APRIL 10 — Last week it was announced that Book Depository (BD), easily the most beloved online bookstore around the world, will be closing on April 26.
Like every book lover who’s bought a million titles from the store since it started in 2004, the news hit me like a tonne of Harry Potter hardcovers.
I almost choked on my beehoon breakfast when I saw the news on Twitter. Closing? Surely the announcement means BD is just taking a day off? I honestly shrugged off the message.
Then about four and a half seconds later, after parsing the comments and taking a closer read of the store’s official tweet, reality came crashing down.
I immediately shared the news with my bookworm groups, hoping to get some quick reply that this was fake news, or just some belated April Fool’s Day prank.
Like everyone who first came across the website more than 15 years ago, the name struck me as a mouthful. Even now saying the name Book Depository feels like hard work.
Still, whatever issues I had with the name quickly evaporated because, as we all soon discovered, this website is the G.O.A.T. of book-sellers.
Titles are diverse and infinite, the prices are reasonable and shipping is always free. Yes, yes, yes, everybody knows the shipping has been “priced in” but even then when we compare the total price of the books with that at other websites, BD usually wins.
Also, when some companies charge US$16.99 (RM74.80) for the first item, you understand perfectly why people won’t be crying if they, as opposed to BD, close down.
Note that there are other companies that also offer free shipping but their titles are pretty limited (as some mainly sell used books) and their new books cost way beyond what BD offers.
Probably the only quibble we have with BD is the lengthy waiting time for shipping. Especially during festive seasons when books can take up to two months to arrive.
But, overall, my experience with Book Depository has been fine. If the book is lost, they immediately offer to either refund the cost or ship out the exact same order.
That’s what I call 5 star customer service — Air Asia, are you paying attention?
I don’t wish to talk about the reasons why BD is closing down. Something to do with Amazon (BD’s parent company) divesting its businesses or whatever.
It’s just too depressing and the more I read, I wish Jeff Bezos — for all his billions — would reverse such a decision. I mean, here is a company who’s clearly making a profit and delighting their clients, and yet they have to shut down.
Is this a symptom that “online capitalism” is broken somehow?
Anyway, what are the options for Malaysians now? No book lover worth his weight in bookmarks will say that many of our bookshops are comparable to BD.
Some are great for the occasional old book and (very) occasional new paperbacks people don’t want to read any more but which (miraculously) takes your fancy.
Personally, and with a heavy heart, I’ve decided my best option in the light of BD’s closure is Kinokuniya.
Their selection is second to none (except BD), their home delivery is efficient and if you’re a member, the prices on some books can sometimes be comparable (and even sometimes lower) to BD.
The downside to Kino is overall it’s undeniable their prices are generally higher than BD’s, they don’t stock that many specialist titles (whereas BD, being online, can tap into almost any bookseller) and, uh, it takes an eternity to switch pages on their website.
Long and short, I hope someone can petition Amazon to reverse the closure of Book Depository and give hope to the millions who mourned the news of its closing.
* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.
