Book Depository

I received an email today stating that are closing.

Yes, saw that online yesterday. Figured it would happen sooner or later since they were hollowed out by their acquisition. A shame, I used to be quite a regular customer of theirs in the day.

>1 Atheistic: So far this year Amazon have announced job cuts for around 27,000 workers - so this kind of thing was sadly predictable given their current attempts at cost-cutting.

https://www.bbc.com/news/business-65184776

Some interesting comments from the link above...

Amazon likely acquired this company for its user base, and closing redundant operation in the times of austerity seems like a sensible move - aj

Any bookstore who's owner tries to leave the planet because he owes his former wife a few billion, is never going to succeed, especially as tried it twenty odd years ago and failed miserably. - Nowhere Man

Amazon didn't destroy the bookstores. We did. Love it or hate it. Amazon provides a service high street book stores just can't compete with for most use cases. - This name is awaiting moderation

>4 mr.philistine:
Amazon didn't destroy the bookstores. We did. Love it or hate it. Amazon provides a service high street book stores just can't compete with for most use cases.
Figures indicate that the number of independent book shops has started to grow again, at least here in the UK.
On a cost front, whilst Amazon do provide significant discounts on some hardbacks, I find their paperback prices (and many hardback) are simply not worth it compared to the personal service, friendliness and speed of delivery (unless on Prime) of my local bookshop.

>5 Willoyd: I used to buy the Everyman Classics from Amazon as they were released. However the past 3-4 years the discount dropped from 40 to 10-15% and so I now order from an independent shop. I understand the business model of Amazon but am not sure how successful they have been in changing the habits of book buyers (for other items they have definitely been successful)

I was reading some reactions on twitter and reddit, and BD's closure will affect many readers that had it as their only option to buy english language books at decent-ish prices. While some other countries have local Amazon storefronts, those where Amazon doesn't operate directly will be particularly hit.

Among those countries are Argentina, Chile, Peru, the Baltics, the Balkans, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand. I also see several dependencies and overseas territories that BD served, so readers in those places will likely be impacted to at least by having to pay higher shipping fees.

>7 dyhtstriyk: Book buyers in these countries can access booksellers in the US and elsewhere using ABE Books com (which is owned by Amazon).

>8 English-bookseller:

Maybe, but at much higher prices due to shipping fees, which were included in the price at Bookdepository, and clearly low considering the end price. And Abebooks doesn't deliver to all the countries Bookdepository did. Germany, for example, has been almost completely cut off from international sellers on Abebooks due to new rules about both tax and a waste disposal fee every single seller is supposed to pay. Bookdepository was my best, for some things the only source for Australian imports as well as English-language audio book CDs. Amazon often doesn't list those, probably to give their audible an advantage, and they aren't available from German shops either.

That being said, I unfortunately had to stop buying from Bookdepository after Brexit since (with the exception of Australian imports shipped directly from there) they just weren't able to get a grip on the tax issue. I kept on paying tax upon purchase, but packages were either taxed a second time or simply returned to them.

Given its owner, Book Depository's fate was perhaps inevitable. For anyone who, like me, found its wishlists a useful place to keep lists of books of interest, Book Depository has made available a straightforward way of exporting the wishlists as a downloadable pdf, though stripped of prices and cover art. Or has that always been there?

Like others, I’m surprised that BD has lasted this long; it was fully understood that this would be the outcome once it had been sold. A major blow to international buyers, absolutely, but if there is actual profitability behind the BD model, someone could revive it under a new business. If not, it was great while it lasted. I fear it may well be the latter.

Sad to see this go. When I was living in Denmark I was using Book Depository heavily as the only means to get books with free shipping. Buying books especially English books was very expensive. I can’t imagine what’s going on now with the VAT changes and shipping costs. Seems Germany has been hit hard.

I've used BD to get book editions from british publishers that amazon doesn't sell on their US site. Hopefully those options are going to be rolled into the US site now, since I can't seem to find those editions elsewhere for a reasonable price. But I'm not holding my breathe on it happening.

Doesn't Wordery provide a similar model for overseas buyers, with 'free international delivery with every order'? A plus is that it isn't owned by Amazon.

>13 Luke.w: That's my use case, as well. I agree with your hope and your pessimism.

