Book Hunting at BookDepository

So, I decided to read again after a long time

It's not long before I turned my wife's computer on and started drowning myself in Amazon. Found one or two or three books that caught my attention but no further action was taken as they were extremely expensive (This was my first time looking for a book from a foreign online service and I was a little tight on my budget). I didn't expect that the shipping cost could be very influential in deciding which book to buy. Not to mention, the import tax imposed on foreign book purchase was not something I had anticipated earlier. That said, it didn't stop me from drowning myself deeper in the ocean of virtual bookstores.

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Phase One: The Purchase Story

From the very beginning, I was not interested in searching for any recreational book. So, there would be no novels, fiction, comics, or even cooking books in my shopping cart. At that moment, I was quite into data-related topics and therefore, data-related books are something I put my eyes on in particular. I searched everywhere and found myself stranded in an online bookshop called BookDepository

BookDepository Front Page

My first impression on BookDepository grew along with its humble user-interface. The layout does not contain any eye-catching visual effects we often see in other e-commerce sites. It looks rather 'conservative' thanks to its 'crowded' space arrangement. Spaces are fully utilized and the books are organized in straightforward categories. BookDepository forces (in a good way for sure) its visitors to focus their attention only on what truly matters: books. Something you would normally experience when you visit 'offline' book stores.

Determining the right book was not an easy job. I have been served lines of books that matched my shopping purpose. The recommendation algorithm was getting better and better in reading my preference and quickly offering other book options every time I fell into certain book descriptions. The array of recommended books was quickly expanding as I continued to explore them. The more I explore through the array, the more I discovered other fine books. It got me confused and left me in doubt. All books were appeared to be very much alluring.

After a long process of reading book descriptions and turning to Goodreads multiple times to see the books' rating, I finally came with a verdict. I decided to purchase "The Model Thinker" by Scott E. Page. I rushed to close all remaining browser tabs to avoid temptations in exploring more books. I quickly hit the "checkout" button and grabbed my credit card to finalize the payment. 

The Model Thinker by Scott E. Page

The best thing about purchasing a book in BookDepository was it came with a lot of perks. First thing first, the price was cut down from IDR 450,857 (around GBP 23.15. 1 GBP = IDR 19,475) to IDR 399,279 (around GBP 20.5). Second, the shipping cost to my native country, Indonesia, was included in the book's price. Meaning, I didn't have to spare more money on the shipping cost. Third and again, no extra cost for imported tax on book purchases as it is included in the book's price as well (on certain terms and conditions), serving free of mind for customers on a tight budget (myself included).

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Phase Two: The Waiting

After finalizing the payment, I received the invoice along with a purchase status notification that told me to wait for the book to be dispatched from the UK. A week later, I got an update that mentioned the status of the shipment was changed to "has been dispatched from the UK". 

Order History

After a month without any update on my book shipping status, I decided to send an inquiry email, simply to ask about the shipment progress and my book's whereabouts. And they replied, pretty quickly, as follow:

Enquiry Email

They kindly asked me to wait for another 5-10 working days. I thought it was not a big deal and decided to give it a go. However, after waiting for another 10 working days, I lost my patience. I sent another email using a stronger tone to emphasize my disappointment.

"My patience was wearing thin"

The Reply

They responded quickly by claiming that the book was actually on its way. Nevertheless, they were unable to track the book as the shipment process has been delegated to the local postal network. As a result, they didn't have the airwaybill code with them. The situation turned out to be more complicated after I filed an enquiry to the local postal network (PT Pos Indonesia) and asked them if I was able to trace my book's whereabouts without the airwaybill code. As expected, the answer was no. 

No sh*t.

It left me with no option other than waiting for the book to come. My patience was wearing thin. The worst part was I have no idea who to blame for that upsetting situation.

Phase Three: The Happy Ending

It had been almost two months since the first time I clicked the checkout button. Still, no updates about my book. I was ready to let it go. I thought that was the last time. I didn't have any desire to purchase a book from foreign countries, ever. In short, I was moving on.

All of a sudden, my wife informed me that the book had finally arrived. The book had finally reached the place where it belongs to: my house. I was so happy that I rushed home right after I clocked out.

The postman who brought my book home asked a small compensation fee called Bea Pelalubean -sort of repackaging fee- of IDR 5,000 (around GBP 0.25). 

Like I care.

The book was all I care and it is now safely parked on my desk. The happy ending is real.

The Book 

PS:

Don't get me wrong. BookDepository does a great job and it's still a highly recommended place to buy books online (no paid endorsement here). I will definitely come back for more books.