I Would Not Boycott Amazon

The responses below are unedited. Back to survey results.

I Would Boycott Amazon

“Because for a lot of authors, Amazon is the only way people can find out about their books. When traditional publishers make it so difficult places like createspace accepts them. Bookstores were wrong when the refused to accept self-published books in stores.”

“I cannot afford to pay eighteen to twenty dollars for a book. I would love to boycott them. I go on their website and can only find Urban Black Fiction. I want quality African American Mystery and Fiction.”

“I would need to read more about it. Why they would be considered dominant in this field? Who are they directly competing against?”

“Boycotting Amazon is an impossible goal for a ridiculous reason; to stop a business model that is overwhelming popular. First, to be successful you would have to convince millions of people all over the country to participate. Not going to happen. Second I would not get the books I buy without it. The chain bookstores and boutique bookstore abandoned my market place long ago. Instead I recommended an arrangement with Amazon based on fairness that meets your needs.”

“Because I enjoy reading, as I get older with a bad hip driving is sometimes painful, so the convenience of being able to order on line is helpful.”

“Amazon allows me to rwad books from authors I would have never discovered before. Kindle Unlimited is a godsend for my elderly grandmother who is on a fixed income.”

“I adore my kindle and would read less books if I had to physically go out and but them, pay postage etc. I love that I can read a book review and instantly have that book in my kindle library I have no space to store physical books but I love browsing through my virtual library.”

“I am a self published author. If people stop buying from amazon I lose my livelihood. Amazon may not be great for the big publishers, but for the little guys in the self publishing world it’s a lifeline. Attempting to organise such a boycott is irresponsible and could lead to significant hardship for many self published authors. I hope this ridiculous idea is stopped in its tracks before it ever gets started.”

“When other retailers can guarantee the number of books with free second day shipping that currently exists in Amazon’s supply, I’ll gladly consider shopping elsewhere. I let go of my B&N membership years ago and never looked back. They currently have one store open in my area and most of my family members visit that location more for the Starbucks inside (as the local retail location is ALWAYS too crowded). As an academic (university professor), I need quick access to content on the fly. The last time I attempted this sort of thing with B&N, I was made to wait ten days for books I could have gotten much cheaper and faster via Amazon. It was at that point I made the decision to let go of my B&N membership. Similarly, when visiting a friend in Austin (Texas) several months ago, we entered a "local" bookstore to see what they had on the shelves. Many of the books in the African-American section of the store that had been published/released AT LEAST FIVE YEARS PRIOR were still on the shelves for sale at FULL PRICE! A quick check using the Amazon app on my phone indicated that I could get the same books from Amazon, shipped directly to my home (Portland, Oregon) with free second-day shipping (as a Prime Member), and not having to worry about stuffing a suitcase that was already at my airline’s weight restriction for my return trip home. The sales rep indicated that the bookstore wouldn’t even consider a price match. I returned the books to the shelves where I found them and instead went across the street and ordered an Earl Grey tea with the money I saved. Would I stop shopping at Amazon? Hell no…”

“I have many of my on Kindle and most of my other book are used.”

“Amazon has provided independent authors the opportunity to make good money. Ninety-five percent of my book sales are through Amazon. I wouldn’t cut off my nose to spite my face!”

“Because they offer me the best deals on the books I want”

“Before Amazon, my book list was limited to what local bookstores thought would sell. Now I have access to nearly every book available, including the self-published books from my friends which would never have been sold through Barnes & Noble. Amazon had no role in how my friends’ books were written or produced. I have never experienced “booksellers who cared about their readers”. I have seen small & large bookstores come and go. I’ve never seen a bookstore survey its current and potential customers to learn how it could better meet their needs as readers and customers. I remain a simple search away from whatever book I want to examine. There is no algorithm that prevents me from finding and buying lesser known books. When I learned that the late Dorothy Sayers had translated Dante’s Comedy, I simply typed “Dante Dorothy Sayers” and I found her translation via Amazon. There were only used copies available at that time. Local bookstores may be inaccessible to the rural or physically immobile resident. Amazon makes books available to those unreached by local bookstores. And because Amazon is now using US Postal Service to ship many of its products, those readers are serviced who are outside the delivery regions of Fed Ex and UPS. As a New York City resident since 1997, I take full advantage of buying directly from artists and small businesses. All my clothing, fine art and shoes come directly from designers, creaters or their direct distributors. I frequent thrift shops & annual street festivals to support vendors. Amazon Prime meets my needs as a reader and a student. I wonder if you have spoken to Amazon. Would you take your boycott list to them and invite them to make specific changes? I wish you the best now and always.”

“I am not sure. It would depend on the cost of the book……”

“I wouldn’t because I’ve been an amazon shopper for almost 20 years now and have brand loyalty. In addition to that, as an avid readers who spend a LOT of money on books I save the most money on books buying from Amazon, Ebay, Abebooks, or thriftbooks.com”

“While some of the items in the article may be true, Amazon also opened the door to many independent authors to me who may not have had an opportunity to publish beautiful books.”

“I love Amazon that where I buy all my books from to get rid of Amazon books would b a disgrace”

“I do not boycott companies simply because they become more successful than others. Not only did Amazon find a need and fulfill it well, but they also DO provide a growing employment base, creating new jobs each year. Society changes and so must businesses change with it. I don’t remember anyone fighting the good fight to keep Blockbuster and Hollywood Video around when digital movies and Redbox and $5 Wal-Mart bins came around. Books are important. No question. I read at least 52 books a year. However, making them LESS accessible and less afordable is not the answer. The answer is in making piracy tougher to accomplish, revamping search tools, and other barriers people have to freely fund books. Maybe add online book consultants. Who knows. However, asking people to walk away from book accessibility is to discourage reading in a society that already doesn’t value it enough.”

