Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
I haven't paid any money either for my Stephen Baxter book that's going to be released on 19th September; my credit card will be charged on the day that it's released. It's simply more convenient for me to order it now, than to have to remember to order it on 19th September. Perhaps that wouldn't be any benefit to you; it is to me.
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This, exactly.
While I can see that pre-ordering isn't a service everyone will have use for, I just can't really see why it's "dumb" to do so. If there was a way to have a reliable, working site where you can add a book to your wishlist and then have a notification about its release sent on the day of release to remind you, would that be "dumb" as well? Or would it be "dumb" to note the date down in a calendar to remind oneself of it?
If not, how would it be "dumber" to just pre-order a book when I come across it on Amazon, when I'm already on that page (e.g. looking for information on when it comes out or the expected price), rather than to make a note about when it's released and then have to remember to come back for it and order it on release day?
Surely there's nothing odd about clicking that pre-order button while I'm already there; it saves me from having to add it to a wish list (or just note down / try to remember the release date) and return to it later, when it's a book I know I'll want to read right away - especially as I know that pre-ordering won't cost me more than what is shown on the page when I pre-order it and may well end up costing me less, should the price fluctuate and go down at some point.
I can and do understand various reasons for not pre-ordering - not intending to read the book immediately (and therefore waiting makes sense, cost-wise), having relatively few books on the radar and finding it easy to remember all the release dates (especially when found out elsewhere, not on a bookshop site), not wanting to risk running out of funds on the release day (e.g. not having enough gift card credit or credit card limit left), not wanting to keep a credit card on file (which some shops insist on for pre-orders). But what I cannot understand is dismissing the entire concept as dumb, pointless or unnecessary when it's so obviously convenient and useful for plenty of people - even when there is no question of rarity or the shop running out of stock.