A "local" answer to Amazon?

[trixtah]

This looks like an interesting site: http://www.fishpond.com.au or http://www.fishpond.co.nz. What with all the kerfuffle about A&R, and the fact I still feel guilty when I walk into a Borders, this outfit run by a couple of kiwis looks worth a look. It has the Flannery book I've been looking for (and which none of the bookshops in Civic have in stock - I might have better luck in Manuka, and I am intending to look there this weekend), and it even has *gasp!* 8 books on polyamory!

Including The Lesbian Polyamory Reader, which may well be perfectly worthwhile, but which I've been gritting my teeth re buying due to the v. v. v. earnest-looking 80s-dykes-with-mullets-and-flannies cover (although *cough*, I have one flannie. I have never had a mullet. OMG, I'm not a twooo butch!). Maybe the book isn't all cultural-lesbo-feminist "all wombyn are higher-evolved beings who are naturally anarchist and share everything (including lovers)", but the signs aren't good. Athough it was actually published in 1999, so maybe it's just a bad choice of cover art.

Well, it's cheaper than ordering from Amazon. And the site's got a simple clean design too (reminiscent of Amazon's, but I suspect they may be using something like ZenCart underneath).

Comments

[goatsfoot.livejournal.com]

I came across this site a few days ago actually, it had some book on it which was a bit hard to find but I can't remember what it is. Hope it does well. I *cough* don't always pay at Borders but the selection there is surprisingly narrow really for such a lot of books (well not that surprising actually!). Pretty sure fishpond's using osCommerce, I did a search on a GET parameter osCsid and apparently that's associated with that software. I should learn how to use osCommerce one day in my Copious Free Time, would be handy.

[goatsfoot.livejournal.com]

*book i was looking for was hard to find in general, not hard to find on fishpond.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Ahah. Nice detective work, Watson. I looked at both that and ZenCart a few months back, and decided to play around with ZenCart. It was reasonably easy to configure the basics. Of course, if I had any notion at all of PHP magic, it'd probably be easy to do all kinds of fab stuff.

Yeah, I'm not that impressed by the selection at Borders overall. It's just better than most of the bookshops here in general, alas.

[surelars.livejournal.com]

Having a local site is good, though I have to admit I never shop at the really local sites here. I do shop and the UK Amazon, though - I save on shipping, taxes, and possible hassle with customs.

I have to say that cover is Scary. This is one example of where you'd really like to have the amazon "look inside" feature. Speaking of scary, a title like "Pagan Polyamory: Becoming a Tribe of Hearts" makes me want to run for the hills. But that's just me.

This one (http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Nonfiction/Social_Sciences/Sociology/General/product_info/11512034/?osCsid=3c289bfd7d1fc6fe608e5661f70b2462), on the other hand, is something I'd like to read. OK, so it sounds a bit dry, but I'd like to spend a couple of evening with that. But, the price is, well ... ouch.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I think there should be some award for a poly book that doesn't mention or display hearts on the cover. Bleargh. As for the other book you highlight, jesus christ! Over 100 bucks for less than 200 pages! That does look interesting, but it's a ridiculous amount of money. Sure, you tend to pay more for academic texts, but they're also normally a bit thicker than that for that kind of money.

As for local sites, the nearest alternative is Amazon in the US, and the shipping prices from there are fairly prohibitive, except for the stuff you totally cannot get anywhere else. I checked out amazon.jp once, and leaving aside the issue of a limited English-language selection (not surprising), the shipping wasn't any cheaper.

[surelars.livejournal.com]

Yes - it's sad that they price it that way, 'cause who will read it?

[micheinnz.livejournal.com]

The very title of this book (http://www.fishpond.com.au/Books/Non-Classifiable/product_info/4190783/) makes me want to hurl. I suspect I'd want to throw it against the wall before I got through the first chapter.

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

Not even Prince would put out a title like that. Pass the brain bleach.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Dear lord. And the lurid cover with the goddamn hearts makes for a nicely synergistic effect. What's the bet the authors would have had black satin sheets and a mirror on the ceiling in the 80s?

[surelars.livejournal.com]

Yargh! That's just awful. I'm trying to decide if I loathe the title or the cover more. Run, I say, run away.

[saluqi.livejournal.com]

The Lesbian Polyamory Reader is something that I've been idly curious about but after reading the Celeste West book (yik) I've been disinclined to find $$$ to buy another lesbian poly book.

Thanks for the book shopping linkie!

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Linkies R us, yay! :-)

And yes, I think with two of us being idly curious about the book, I might just throw myself into the breach and get it. I've managed to avoid the West book (thank you lord), because I knew I was allergic to "polyfidelity" right from the start... and let's just say the titles of the rest of her oeuvre are less than inspiring.

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

Thanks [my wallet doesn't thank you though:P] for posting this! I have been wanting an aussie amazon for years and this site has so many books I want.

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

I am Very Bad, leading young ladies astray. Ooops, I mean, tempting people to spend money they may not have. But yay that you might find it useful. :-)

[ilikerivers.livejournal.com]

I'm so tempted to buy the Cunt Colouring Book! I want to colour it in all shades of the rainbow:)

Thanks for leading me astray, I'm such a book worm.

[felix-femme.livejournal.com]

wow
it just passed the test (I searched on a topic from a discussion today and found some books I knew about and some new ones that look useful) - now bookmarked, ta

[trixtah.livejournal.com]

Grooviness! Yes, I thought it seemed to have decent coverage too, and nice that more people (with their different interests) are finding the same thing.