the journal of a fangirly insect

As a book lover, this about makes me cry.

Once again, I bought a book from Amazon because it was a couple of bucks cheaper there. And, once again, they just slopped it in a box with no protection and it arrived damaged. I should have taken a picture of the first book; the entire back cover was creased down the middle, as well as about fifty pages of the book. So, they say that they'll send me a replacement. The book above is actually the replacement book. I think it's in worse shape than the first book, because at least the first book wasn't torn.

In comparison, when I buy books from In Stock Trades, they wrap the books in plastic, then put these foam things around the books so they don't get jostled in transit, and then put them in a box that fits. So I get the books looking and smelling like they just came from the distributor. Sure, it might take a week for the books to get here, but they get here in excellent condition. I get the books from Amazon in two days, but when the pages are torn and ripped and creased, why does it matter how quickly they get here? They just have to go back.

ARGH. Why do I bother ordering books from Amazon?

I'm sorry, but this is going to be a rant. Maybe a rant of epic proportions. But definitely a rant.

So, I signed up for Amazon Prime in April, mainly because I am a huge book nerd. I also lack a great deal of patience, so I like to have what I want NOW. So, I figured that it'd be a good investment. Since signing up for Amazon Prime, though, I've been getting a hell of a lot of books that look like this:



That, my friends, is a "new" book shipped from Amazon. Oh yes, it arrived in two days. But...the condition! The front cover has two large diagonal creases (the "classic" you see in the bottom corner is actually from the first page and not the cover), and the top corner is literally peeling apart (the inside pages aren't white - that's the "guts" of the cover) and smushed.

Now, I know that this could happen to any order. What I dislike, however, is that this is happening at a very high rate. Out of the nine books I've ordered in the past two months, five have been damaged so much that I have had to return them. That's over 50%, and I don't like those odds.

The problem is that Amazon throws books into boxes that are far too large for them without any packing materials at all. So, in the end, I get a book that looks like it has been brought here by the Pony Express from California, not UPS from Kentucky.

I'm pissed. I'm tired of having to return books all of the time because Amazon can't get this right. I've emailed customer service three times, and all I get is a "oh I'm sorry, we'll send you a replacement" canned response. The kicker? The "replacement" is often in just as bad of shape, if not worse, than the original.

Take, for example, the Clay Enos Watchmen book I bought for $35. The first copy I received had a three inch tear in the dust jacket. Now, I pay $35 for a book, I expect it to be in very good condition. I do not expect a three inch tear in the jacket. I returned it. Amazon sent me a replacement. I was happy until I opened the box. The replacement had three tears in them, one of them being four inches long. Yes, I measured these tears. Back it went to Amazon, this time for a refund, and I bought the book on eBay from someone for $18 including shipping. It arrived in pristine condition.

ARGH. I am definitely not renewing my Prime membership once it expires. :P It's nice to get books quickly, but you know what's even nicer? Getting them in good condition. :P