Amazon

Full review
I happened to be looking for a book entitled The Little Big Book for Grandmothers so I will take you through the Amazon buying process. This was my first experience buying from Amazon although I am very familiar with their site.

Step 1 - I researched Epinions to see what other buyers thought of the sight before I was ready to spend any money – the few negative comments seemed to come from people who tried to cancel an order or needed customer service. I was in no hurry for the book and didn’t see any need to cancel the order and since most of the Epinions were highly favorable I proceeded.

Step 2 - I started with amazon.com and their search - I typed in Grandmother under books and my book was second on their list. The search inside feature allows you to look at some inside pages - the table of contents may be of particular interest, or an excerpt. I saw the book in a bookstore a few months ago and the excerpts in this case didn't do the book justice. Amazon publishes the list price, which is accurate, then their price, and your savings. If you don't mind a used book they will list those prices as well.For my purchase the same book in a brick and mortar bookstore price was indeed $24.95. Amazon’s price was $16.47. A savings of $8.48. If I placed an order of over $25 I would be eligible for free shipping. It was not difficult to buy a Christmas present and qualify for the free shipping. (A savings in shipping alone of $4.95)

Step 3 - With credit card in hand I was ready to place my order. The book was in stock so I clicked on the link that said buy new. I then clicked on add to my shopping cart.

Step 4 - From this point I was given the choice of proceeding to checkout, creating an account, or using an existing account. I created an account and was able to place my order quite quickly and easily. I opted for super saver shipping and asked that they be grouped together (in the same shipment). I was told that both hardback books were in stock and new – which is what I expected.

Step 5 - At this point you are given the option of opening an Amazon credit card with a $30 rebate. I opted not to do this. I am now told that because I opted for the free super saver my order may take an additional 3 - 5 days - still no problem. It all looks good so I sent in the order following the screen prompts. At this point I am told that Amazon will send me an e-mail confirmation shortly. The e-mail confirmation was sent out almost immediately although interestingly, it was dated the next day. They further state that, “If you ordered several items to be delivered to the same address, we may send them to you in separate boxes to give you the speediest service. Rest assured, this will not affect your shipping charges.”

Out of curiosity and before I left this site I clicked on the check your order tab. It included the order date (October 23, 2006), order number – a 17 digit number, and delivery estimate (November 1, 2006 - November 2, 2006) with each title and number of books ordered.
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 16:36:03 I received an e-mail telling me the order had been shipped. I was also given a link and number so that I would be able to, “track my shipment, view the status of unshipped items, cancel unshipped items, and return items.” I tried multiple times to track my shipment. At one point I received the following message, “We're sorry - tracking information is not currently available. Please try again later.” Trying at a later time I was told, “The system was unable to respond to this query. Please try again later.”
In trying to check from the UPS site I was told, the number I entered is not a valid tracking number.
By Monday October 30, 2006 I was able to track my shipment and was informed, “The following items have been shipped to you by Amazon.com:” with the pertinent data listed, My order had been "shipped via USPS (estimated arrival date: 01-November-2006)". I was again given a tracking number.

In summary the order was placed October 23, the order was apparently sent October 27, the order arrived in Cincinnati October 28 and was delivered to my front door October 31 with the estimated delivery date being November 1 – November 2.

Browsing Amazon.com is not the same as browsing in a bookstore or a library but the savings is considerable.
I had already seen the books at a bookstore and knew exactly what I wanted and what to expect. I must say the books are great – exactly what I expected. The savings were considerable ($4.98 shipping plus $8.48 for one book and $7.73 for the second book for a total savings of $21.19) and an 8-day delivery time was reasonable. I would recommend Amazon.com for specific purchases that you don't need immediately.