Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[leebase]

I just canceled Audible -- again. So many unlistened to books.

[JSWolf]

I get audiobooks form Overdrive or Hoopla. I find I don't listen to enough audiobooks to make a paid audible account worth it.

I've bought no eBooks in August and so far only one in September. It was one on my wish list and was very cheap on sale.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by leebase

I just canceled Audible -- again. So many unlistened to books.

I'll cancel again when I get towards the end of my 'year'. I'm hoping to catch some fill-ins on my series before I break again.

[HLS]

I buy audible only as ebook companions. its cheaper

[issybird]

It’s getting to be fish or cut bait time on the latest Amazon “Spend $XX, Get $YY” offer. I’m able to cobble together high-priority choices that maximize the value, only going about a buck over the parameters - but I think, fingers crossed, that I can resist. It’s the difference between “books I seriously want,” which I do, and “books I see myself reading in the near future,” which I don’t. So either there will be another sale, or I pay the price when I really do feel like reading them, or I read something else. There’s no shortage.

Well, good. I’ve been on something of a low-grade spree this year, not like the bad old days, but mostly when I got a coupon or some other promotion, I used it. Time to build up some traction in “days without a purchase.”

I hope that by posting here, I can get past the last vestiges of purchase lust!

[pdurrant]

I think you're quite right to resist. There'll be another, better offer along on at least some of those books before you'll ever get around to reading them.

[DrNefario]

I took up one of their offers a few months ago. Spend £10 and get £3 credit. I haven't read any of the books yet, and kind of forget that I bought them. (They were all long-standing wishlist items, and it doesn't seem to make much difference that they're now in my library rather than on my wishlist.)

[astrangerhere]

I've given over all the book-buying to my wife as she tries to support our local independent bookstores throughout the continuing nightmare of 2020. Chapel Hill has an excellent library that has been lending books almost since the beginning via a drive-through service, and we have one really good book store. We are still buying one or two things from them every week or so just to make sure their lights stay on.

I've gone shopping in the Patricia Clark Memorial Library a few times, but have not purchased any ebooks.

[Camellia]

A bit of a shock when I went through the month's Amazon expenses. A book here and a book there doesn't seem like all that much... At least I won't run out of reading material for several lifetimes.

[Tarana]

Originally Posted by Camellia

A bit of a shock when I went through the month's Amazon expenses. A book here and a book there doesn't seem like all that much... At least I won't run out of reading material for several lifetimes.

I get everything on special, but yes, both the $$ and the numbers do accumulate. I think I have at least 10 years of reading material. It's so easy to accumulate ebooks and audiobooks. Takes so little space.

[ekbell]

I put myself on monthly limits for both books and price, and then I blew through the book limit by Oct. 7.

No looking at book sales until Nov. :-(

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ekbell

No looking at book sales until Nov. :-(

An important part of the battle. When the sale creates the want, then it’s a book you didn’t need. Perhaps consider avoiding sales altogether and just checking prices on your wishlist? Either manually or with a tool such as ereaderiq?

[pdurrant]

Now here's a conundrum.

I've bought nine books so far this month! All on wishlist, and all at £0.99 special offer.

So if I spend £6.06 or more on more ebooks by 12th October, I'll get £5 credit to spend before the 11th November.

So that's just over £11 of books for just over £6. Which is a good deal. Especially as there are some offers on books on my wishlist that aren't £0.99 but are still very good.

So do I blow some more budget this month to have budget for next month?

[issybird]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Now here's a conundrum.

I've bought nine books so far this month! All on wishlist, and all at £0.99 special offer.

So if I spend £6.06 or more on more ebooks by 12th October, I'll get £5 credit to spend before the 11th November.

So that's just over £11 of books for just over £6. Which is a good deal. Especially as there are some offers on books on my wishlist that aren't £0.99 but are still very good.

So do I blow some more budget this month to have budget for next month?

This one’s easy. You’re already 60% of the way there, you’ll be able to stack the credit with sale prices, and it sounds as if you can hit the target £11 closely and wouldn’t have to go way over the £5 to use the credit unless you were going to anyway. In other words, it’s pretty much a free five quid. Take it, by all means.

[DrNefario]

I did a similar deal a few months ago - I think it was spend £10 get £3 - and while I got some good books, I don't think I've read any of them yet. Luckily I am resting my Prime at the moment so am not eligible this time.