Powell's Books: The Bibliophiles' Best Kept Secret on the Web
Written: Jul 05 '02 (Updated Jul 06 '02)
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Powell’s Books
www.powells.com
Portland, Oregon
This is the best bookstore on the web that you aren’t using. Really!
Powell’s Books started out as a brick-and-mortar used bookstore. Or make that “store that specialized in used books”. And it grew. Most of the big bookstores on the web are the cyber equivalent of that chain bookstore at the mall. Powell’s is your local campus bookstore writ large. The aisles are narrow and the walls could use a new paint job, but you won’t care, because you are there for the books, not the décor. And that is what Powell’s sells: bestsellers, rare books, textbooks, used books, children’s books, e-books, technical books, and books-on-tape. All kinds of books, and nothing else. Well, almost nothing else. You can find t-shirts, mugs and book bags in the Souvenir Shop.
Why Shop at Powell's?
This is from the website:
Of course we keep a full supply of new titles in stock (including all the latest Bestsellers), but Powell's real competitive advantage stems from our enormous inventory of used and out-of-print books. Whether it's a rare book you need or simply a title no one seems to carry, you'll find it at Powell's - and always at a reasonable price. How do we undersell our competitors? - by keeping on hand more than a million used and out-of-print books, the largest collection in the world!
The usual stuff:
Secure on-line ordering and order tracking. Books are shipped from Portland in shrink-wrap packs familiar to anyone who has shopped at Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. You can browse by subject matter or do a search for a particular book. There’s usually a choice between a new book, or a cheaper used one. There are specials and bargains.
And what makes this place a bit different:
Rare and Collectable Books.
You can find signed first editions, out-of-print and rare books in the Rare Book Room. This place has its own search engine, that lets you check whether you are looking for a first edition, a signed book, or both. (I’ve never seen this anywhere else.)
Technical Books.
Chemistry, physics, engineering, and geology. Just to name a few. One of the largest collections of computer books on the web. All kinds of technical reference books.
Textbooks and Schooling.
Hey, I told you this was a campus bookstore! Cliff’s Notes, Dictionaries, College Guides and Test Guides. Books for students, and even more for parents and teachers. Wide selection of materials for homeschoolers, and special discounts for school libraries.
Kid’s Books:
Special sections for Picture Books, Middle Readers, Young Adults, Used Books, and Award Winners.
E-Books:
More than 6000 e-books available in these formats: Gemstar e-book, Microsoft Reader, and Adobe Acrobat. Unsure if your system can download e-books? Check the section called “Compare E-Books” for the system requirements.
The City Center:
This is the coffee shop area. ( Bring your own coffee.) Staff picks, reader picks and reviews, daily book reviews from Salon.com, just as an example.
Free Shipping for any order of $50 or more.
All over the USA and Canada.
100% money-back guarantee of satisfaction.
The Website:
The website is easy to navigate and the pages load quickly. The web pages are “information dense”, with small type in the various lists. (This could be a problem if your eyesight is not the best, or if the resolution of your monitor is too low.) The “walls” are not colorful, and there aren’t any “recommendations” or reader star ratings for books. The books do have good descriptions of content. On almost any section, there will be a “Top 10” list, a search box, a master list of subjects down the side of the page, and buttons for key areas (Home, Bestsellers, Shopping Cart, etc.) at the top.
My Experience:
This site was recommended to me by Epinions member Urbanist. I went looking for one particular book, ended up ordering a stack, and have been hooked on this bookstore ever since.
Every order was filled quickly, and I got immediate feedback via e-mail. They all arrived on schedule, and I could watch the “progress” of the shipment via order tracking. All of the orders were complete and accurate, so I can’t tell you how good their customer service is. Since they are an actual brick-and-mortar store, they have a phone number (as well as e-mail address) for customer service.
The quality of the “used” books is excellent. Some I knew were “used” only because it said so on the invoice. Some of them were real bargains. Powell’s does not always have the best price on new books and bestsellers, but their used book prices are among the lowest that you will find anywhere.
I am very happy with this company and its service.
So why aren’t you over there now?
Still here? Well, go up there to “Merchant Information” and click on that little blue title that says “Overview”, then go to “Manufacturer’s page”. It will take you to http://www.powells.com , and you can make up your own mind about the store.
Oh, wait! Rate this review before you go! And if you start an account at Powell’s, please check that little box that says you heard about them at Epinions.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
AdaDavis
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Location: The Cool Green Hills of Earth
Reviews written: 71
Trusted by: 160 members
About Me:
Nope. Wasn't me. Didn't do it, didn't see it, wasn't there.
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