Border's going out of business sale is a joke.

So yeah, been lurking in my local Border's bookstore looking to see how high the discounts are going to be. Some sections have gone up to 40% off, but with the books priced at 15-25 bucks, they still are not worth it. I went to the science section and saw this big meaty book about the making of the atomic bomb, it was priced at $21 but Border's put a 25% discount on all science books. I thought, ok if it gets up to 40% off, I might just go for it, I don't think I will be able to get it cheaper.

WRONG! http://www.amazon.com/Making-Atomic-...2872004&sr=8-1

45% off if I just get it online. Like $5 if I am ok with a used copy. Now I know why bookstores are going out of business, and I feel no regret or sympathy with those who lament their extinction. Prove me wrong.

Yeah, there was a Borders in Brisbane, got the $16ish for a decent paperback even with the closing sale plus discounts. :/

I agree with you.

i love bookstores but you are right about these sales. they BLOW. i was very disappointing when i went to go be a vulture.

i'll stick to my lovely library i read books far too fast too buy them for anything besides the most important of occasions.

Amazon is one of the reasons Borders is going under. They had a tried and true business model until readily-available internet became the norm, and debit/credit cards became incredibly easy to get. The lack of plastic was always a huge boon to non-internet based businesses.

They could have joined in on the whole E-book and online book thing, but they took a pass. Personally I think they overestimated the loyalty of their customers and all those hippies who like to go get coffee and sit on a couch and read the book without ever buying it.

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Originally Posted by Major Robert Dump

Amazon is one of the reasons Borders is going under. They had a tried and true business model until readily-available internet became the norm, and debit/credit cards became incredibly easy to get. The lack of plastic was always a huge boon to non-internet based businesses.

They could have joined in on the whole E-book and online book thing, but they took a pass. Personally I think they overestimated the loyalty of their customers and all those hippies who like to go get coffee and sit on a couch and read the book without ever buying it.

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Barnes & Nobles embraced e-books and have a pretty good online site with pretty decent discounts. The may have changed enough to survive.

E-books are a threat. I HATE HATE HATE them. Can't concentrate while reading them. I just want my paper. Hope E-books don't replace paper or I''ll have to go find the ones responsible and not so nice things will happen to them.

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Originally Posted by Skullhead

E-books are a threat. I HATE HATE HATE them. Can't concentrate while reading them. I just want my paper. Hope E-books don't replace paper or I''ll have to go find the ones responsible and not so nice things will happen to them.

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Paper is now a luxury. $30 for your paperback. You mad?

I dislike e books personally but I can see the appeal. however, I will be honest I doubt paper books will ever disappear in our lifetimes. they will probably always be prominent. Maybe my grandchildren will all read of a screen but I will probably never be forced to due to a lack of actually printed books.

What I would like to see is an option to get the e-book for a small extra fee (10-20% of the hardcopy price, depending how much the hardcopy costs) when I buy it together with the hardcopy as a package.

good potential extra revenue for the publisher/store from those who still like to get their paper copies, best of both worlds for just a bit of extra money for me ~:)

Don't forget the point of the "going out of business" sale. Things will be cheaper than straight retail, but the whole point is to get as much money as possible while liquidating the assets for the creditors. The Borders sale is no different than the many others I've been into the past couple of years.

The best deals come when they have everything down to 60-80% off. The book selection will be pretty dire at that point, but if you need shelves, racks, or tables you can get a good price!

In Aus where they've all closed even at 80% off it was still cheaper online... delivered from the UK... Australian book mark up is a joke... much like most IT equipment ... it is cheaper to buy overseas, ship it one item at a time, then to go to a retailer where it is marked up 40 to 100% (HP even directly marks up the price to sometimes double, and the laptops are manufactured in Malaysia.)

The Fall of Paris: 1870-71, by Alistair Horne. :book: good book!

Cover Price at Chapters in Montreal:
US- $16.
Cdn. - $20

Amazon.ca, UPS to my door within 48 hours, no charge - $14.44

Guess where I bought it?

And I would have gladly bought it at Chapters for $16, but why should have to pay $20 Cdn. when Cdn. money is worth more than US money? It's nuts. So, Amazon it is.

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Originally Posted by Beirut

The Fall of Paris: 1870-71, by Alistair Horne. :book: good book!

Cover Price at Chapters in Montreal:
US- $16.
Cdn. - $20

Amazon.ca, UPS to my door within 48 hours, no charge - $14.44

Guess where I bought it?

And I would have gladly bought it at Chapters for $16, but why should have to pay $20 Cdn. when Cdn. money is worth more than US money? It's nuts. So, Amazon it is.

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You think that is bad?

Most pricing you see $1=€1 and right now it is €1= $1.50 exchange rate.

Half price books is generally 5-7$ a book. You just have to visit regularly. And library sales can go as low as 50 cents.

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Originally Posted by Centurion1

i love bookstores but you are right about these sales. they BLOW. i was very disappointing when i went to go be a vulture.

i'll stick to my lovely library i read books far too fast too buy them for anything besides the most important of occasions.

