3 ms·

Paul Graham Slams Amazon

4 points by ftxbro 4y ago

themodelplumber 4y ago
> Interestingly, packing books badly was a conscious decision by Amazon. I know this because for the first few years they packed them well. Then they switched to just dumping them in a box, presumably because it was cheaper and most buyers didn't care. Is "we changed the packing for less focus on quality-of-preservation, for reasons related to quality-of-broader-experience" really the same as packing books badly being a conscious decision? IDK, seems a bit of a difference there; you don't even have to decide "let's pack the books badly" to move in that direction if your refinements are focused elsewhere, so it may be more accurate to say it was probably an unintended knock-on effect. Also, I've found some purveyors of new books that do a phenomenal job of packing & shipping. Gotta say that if you're shopping at the Abebooks level though, it seems like this kind of recommendation may be wasted? Not snobbery, just curious why Abebooks is the next step up from Amazon if quality is a concern. Maybe "Abebooks + noticing which warehouse is shipping me books at which level of quality" could be a helpful next step, if one is looking to stay in a similar orbit with minimal figurative delta-V to retain the comfortable feel of one's past shopping habits?
MattGaiser 4y ago
The need for a premium more caring service is a repeated lament I hear a lot, but it seems that few are actually willing to pay for it, whether it be in banking, airlines, homebuilding, etc. The exceptions seem to be tours, hotels, education, and restaurants. But in entire categories, except perhaps at the very top (i.e. you hire a plumber full time or get concierge care), it just does not seem to exist.
didntknowya 4y ago
Ok so he's complaining about his damaged book order rather than slamming Amazon's business model/etc... Could he not have used Amazon's CS to get a replacement?
Blackstrat 4y ago
Slamming Amazon is like shooting fish in a barrel. No, they aren’t as efficient at delivery as they were pre-pandemic. Yes, sometimes their packing “strategy” is inexplicable. Yes, I’ve received more than one damaged order. Using the local post office is a major debacle. But, they have the inventory. Local bookstores and B&N can’t compete, at least in my area. And BTW, Abe Books is an Amazon subsidiary and has been since 2008.
WheelsAtLarge 4y ago
Over generalization, most of my books have gotten to me without any problems. The few that have had a problem have been replaced by a new book even before they get my bad book. Damaged goods will happen, what matters is how the company responds. I think they have learned a few things after 20+ years of shipping books. Amazon can be slammed for many reasons but bad book packing is not one of them.

4 points by ftxbro 4y ago

> Interestingly, packing books badly was a conscious decision by Amazon. I know this because for the first few years they packed them well. Then they switched to just dumping them in a box, presumably because it was cheaper and most buyers didn't care. Is "we changed the packing for less focus on quality-of-preservation, for reasons related to quality-of-broader-experience" really the same as packing books badly being a conscious decision? IDK, seems a bit of a difference there; you don't even have to decide "let's pack the books badly" to move in that direction if your refinements are focused elsewhere, so it may be more accurate to say it was probably an unintended knock-on effect. Also, I've found some purveyors of new books that do a phenomenal job of packing & shipping. Gotta say that if you're shopping at the Abebooks level though, it seems like this kind of recommendation may be wasted? Not snobbery, just curious why Abebooks is the next step up from Amazon if quality is a concern. Maybe "Abebooks + noticing which warehouse is shipping me books at which level of quality" could be a helpful next step, if one is looking to stay in a similar orbit with minimal figurative delta-V to retain the comfortable feel of one's past shopping habits?

MattGaiser 4y ago

The need for a premium more caring service is a repeated lament I hear a lot, but it seems that few are actually willing to pay for it, whether it be in banking, airlines, homebuilding, etc. The exceptions seem to be tours, hotels, education, and restaurants. But in entire categories, except perhaps at the very top (i.e. you hire a plumber full time or get concierge care), it just does not seem to exist.

didntknowya 4y ago

Ok so he's complaining about his damaged book order rather than slamming Amazon's business model/etc... Could he not have used Amazon's CS to get a replacement?

Blackstrat 4y ago

Slamming Amazon is like shooting fish in a barrel. No, they aren’t as efficient at delivery as they were pre-pandemic. Yes, sometimes their packing “strategy” is inexplicable. Yes, I’ve received more than one damaged order. Using the local post office is a major debacle. But, they have the inventory. Local bookstores and B&N can’t compete, at least in my area. And BTW, Abe Books is an Amazon subsidiary and has been since 2008.

WheelsAtLarge 4y ago

Over generalization, most of my books have gotten to me without any problems. The few that have had a problem have been replaced by a new book even before they get my bad book. Damaged goods will happen, what matters is how the company responds. I think they have learned a few things after 20+ years of shipping books. Amazon can be slammed for many reasons but bad book packing is not one of them.