“I like Amazon. I also get other items besides books from Amazon.”

“Ebooks are a plus for me. I can adjust font size, highlight passages and all books are in one location. As an avid reader I did not think I would like electronic books. With all available spaces crammed with books, I can now see everything in one place. I have about 600 books on my kindle. Would not have room in my house for this many books.”

“Probably not, mainly due to convenience. I mostly purchase audiobooks and can find exactly what I need on their platform. If I could find the same thing elsewhere, I’d consider changing.”

“Wider selection, lower prices, Kindle purchases, and able to get hard copies cheaper and faster than I can from bookstores. I do still purchase some books from bookstores. I want both options.”

“There are a lot of hard to find African American authored books that I wouldn’t be able to find anywhere else. Also, since I buy so many books, it’s cheaper to buy used books from Amazon.”

“Why should I as a reader suffer because of authors suddenly hating that they were given everything they asked for? Authors wanted it to be easier to self pub, Amazon made it that way and now they don’t like that it’s so easy. They wanted a better way to get their books out there and now they are upset that that’s what they have.”

“Most of the books I purchase are ebooks and in my area only Barnes and Noble is available. They often didn’t have the hard copy books I was looking for or the price was too high.”

“I am an American living outside the US. Amazon provides me a one stop shopping experience and delivers my books with the least amount of shipping cost. I requested a book from the US and it was going to cost US80 just in trackable shipping cost. I can get ten or fifteen books from Amazon and only pay US80 for shipping and import duties.”

“I usually learn about books through articles that I read - and that is usually my impetus to purchase. If the author or the publisher isn’t selling the book, I then go straight to an online retailer. The online retailer of choice is usually amazon - unless I have a Barnes & Noble gift card. If I were to change the way I buy books , it would be based on a change in the marketplace.”

“Price”

“It’s convenient”

“I live on a fixed income. I like owning books, and without borrowing from my local library, my means of obtaining books for my personal library are purchases bought at book sales and from retailers that offer books at a discounted price, including booksellers who sell books through Amazon. Were I only to buy books when they are first published, I would purchase less books. The only advantage of buying books when first published is to become part of short lived conversations often monopolized by college trained readers who believe the interpretations of any text are limited. Also, there are no independently owned black bookstores close to me. When there were, selling books was always secondary to some other mission. I insulted a young black woman, who to this day hates my guts, because she worked in a black bookstore and never heard of James Baldwin and admitted that she preferred not to read certain books for fear what she might find. Amazon’s dominance isn’t the problem, the problem is a lack of a black book culture. There’s nothing stopping black book publishers and authors forming an electronic consortium and selling books online, and offering selective books at discounts. Boycotting, by the way, is 1960ish, even 50ish. If you’re boycotting Amazon, what do you want from them?”

“To tell the truth I am really not sure if I would, or would not…That is something I would have to sleep on.”

“I agree Amazon is too powerful, predatory, and abusive. But they at least sell books from small presses and self-publishers. India bookstores won’t even sniff at them because these small publishers lack distribution. Until the entire industry rethinks its business models, production, and distribution systems, dumping Amazon is for many publishers like slitting their own throats. I appreciate what you’re doing, but the problem is lot bigger than just ’stop Amazon.’”

“I don’t believe a boycott of this nature could be sustained for the long term - or long enough to keep the average reader engaged. People are too worried about cost and convenience to spend more money or be to be inconvenienced.”

“I would seriously think about it.”

“As much as I miss Borders and Waldenbooks, I absolutely love Amazon and my ability to download books onto my Kindle. Not only do they offer a lot of books and authors that I like at a discounted price, they also Prime reading, Kindle lending library and Kindle first which is all ways in which I am able to get free books my being a prime member. I love that unless I delete a book from the club, it is always in my library. I also love immersion reading, where you can flip back in forth between reading and listening to a book. As far as I am aware. I don’t see that Amazon is stifling competition or jobs because they’re not the only online site that allows you to purchase books, whether in print or electronic form, which is starting to become the wave of the future. I love reading and books too much to boycott a place that gives me access to them and so much more.”

“Because Amazon makes books affordable for people who can’t afford to pay $15-$20 for a single book. Amazon also gives you the option of buying the book used. Actually, I like that I can locate hard to find books on Amazon.”

“I buy from Amazon for convenience of delivery & availability. Most of the books I want deal with African-American interests. Everything from slavery up until now. I also purchase books on Christianity. I use Amazon because I can’t find what I want anywhere else. If I could find what I wanted somewhere else, I’d buy from that source.”

“This type of movement, while noble, is never going to get the type of momentum necessary to make any kind of difference, and ultimately the only change will be its negative effects on the people participating in the boycott - paying more for books and having more limited access. I understand the motivation, but there has to be a better, more effective way to accomplish this goal. In my humble opinion, Amazon is too big and too popular to be even minutely affected by a boycott of this type.”

“I do not think that is the answer. We just need to find a better way to compete, i.e. apple vs microsoft.”

“Devoted to my Kindle. In addition to purchasing several books per month, I take notes and read .pdf documents on my Kindle. Love the text to speech feature. Belong to 3 book clubs. Often buy 2 copies of a book, especially children’s books Plus I am in my local library at least 3 times a month.”

“If the alternatives were offering free shipping, below market prices for the books, than yes.”

“It depends on what you mean exactly. I need more information to stand against something for the mass ebook publishing world.”

“First, of course, there is the convenience of having a book delivered within moments to my kindle or in a couple of days to my door. The price difference is significant, and I am not willing to ignore that. Yes, I do recognize their dominance, but I am looking at it from the standpoint of a consumer and not a store owner—or even a writer whose book might not be carried by Amazon.”


Last Updated: Friday, October 27, 2017