4 ms·

I don't know if this is common outside Amazon India, but for almost every book listing that has any reviews at all, there is at least one negative review solely

I don't know if this is common outside Amazon India, but for almost every book listing that has any reviews at all, there is at least one negative review solely for the quality of the paper, or the book not being reasonably priced, or the packaging not being sturdy enough, or the "delivery boy"'s rudeness.

bena 5y ago
Of those, I'd say paper quality matters. For example, if the paper is so thin and brittle that it's hard to read the text or turn the pages without damaging the book beyond legibility, that's a problem. Now, the worst I've ever encountered are books with pages out of order.
- kranner 5y ago
  Well the book is separate from the medium, and even just in paper/softcover there are possibly multiple editions available, some with better printing than others. Indian editions are typically cheaper and printed on inferior paper. Regardless I think the common understanding is that the content of the book should be reviewed, not its incidental presentation.
  - bena 5y ago
    I think it also depends on where your review is. If you're just doing reviews independent of medium, review just the content. The fact that you were reading a poorly stapled together print out from Jimmy down the hall is immaterial. If it's more like Amazon, where I'm reviewing this particular item I bought, people should know that the item being sold is of substandard quality and they should get the item elsewhere.
  - cgriswald 5y ago
    I have several editions of Dune by Frank Herbert. The content is identical in all cases (with the sometimes exception of various forwards); the books differ significantly in presentation. How, as someone who has already consumed the content, am I to know if a particular edition is well made or interesting enough for me to add to my collection? Maybe you think that is too niche; but Amazon has Amazon-specific versions of some books and also does print-on-demand. Without people reviewing the quality of these things, how am I to know the quality? This also extends to Blu-Ray collections and other things which contain content. Even a Kindle book isn't just the content; how well the book has been formatted matters. To the extent there is a norm, the norm is that anything related to the thing you are purchasing is fair game; things related to the seller or shipper are not. (Understanding that sometimes Amazon is more than a seller.) If you want reviews specifically of the content, you should go to sites that are specifically for reviewing content. To the extent there is a problem, the problem is that the star-rating is global for the entire review. I can't give a book 5 stars for content and 2 for book quality. And no matter how good the content, if you're charging me $20+ for a book with pages falling out, you're not getting five stars from me.
  - bananamerica 5y ago
    I disagree, due to the fact that Amazon is a store that sells books printed on paper. You're reviewing the product as a whole. If you were talking about Goodreads, you'd be 100% right.
advisedwang 5y ago
I mean the paper _is_ part of the product you are buying, and value for money is definitely in scope for a Amazon review. If you want a purely literary review go to Goodreads! Amazon's packaging and the delivery boy is pretty funny though.
- kranner 5y ago
  > Amazon's packaging and the delivery boy is pretty funny though. Googling 'site:amazon.in "delivery boy"': - There is no problem with the product,but the delivery boy charged extra 12 Rs,and said it will be adjusted in the next order. - But delivery boy is very bad. Delivery boy has no manner how to talk with costumers. - Ur delivery boy was not ready to do door delivery. He called u from the main road asked me to pick. I went to the main road and asked him, y u rnot doing
brimble 5y ago
Reviews of the physical quality of the book are much more useful to me than reviews of the content, by the time I'm looking at it on Amazon. A poorly printed book should get a 1-star review. Packaging or mis-handling, I could even see factoring in (like half the new books I've received from Amazon have had some amount of damage on them, such that I'd definitely have selected a different copy if I'd bought it in a real store). Rude delivery person, maybe not. The only thing that sucks about it is that Amazon seems to mix around reviews of "the same" book (different printings, possibly even slightly different content since some may be expanded, have different forwards, et c.), plus sometimes ship different products with the same product page, so you can't be sure whether the review that says the binding fell apart or the paper felt crappy was for the same product you'll receive if you press "buy now". Which would be why I basically only buy books on Amazon if someone gives me a gift card (still safer than buying electronics there). Their product pages at best suggest what you might receive. I continue to be confused at how the shit they pull doesn't put them on the wrong side of several laws.
- pomian 5y ago
  Strange to say, I ordered a classic paperback science fiction book from Amazon. Shopping image was of a standard pocket book, used. (Imagine del Ray publishing from the 70's.) What arrived, was a Xerox? copied book with a water mark, on American standard 81/2 x11" paper. It was almost unreadable because of water mark. It wasn't a paper back. It wasn't original publisher format in any way. This has happened twice now, in completely different genres. I am dubious of buying any books from Amazon now. Powell's Books instead.
  - jacquesm 5y ago
    Clearly a seller that was shipping counterfeit books and knowingly committing a copyright violation. Technically Amazon as the 'merchant of record' is liable for this in a contributory way.

