Ebook Buying Addicts' Support Thread

[bluepeter]

Originally Posted by Apache

My wife doesn't complain about me spending money on eBooks. She never complained about what I spent on hard cover and paperbacks either. She just says at least I don't drink or smoke.
Apache

I don't have anyone who might complain.

But you have reminded me of a former colleague. He had a book-buying habit, and his wife did moan about it. The solution was that I joined several book clubs on his behalf. (This was in the early 1990s, before the abolition of the Net Book Arrangement and before the Internet was widely available.) I'd have boxes of books delivered to my home, and would take them into the office. My colleague would reimburse me, and then smuggle one or two books at a time home in his briefcase.

[Apache]

In the 1980's I traveled for a living and was always buying and reading books. I like to reread books too and would stick them in my suitcases when I finished them. Back then the airlines did not weigh your luggage on domestic flights, or I would have been in trouble.
Apache

[Tarana]

It's mid-April and I've forgotten what my end of months stats are. A couple were rereads or freebees (I don't count ebook freebees). I did have a mild breakthrough. While I have bought 13 more ebooks than read so far this year, my audiobook TBR is down 13! So a bit of a wash really but a huge improvement over prior years!

[pdurrant]

Congratulations! Keep going.

I'm currently down 7 for the year. Only another 719 to go.

[Cactus Chef]

10 so far for April. Part of this is propelled by changes to Kobo's billing system, methinks. I used to be able to go through Google Play to make a one-off purchase on my phone with no friction, but now Kobo wants me to fill out some payment info, even if using Google Play. So now I'm back to purchasing Kobo gift cards from Amazon and filling up my balance that way. But the end-result is if there's a book I must have, I've usually got $10-12 left over in balance afterwards...which invites all sorts of tag-along buys.

[pdurrant]

I have £242.85 in credit at Kobo. I expect that to last me all this year and a fair bit of next year.

Having a credit balance does make doing price matches a lot simpler - the refund just comes back into the credit account.

I'm back up to 723 just now. I have got some books on offer I've been waiting a while for, including The Complete Traveller in Black.

[bluepeter]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

So now I'm back to purchasing Kobo gift cards from Amazon and filling up my balance that way. But the end-result is if there's a book I must have, I've usually got $10-12 left over in balance afterwards...which invites all sorts of tag-along buys.

As a matter of curiosity (or, if you prefer, nosiness) why buy Kobo gift cards from Amazon rather than directly from Kobo (as I do)? Is this something to do with using your phone, rather than a computer?

I still find that if I'm buying from Kobo UK I don't need to fill in any payment details as long as I want to use the same credit card as last time I bought from them. I am using a computer, rather than my phone.

[Cactus Chef]

Originally Posted by bluepeter

As a matter of curiosity (or, if you prefer, nosiness) why buy Kobo gift cards from Amazon rather than directly from Kobo (as I do)? Is this something to do with using your phone, rather than a computer?

Because I don't want any payment methods on file for Kobo, lest it impact my ability to be able to "travel abroad" to make book purchases.

[bluepeter]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

Because I don't want any payment methods on file for Kobo, lest it impact my ability to be able to "travel abroad" to make book purchases.

Fair enough. Thank you.

[issybird]

Right now, Rakuten.com is giving a 5% rebate on Kobo gift cards. Click through and buy from Kobo. Once one's bought the gift cards, the payment method can be deleted leaving just the GC balance, just as when the GC had been bought on Amazon. Seems like a no-brainer. :Shrug:

[Apache]

Originally Posted by Cactus Chef

Because I don't want any payment methods on file for Kobo, lest it impact my ability to be able to "travel abroad" to make book purchases.

I have an American Express card on file with Kobo. I use it for both US purchases and for travel abroad. The same card number works with out any problems.
Apache

[pdurrant]

I can't be bothered to travel for bargains anymore. It would have to be something extraordinary.

[DNSB]

The last email I got from Kobo was a $10 Cdn gift card for me when I gift a $60 Cdn gift card.

As for payment methods and travelling, my credit card on record with Kobo has worked for purchases from Kobo UK and Kobo US.

[ownedbycats]

Well there goes my monthly book budget (and my backlog RIP)

[DrNefario]

I got around the problem of humble bundles by the simple expedient of not including them in the stats. I should be in government or finance or something.

(I got around this particular bundle by it not being available in my region, but I did get one earlier in the year.)