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yup library rules. tho i always get fines cuz i forget to return the books in time XD

btw is it me or are books damn expensive in other countries. here u pay 15 euros for a hardcopy thats just out. 10 bucks mostly if its paperback. n for the old books they dont cost a damn. i still prefer library tho. 30 euros a year n all the books i want :P

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Originally Posted by The Stranger

yup library rules. tho i always get fines cuz i forget to return the books in time XD

btw is it me or are books damn expensive in other countries. here u pay 15 euros for a hardcopy thats just out. 10 bucks mostly if its paperback. n for the old books they dont cost a damn. i still prefer library tho. 30 euros a year n all the books i want :P

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most books are published and printed in the US i belive :shrug:

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

In Aus where they've all closed even at 80% off it was still cheaper online... delivered from the UK... Australian book mark up is a joke... much like most IT equipment ... it is cheaper to buy overseas, ship it one item at a time, then to go to a retailer where it is marked up 40 to 100% (HP even directly marks up the price to sometimes double, and the laptops are manufactured in Malaysia.)

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It is a joke. I know when a major release of a game came out and even though you can get it via download the prices charged for Australian consumers was basically twice the price for American consumers. We are not idiots.

thats the same here in holland. new games cost 50euros while i can always get it for 20-30 pounds in the uk XD. i got pre-order special edition NTW for 20 pounds was like 30 euros while pre order in holland was 50 euros.

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Originally Posted by Centurion1

most books are published and printed in the US i belive :shrug:

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For the US market. There is also UK editions, Singapore and other print lines... but it wouldn't surprise me if they are actually printed in the same factory and different covers are pasted on in different countries so they can be "made in" xyz.

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Originally Posted by Papewaio

For the US market. There is also UK editions, Singapore and other print lines... but it wouldn't surprise me if they are actually printed in the same factory and different covers are pasted on in different countries so they can be "made in" xyz.

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I thought most of the publishing houses were in the US though and they just edit them differently to accommodate different editions.

Like I said though i'm not sure.

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Originally Posted by Centurion1

I thought most of the publishing houses were in the US though and they just edit them differently to accommodate different editions.

Like I said though i'm not sure.

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No they are not.

With paperbacks it is easier to tell.

UK printed books tend to come apart after the first reading. US covers tend to come off but the books remain intact.

It is harder to tell Canadian from US but they also print them.

always nice to learn something new! :thumbsup:

Ok well, after 10 days the sales have boosted up quite a bit. I am shocked at how high they have gone up. There must not be enough people buying or something.

As of today everything is now 40%-60% off. Still gonna wait just one more week to see if they go any higher. None of the books I am keeping my eye on seem to be wanted, so I hope that if things hit 50%-70% I can sweep up everything I want cheaper than Amazon.

If I was fortunate enough to have been born into a middle-class family, I would absolutely adore bookstores. As it is right now, when I want books, I go to garage sales and thrift stores. Why buy one book for $20 when you can buy ten books for the same price? I'm not fussy about their physical condition... I mean, geez, I'm just grateful for what I have.

If I have my mind set on a particular book, then I'll borrow it from the public library. Sometimes, if I'm really excited over a new release, then yes, I will check out a bookstore. But that is a rare and desperate measure on my part.

Last days of the Borders store in my area. Today I picked up nine $8 books for just under $13 (including tax) - 80% off plus an extra 15% if you buy six or more items. That came out to $1.60 per book. :2thumbsup:

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Originally Posted by Skullhead

E-books are a threat. I HATE HATE HATE them. Can't concentrate while reading them. I just want my paper.

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Why am I not surprised. Have you actually used a Kindle for a substantial amount of time? I find myself forgetting I'm not holding paper (as opposed to the Sony Reader) - and I've found myself reading more books as a result.

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Hope E-books don't replace paper or I''ll have to go find the ones responsible and not so nice things will happen to them.

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Hoo hoo, I love my Kindle even more now.

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Originally Posted by Beirut

The Fall of Paris: 1870-71, by Alistair Horne. :book: good book!

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Eeeeee I've got that book on my Kindle as well! I'm going to start it after I've finished Machine of Death and Ghosts of Empire. Have you read his book on the Algerian War? It's absolutely excellent, definitive even.

Yeah I took advantage of the final days as well. Bought 6 books yesterday, and saw that my Border's location had a sign up saying they were closing for good on Monday, so I couldn't have waited any longer. The total came out to be $33 for 5 books. But that was only because all of them except for one was priced at 70% with a single book being 90% off. Cashier told me I saved $80, so I guess it was a good buy.

If anyone wants to know, the books I bought were:
"Society must be Defended" by Michel Foucault
"The Power Makers" by Maury Klein
"The Science of Liberty" by Timothy Ferris
"The Making of the Atomic Bomb" by Richard Rhodes
"Pox: An American History" by Michael Willrich

If anyone has read these books, let me know what you think of them.