[Arrghus]

I convert all my eBooks to EPUB (ePub, epub, Epub, whatever). My device is a PRS-350, so 'mobi' files aren't an option for me; at least, they cannot stay the way they are.

I only buy from Amazon (specifically the UK store) because it's the only real guarantee I have of quality. I've yet to come across another store selling eBooks that offers a decent preview/sample of the book in question. B&N is out of the question for me because of geo-restrictions, and Kobo's preview is a terrible HTML mess. Smashwords I'm excluding because I'm explictly focused here on 'commerical' books - the kind of books that shift thousands.

If I want to read George R. R. Martin's latest, where am I going to go? Well, the Kindle store of course! Nowhere else will show me the goods, as it were, before I pay for 'em. I've declined buying a few books now from Amazon because of poor formatting, and I'm glad I was able to avoid such typographical tragedies. I'd love to buy from somewhere else, but until there are others offering samples, I simply refuse to buy something I cannot see - especially when most 'terms and conditions' state that 'all sales are final'.

eBooks, in their current form, are different from say, DVDs, or CDs. If I bought a DVD from a website, I wouldn't expect it to stutter every few frames, or have the colours invert every chapter or so. So why should I have to put up with garbled characters and poor sentence spacing? I can return the DVD, but not the eBook?

What about distance selling regulations (UK law)? Are eBooks covered under DSRs? Should they be? I jolly well think they should!

What are your thoughts? Should I take the gamble and spend my money elsewhere? Part of the trouble though, is that Amazon are generally cheaper than anywhere else, and when the price is negligible, I'd still rather endure the hassle of stripping the DRM from the file, and converting, if it means I can preview it before buying!