e-Commerce websites are the most convenient way to buy things and agree or not, happy or sad, Books are the one of the safest things to buy online, keeping in mind - size, color , genuineness and other disappointments that come with other products. While this sadly marks the decline in sales of physical bookstores - Here are some tips from an
e-bookShopper who still loves bookstores.
e-bookShopper who still loves bookstores.
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| Source: http://alamedaca.gov/library/1000-books-kindergarten |
Search Wisely and Filter effectively:
Search by author names as opposed to book names to get more search results to glance at one view to check out quickly. Search by Category eg: Books->Fiction-Children-Picture Books - Then use the filters to apply "Age Filters" , "Price range filters" and then choose.
Trust the suggestions:
Most of the e-commerce websites, once you add books to cart or while you are looking at an item, suggest similar items or "Customer who bought this also bought.." which are very useful during sales. This hints similar books and gives a quick view of their prices too.
Wish list your favourites:
If there is a book/books that you are looking out, use the wish list feature on the website itself to wish list. If you want to be more organized, you can even create wish list by "Want - Come what may", "Want", "Good to Have", "Want if on sale" or even as "Books", "Toys", "Home" etc. This gives a quick view of the items you want and the prices they are at. Some of the websites like Amazon and Flipkart even send out a notification/alert when the items on the wish list are at a reduced price. The wish list items even hold a tag line that says "this is 5% lower than when you added to list".
Compare Prices:
Don't go by the %age off on the price. While it helps to know what the book is usually priced at, easier route is to check the price at other sites. Use some browser plugins like BuyHatke or the likes to track price changes over a period. This helps you decide, if the item is really on a sale price or not.
Add to Cart - Breathe - and then Check out!
When you breathe? Ask :
Do you really want that one? Just because it is from the same author or from the same series - it may not be as good. Try to stick to the ones that you have heard of, read reviews about or been wanting for a long time.
Sometimes the book on sale costs less than a pastry or a coffee these days - True that! A book is worth every penny you pay - agreed. But if that book can wait instead of having to swell up your credit card bill and interest - it rather wait than pile up at the bookshelf. I know this point is best ignored and marked as "Read" but not implemented by most of us.
Scan your cart thoroughly with attention - since the price when you added the book to cart to while you check out might have changed. You might be getting a cracker deal on one while on the other you might giving away that saved money.
Delivery charges:
It is not a wise thing to to pay delivery charges per item- since the book itself would not be that price difference as that of the delivery charge. Eg: Flipkart charged 40 Rs per item on last week's sale - if you bought more than 12 books, you might as well have paid for a Flipkart First membership which comes at 500 INR for a whole year. Keep an eye out for the delivery charges before you check out.
Yes, being on the know of children's books authors, names and having read reviews helps in the selection process.
There is nothing more satisfying than finding your "Wish list" book at a cheap price and checking it out and getting it delivered. Buy away at the click of the button and enjoy.
There is nothing more satisfying than finding your "Wish list" book at a cheap price and checking it out and getting it delivered. Buy away at the click of the button and enjoy.
*This post is no way affiliated to any of the e-commerce websites.