>14 cronshaw: Wordery may not be owned by Amazon , but it is owned by the same company which owns Waterstones (which bought up Hatchards, Foyles, Blackwells) and Barnes & Noble so has bought up pretty much all of the existing bricks & mortar bookselling chains & currently holds $71 billion in assets. (Daunt’s bookstores may not be run by him day to day anymore, but i believe is still owned by James Daunt who is the also CEO of Waterstones/Barnes & Noble)

Apart from a few independents, the vast majority of books sold are either via Amazon or this company. Wordery is not an independent company & the fact that they aren’t owned by Amazon but by another predatory behemoth (which has run into trouble in recent years for paying their staff below minimum wage) isn’t maybe as much of a plus as you suggest.

>16 antinous_in_london: thanks for that information. I didn't know Wordery's owner was as predatory and monopolising as Amazon. Most depressing.

>18 AlexBookshelfFrog: I stopped ordering books from amazon if I can help it just because of this. About 6 or so years ago they really changed how they package books to putting it in loose boxes where they always arrived damaged. Although there aren't always many other options for some books or some locations.

Will sorely miss ordering from Bookdepository. Since March 2011, my orders have totalled 344 books.

>21 drasvola:
Wow!!
And I thought I ordered a lot of books from them.

>21 drasvola: Agreed. Have been offline for most of last 2 weeks and was upset to discover the closure. Since April 2011 I've ordered 221 from them, and read almost all now I look back through the orders.

>22 wcarter:
>23 ian_curtin:

Their bookmarks and inspired designs have been very practical and original. I'll miss them too. I'm keeping a collection.

Not sure if anyone has mentioned it here yet, but Blackwell’s is my go-to for buying books from the UK in the US. I first discovered Blackwell’s when I was studying at Oxford; their Broad Street location should be in the pantheon of great book shops. Being nostalgic, a few years ago I looked at their webpage and saw that they sell to the US. Anyway, they have unbeatable prices that include shipping for US customers. Books arrive reasonably quickly and in better shape than via Amazon. I’d honestly pay more than Amazon just to support the shop, but their US prices are surprisingly competitive. I think they have an Amazon storefront, but I honestly skip that and just use the Blackwell’s website, which is more convenient. They are a smaller chain, but they have a pretty robust inventory system, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.

>25 Fortinbras1601: I agree, I have used Blackwells (and OUP) in the last year for shipping to the US. Both have been good.

>25 Fortinbras1601: Just to note, as I mentioned above, Blackwells aren’t a ‘smaller chain’ - they are owned by Waterstones which itself is owned by a $71 billion hedge fund which also owns Barnes & Noble & is in many ways just as ruthless as Amazon in its business practices.

Whether you buy a book from Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Blackwells, Foyles, Hatchards, Wordery etc the money all goes to the same place - Elliott Investment Management - so technically your purchases aren’t ‘supporting the shop’ , they are supporting a 71 billion dollar hedge fund (which is also currently part of a consortium looking to buy Manchester United football club, Elliott’s owner having sold AC Milan football club last year for €1.2 billion).

>27 antinous_in_london: are you telling me my hard earned money is being used to buy Manchester United?! No!!! 🤬😝

>27 antinous_in_london: Whether you buy a book from Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, Blackwells, Foyles, Hatchards, Wordery etc

But not these Hatchards!



Haworth. Brontë Country.

No association, I've never been to the bookshop there.

Image borrowed from Facebook.

>28 Hamwick: I’m afraid it could be true ! Shame on you !

>29 bookfair_e: I have been there & fortunately this Hatchard is exempt from criticism as it only sells second-hand books. I’m surprised the hedge-fund hasn’t tried to shut them down for using the Hatchards name ! Maybe the lack of the ‘s’ at the end of the name saved them.

My go to is Foyle’s - love their cafe (although you have to be careful with unsolicited attention by those passing by eyeing your valuables and showing you a piece of paper intended to distract you - I’ve seen to many students and tourist lose their phones). Anyway, Foyles has a wonderful language section, much better than Waterstones in Piccadilly.

I usually pop into Hatchards, Waterstones, and some small bookshops on Charing Cross road, but Foyles is a place you can spend an entire day browsing. I need to find more bookshops to browse.

Sorry to say, but Foyles is owned by Waterstones...

Foyles, Waterstones, Hatchards, Blackwells and B&N are all owned by Elliott

>35 dyhtstriyk: That's almost as depressing as Brexit.