I promised a friend that I’d buy 30 of his poetry books for a reading he’s doing in our congregation this weekend.
Unfortunately, he self-published through Amazon. So I had to buy his books through Amazon. Yuck. I expect Amazon to underperform, but they outdid themselves this time.
First of all, I paid extra for 2 day shipping. The books took four days to arrive. No surprise there. Amazon consistently ships items late, even when you pay extra for their Prime service.
Secondly, here’s what the books looked like when I unpacked the box:
The books were shipped loose in way too large a box. There was essentially no attempt to keep the books from flinging themselves around during shipping. As a result, corners are damaged, covers are bent. It’s just a mess.
First lesson to be learned: don’t self-publish your books through Amazon. Your customers are liable to receive poorly packaged and damaged books.
Second lesson to be learned: Amazon. Doesn’t. Care. About. Books.