the replacement (and correct!) order within 24 hours, pretty impressive stuff!
Overall, Amazon offer exceptional service, great prices and a very easy and pleasant shopping experience. The items always arrive quickly, in perfect condition and packaged beautifully and I heartily recommend them to anybody. The website is easy to navigate and quite fast loading, and helpful advice is given every step of the way. If only online shopping was always this easy......