Is Amazon killing off bookshops?

Are you sure you wnt to use Amazon?

www.theguardian.com/business/2016/nov/11/amazon-logistics-drivers-speeding-minimum-wage

In Edinburgh there is a Christian Aid book sale every spring. an enormous church in George Street (St Andrews and St Georges West) is packed full of donated books, as is the courtyard outside. There are specialist sections for various non-fiction subjects, a sectiin of antiquarian books at suitable prices, and table after table of fiction.

In 2015 they made £105,000, plus another £15,000 from the art sale and cafe in the crypt.

There may be similar sales in other areas during Christian aid week.

NotTooOld Have you seen the CreateSpace section? My friend found it not very user friendly in early days, but says it's much improved now. I work with her on covers only so I can't help with the 'innards'. Get your work out there. Everyone deserves an audience! She says FB and word-of-mouth keep it interesting enough to carry on.

www.createspace.com/

There is also a Youtube video. Am not a big YT fan, I like to read things, but have a look anyways.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rB8700WLZg

There's a programme by Inside Out about Amazon delivery drivers now, BBC1.

If you investigate, you will find that whilst Amazon is being cited, the same thing applies to all online companies that use private delivery companies, there was an issue with Yodel a while ago.
There is no doubt that this is wrong, drivers should get a reasonable wage and be able to stay within the law, but poor pay and conditions is endemic throughout the parcel delivery companies.
This is why you see so many complaints about Yodel, Hermes etc, as their drivers cannot afford to deliver twice.

The human cost of Amazon- now on BBC 1- shocking!

To posters who have pointed out Amazon's unethical behaviour towards the people who work for it - thank you.

I did see a programme a couple of years ago which laid bare Amazon's methods. I naively thought that such bad publicity had made Amazon change its practices. I am now ashamed that we have used this company.

Having read this thread and after watching another programme tonight which showed the appalling way in which delivery drivers are treated, I at least will not be using the company again - and will also try and persuade my husband not to.

Many people will use them, though, when they force their suppliers into reducing their prices on what was black friday and is now going to go on for days.
and High Street stores and other retailers will have to follow suit or lose business.

An Amazon delivery driver knocked on my door one afternoon and by the time I reached the door (no more than 15 seconds) he was already on his way out of the gateway. I asked him if he couldn't have given me time to reach the door and he explained that he had to meet his targets. I wonder if they will ever make good their plans to use drones for delivery. Mind boggles!

I just love my Kindle, but I also love handling books. Because I volunteer for 'books for the housebound and elderly' I visit our local library every week, so I'm very 'up' on hard copies. What I do struggle with is steeling myself to walk past the trolleys in our library which have withdrawn books for sale! And I just can't !! I think to myself, I'll just have a quick look to see if there's something I really have to read, like right now!
At 50p a go they are a real bargain, which probably explains why I can supply bagsfull of books to a anyone who needs a good read!

I rarely use Amazon, Book People about every 3 months for a good stock-up, orders over £25 delivery free, also W H Smiths - was over £15 not sure if it's now more as I often order & collect in Store. I use Waterstones, again order so I know book will be in Store when I go into Town which is usually about once a month (saves petrol & wasted journeys)

I have a Kindle which I have never used (a present) as I much prefer a book in my hand.

I am an avid reader & pass books onto my DD who passes them onto friends, other family members etc, they go through many different hands before ending up in a Charity Shop

I love exploring Second hand Bookshops & Charity Shops, although many Charity Shops now over-price their books

Living abroad Amazon was good for buying books for my late Mum who although in her 90s could read 3 books per week. Then they stopped free delivery to Europe if you spent more than £25 so with the weight of the books the costs became prohibitive. I do have a Kindle which is great when travelling but living abroad can only buy Kindle books from Amazon.com and not from .uk. I object to paying $15 for a kindle download when I can buy the paperback for less than £5. So I tend to buy them on visits to see family in England or when Book Depository have sales because of the free delivery. I have loved the feel of paper for nearly 70 years and a kindle will never replace proper paper books for me.

I love my Kindle - great for travelling and instant downloads and reducing the level of things I have to store in my apartment ( have downsized). If I love a book that much then I buy a paper copy for my collection - just for the pleasure of handling a book - or decent illustrations. I don't buy cookery books for my Kindle - they have to be paper.
Online buying has - at times - been a great boon to me. I don't have a car - I shouldn't carry heavy bags - when I sprained my ankle. I can often only get what I want, when I want it, at a price I can afford- from Amazon. I also find that their customer service is excellent and if you use the "chat" function to sort a problem out - it gets sorted in a friendly and effective way.

