Is Amazon Worth It?
3 by Overtonwindow | 3 comments on Hacker News.
When is the price of a good at Amazon so competitive that it's worth spending the money at, arguably, a pretty rotten company. For example: "Music Theory for the Bass Player: A Comprehensive and Hands-on Guide to Playing with More Confidence and Freedom by Ariane Cap", is one of the best books for beginning bassists. With shipping but before tax: - On Amazon, it's $31.45 - Better World, a social benefit bookseller, it's $44 - Bookshop.org, which links readers to independent bookshops it's $38.45 - Barnes and Noble, $34.95 - Even gave Walmart a go: $31.45, the only company to match Amazon - although FakeSpot suggested a WalMart seller for $30.45. Until FakeSpot's suggestion, I was going to go with Barnes and Noble, reasoning that at least it's a brick and mortar bookstore. Not exhaustive, but an interesting cross section. Given this list, at which price point "is Amazon worth it" for you? Why? To put other ways: How much above Amazon are you willing to pay to shop at a local or independent seller? How does one calculate that from an economic perspective, and is it growing, or shrinking?