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Sharkus · 05-08-2013, 01:12 PM

I'll admit that Kobo could probably do somewhat better with the tracking system. I'm fairly sure that we don't ship out the devices ourselves, have a feeling Ingram is used to do the distribution, and it's possible that there may need to be some tightening up between our system and theirs to display things properly, get confirmation emails and such. It's not my area of expertise so I cannot really comment on it.

I think it's a little unfair to compare shipping something from Kobo with Amazon. I'd take a guess that Kobo's distribution is a little bit smaller than that of Amazon. It's possible this is because we only ship devices and accessories, whereas Amazon ships pretty much everything, up-to and including the kitchen sink, and therefore they have a very large existing infrastructure to deal with things, I believe they have many distribution facilities in the US and no doubt other countries too. I'm not sure on the size of our distribution setup, but it will probably be far smaller than Amazon.

There is also the fact of there being two countries involved here. If you're ordering from Amazon.com, then it is probable the item is shipping from within the US, so there isn't a border to cross, and everything that entails.

Oh, and how long has Kobo been shipping physical product vs Amazon, which could explain why things may be slightly in their infancy. It takes time to get up to speed and I'm sure Kobo is getting there, and learning from the experience. I wonder if you look back to the start of Amazon how many upset people there were.

Perhaps the real question is what part of the experience is the problem, is it the order process and notification of progress that is frustrating people, or is it the time taken between placing the order and it being delivered?

I've ordered various things, ranging from battery chargers, USB memory sticks, 11' umbrella covers, from Amazon, Dell, Costco, and others. I have had full processing and ordering information, tracking numbers from some, and for others, I've had the order accepted email, and then nothing, the product shows up at my door and two days later I get the full order history, tracking number et al.

05-08-2013, 01:12 PM	#28
Sharkus Evangelist Posts: 444 Karma: 2269648 Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Toronto Device: Kobo: Original, WiFi, Touch, Aura, Aura H20, MiniGloHD ;) iOS app	I'll admit that Kobo could probably do somewhat better with the tracking system. I'm fairly sure that we don't ship out the devices ourselves, have a feeling Ingram is used to do the distribution, and it's possible that there may need to be some tightening up between our system and theirs to display things properly, get confirmation emails and such. It's not my area of expertise so I cannot really comment on it. I think it's a little unfair to compare shipping something from Kobo with Amazon. I'd take a guess that Kobo's distribution is a little bit smaller than that of Amazon. It's possible this is because we only ship devices and accessories, whereas Amazon ships pretty much everything, up-to and including the kitchen sink, and therefore they have a very large existing infrastructure to deal with things, I believe they have many distribution facilities in the US and no doubt other countries too. I'm not sure on the size of our distribution setup, but it will probably be far smaller than Amazon. There is also the fact of there being two countries involved here. If you're ordering from Amazon.com, then it is probable the item is shipping from within the US, so there isn't a border to cross, and everything that entails. Oh, and how long has Kobo been shipping physical product vs Amazon, which could explain why things may be slightly in their infancy. It takes time to get up to speed and I'm sure Kobo is getting there, and learning from the experience. I wonder if you look back to the start of Amazon how many upset people there were. Perhaps the real question is what part of the experience is the problem, is it the order process and notification of progress that is frustrating people, or is it the time taken between placing the order and it being delivered? I've ordered various things, ranging from battery chargers, USB memory sticks, 11' umbrella covers, from Amazon, Dell, Costco, and others. I have had full processing and ordering information, tracking numbers from some, and for others, I've had the order accepted email, and then nothing, the product shows up at my door and two days later I get the full order history, tracking number et al.