I love a good book and the feel I am in control of the pages. But then I do not have or experienced an e reader.
Over the years I dread to think of the money spent on books only to give them away although they go to charity shops.Am now holding hands in the air and admitting defeat.E.readers here I come if only to give back space in some of my cupboards which once held nothing but my beloved books. Browsing book shops will not now be on my list and it is
unfortunate that these shops will suffer.We know however that our trees will benefit

I get deliveries from Amazon and other internet vendors from, among others, two regular drivers, one from DPD who used to drive for CityLink for over 10 years, and the other from Hermes who has been with them for 3 years. I used to work for a shop near me that sells worldwide shipping services, so knew them from there.

They both say it's down to being organised. They do not have problems getting their deliveries out, and this is in a densely settled part of the city.

They do say that some first-timers struggle with a poor knowledge of the area (that takes time) and organising their routes, etc. It's not a doddle job, and you need to know the area you are working and using the satnav does not always give the right route-planning.

About map reading: I was lost once trying to find a place in Cardiff, I parked up and took my printed out google map into a shop and asked for directions. The man (in his 30s) just stared at the paper then said he didn't know how to read a map!!!

Another unpleasant experience... I ordered a mattress from some offshoot of Littlewoods. The company's own driver rang me and said he was three streets away and could not get his van down our street (too narrow). I asked what he was driving? It was one of those small box vans.

Bloody heck, I said we get coaches for the church come down our street! He refused flat out and said it would have to be rescheduled with a transit van. Order cancelled!

Royal Mail posties were not happy when they were required to walk their routes at a certain pace. This was in 2008. I do not know the outcome of their protest.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/3708085/Postal-workers-bullied-into-walking-faster-by-Royal-Mail-claims-union.html

Our postie said there were not proper pavements in many sections of the city, and you then have to find something to put the cart's cable lock around when it's out of your vision and these things slow you down. I could not see how they could walk that fast myself. She went off our route not long after, and our current posties seem to change all the time.

I've rarely bought books from bookshops. Too expensive for me, an avid reader. So it's a mixture of the library, charity shops and Kindle. I feel vaguely guilty that I don't support book shops, but only vaguely. I have to cut my suit according to my cloth. (there's an old fashioned expression!)

I have to say that with Amazon I get to keep more of the cost of my book. The publisher has to offer between 40-55% discount to bookshops (depending on the shop). By the time publishing costs are covered there can be precious little left. With Amazon, they make a charge for having it on their website and after that its up to you. We tend to set a lower overall price as p&p have to be added to the total. That's for hard copies.
The kindle version has to be specially formatted and Amazon suggests a price by comparing it to similar books. Depending on the final price we can have either 35% or 70% of list price.
Just thought people might want a rough idea of the economics of it from the other side. Selling via Amazon is a bit of a palaver but its worth our while to do it.

Royal Mail is just as bad, our post lady delivered a bare root rose today, it was soaking wet !. Then she refused to plant it for me I did point out that she was already wet and it was the least she could do, didn't quite catch her reply, but I think she said she was off, or something like that.

I prefer to buy from eBay rather than Amazon, but I do buy Music downloads from Amazon and secondhand books, but they are delivered directly from the seller.

Yes. We send out our books directly ourselves. Sellers don't have to use Amazon for distribution.
Wobbly

I don't know how I'd manage without an e-reader. I can't read some print due to a long standing eye condition Progression has been good for me! I'm unable to wear glasses so altering a font is marvellous for me! I know we can recycle books but hard backs are too heavy to carry on buses if you can't see well enough to drive either and what looks nicer doesn't always work better and costs more!

Afraid I/we use a Kindle or Fire. I usually wake in the night, so using a separate light source is less disruptive for us both.

We change to a blue light for night reading. As I've arthritic wrists using my Fire doesn't hurt them. Unfortunately when watching a film there's no volume control, so that's done (elsewhere) in daytime.

I haven't bought a book in years. I rarely use the library unless it's for research. Can't believe all you read online. I buy some second hand books, then donate them back. Each to their own

Lewlew - thanks for the links. I'll investigate that.

Our local Waterstone's is often pretty busy, thank goodness, but I will admit to not buying a lot there - I do like charity bookshops and will often 'bring and buy'.

I do have a Kindle and find it a Godsend sometimes, particularly when away from home and sleeping in a room without a good bedside light that won't disturb dh (grrrrr - why do some hotels assume that couples go to sleep at the same time???).

But by far the majority of what I have 'bought' for my Kindle from Amazon are the 0p classics - very little more recent. And IIRC I downloaded the complete works of Anthony Trollope for something like £2.50!
I use my local library regularly too - I go through books very quickly so buying all new was never an option.
Shall be visiting Waterstones soon for Christmas presents, though.

There have never been many bookshops around. Any local ones we had disappeared before the advent of Amazon and the libraries have limited opening and very few books. It is a choice between Amazon and charity shops or travelling further for books.