[shuttertalk]

Quite a bit off topic, but I bought some books from Amazon the other day and was very pleased with the experience! I was after a couple of computer programming books (ruby on rails -- geek!) which would have cost at least $100 - $120 locally, not including shipping costs. In the end, it cost me $80 AUD to buy the books and ship them from the US... bargain!

Everything went really smoothly - the package arrived in around 3 weeks, and everything was packed well and the books were in pristine condition. The package looked like it had been opened slightly - probably upon inspection when it came into the country.


Too bad they only sell books internationally - otherwise I'd pick up some electronics bargians too. Nevertheless, they've got some interesting books in photography books - might pick some up next.

Just out of interest - do people here buy stuff from amazon? Do you buy books only or electronics, and photo gear too? I've always wondered - their prices seem pretty good for camera gear - what's the catch?


p.s. (Shameless plug) - By the way if you haven't visited our amazon branded store yet, do check it out! The prices are exactly the same as buying directly from amazon, and we get a small kickback for your support...

[Pat]

I've been buying books from Amazon for years, the price in Australia through the roof. The flip side is the disappearing of reference books for IT/Photography from our local bookstores, i.e. Angus & Robertson/Dymocks - Borders Books are pretty good but so far only in areas with the larger populations. Nearest one to us is on the Central Coast. I like to peruse a book before I buy, Amazon has realised the problem giving us a look at a few pages online.

[Wedding Shooter]

I am so sorry ST - I just ordered one and didn't realise that it was the same shop as here. Won't make that mistake again

I tried this one as a test - hopefully it will arrive soon (it is a book on posing people - always ready to learn more).

I agree Pat - the books in the stores in Perth are really limited and expensive. We do have a Borders - just opened up. But I was still not that impressed with their range of photographic books.

Cheers,

Chris

[Don Schaeffer]

We have bough books and dvds from Amazon very happily. My own book, "Nearly Full" is available through Amazon.ca.

[Paul.R.Lindqvist]

Nope, sweden dropped the heavy taxes on books a few years back, so now its cheaper to buy local (or from swedish online stores) But i do use Amazon to look up books and to read reviews.

/Paul L.

[shuttertalk]

But i do use Amazon to look up books and to read reviews.

/Paul L.

Yes, I definitely find the reviews really useful. Especially when there's like 6 books on the same topic and you don't know which one to choose...

[Toad]

We have pretty good bookstores in Vancouver, but I will occasionally order a specialty item from Amazon - last time it was a book on configuring SAP systems. That would be pretty hard to find in a bookstore.