bena 5y ago

Of those, I'd say paper quality matters. For example, if the paper is so thin and brittle that it's hard to read the text or turn the pages without damaging the book beyond legibility, that's a problem. Now, the worst I've ever encountered are books with pages out of order.

kranner 5y ago
Well the book is separate from the medium, and even just in paper/softcover there are possibly multiple editions available, some with better printing than others. Indian editions are typically cheaper and printed on inferior paper. Regardless I think the common understanding is that the content of the book should be reviewed, not its incidental presentation.
- bena 5y ago
  I think it also depends on where your review is. If you're just doing reviews independent of medium, review just the content. The fact that you were reading a poorly stapled together print out from Jimmy down the hall is immaterial. If it's more like Amazon, where I'm reviewing this particular item I bought, people should know that the item being sold is of substandard quality and they should get the item elsewhere.
- cgriswald 5y ago
  I have several editions of Dune by Frank Herbert. The content is identical in all cases (with the sometimes exception of various forwards); the books differ significantly in presentation. How, as someone who has already consumed the content, am I to know if a particular edition is well made or interesting enough for me to add to my collection? Maybe you think that is too niche; but Amazon has Amazon-specific versions of some books and also does print-on-demand. Without people reviewing the quality of these things, how am I to know the quality? This also extends to Blu-Ray collections and other things which contain content. Even a Kindle book isn't just the content; how well the book has been formatted matters. To the extent there is a norm, the norm is that anything related to the thing you are purchasing is fair game; things related to the seller or shipper are not. (Understanding that sometimes Amazon is more than a seller.) If you want reviews specifically of the content, you should go to sites that are specifically for reviewing content. To the extent there is a problem, the problem is that the star-rating is global for the entire review. I can't give a book 5 stars for content and 2 for book quality. And no matter how good the content, if you're charging me $20+ for a book with pages falling out, you're not getting five stars from me.
- bananamerica 5y ago
  I disagree, due to the fact that Amazon is a store that sells books printed on paper. You're reviewing the product as a whole. If you were talking about Goodreads, you'd be 100% right.

advisedwang 5y ago

I mean the paper _is_ part of the product you are buying, and value for money is definitely in scope for a Amazon review. If you want a purely literary review go to Goodreads! Amazon's packaging and the delivery boy is pretty funny though.

kranner 5y ago
> Amazon's packaging and the delivery boy is pretty funny though. Googling 'site:amazon.in "delivery boy"': - There is no problem with the product,but the delivery boy charged extra 12 Rs,and said it will be adjusted in the next order. - But delivery boy is very bad. Delivery boy has no manner how to talk with costumers. - Ur delivery boy was not ready to do door delivery. He called u from the main road asked me to pick. I went to the main road and asked him, y u rnot doing

brimble 5y ago

Reviews of the physical quality of the book are much more useful to me than reviews of the content, by the time I'm looking at it on Amazon. A poorly printed book should get a 1-star review. Packaging or mis-handling, I could even see factoring in (like half the new books I've received from Amazon have had some amount of damage on them, such that I'd definitely have selected a different copy if I'd bought it in a real store). Rude delivery person, maybe not. The only thing that sucks about it is that Amazon seems to mix around reviews of "the same" book (different printings, possibly even slightly different content since some may be expanded, have different forwards, et c.), plus sometimes ship different products with the same product page, so you can't be sure whether the review that says the binding fell apart or the paper felt crappy was for the same product you'll receive if you press "buy now". Which would be why I basically only buy books on Amazon if someone gives me a gift card (still safer than buying electronics there). Their product pages at best suggest what you might receive. I continue to be confused at how the shit they pull doesn't put them on the wrong side of several laws.

pomian 5y ago
Strange to say, I ordered a classic paperback science fiction book from Amazon. Shopping image was of a standard pocket book, used. (Imagine del Ray publishing from the 70's.) What arrived, was a Xerox? copied book with a water mark, on American standard 81/2 x11" paper. It was almost unreadable because of water mark. It wasn't a paper back. It wasn't original publisher format in any way. This has happened twice now, in completely different genres. I am dubious of buying any books from Amazon now. Powell's Books instead.
- jacquesm 5y ago
  Clearly a seller that was shipping counterfeit books and knowingly committing a copyright violation. Technically Amazon as the 'merchant of record' is liable for this in a contributory way.