So, today my first ever (but definitely not the last) order from Book Depository has arrived. I admit to being paranoid and uneasy while waiting for my package, and there was a part of me that worried about the package ending up with the post office, which would then require me to pay taxes despite the site's guarantee that they deliver to your doorstep AND the fact that - legally speaking - all imported books are supposed to be duty-free.
Thankfully, though, none of that happened. Everything was good, and since I really found all the reviews posted by other bloggers sharing their experiences with BD extremely helpful, I thought I'd pay it forward and share mine as well.
1. Why order from Book Depository?
In a nutshell - shipping is free AND they deliver straight to your place. You don't need to jump through all sorts of hoops the way you have to when ordering from Amazon. Also, they have a pretty good selection for both discounted and regular-priced books.
2. Create your BD account.
Super easy. Make sure to double check your name and shipping details. You wouldn't want them to ship your package to the wrong address, would you?
3. Shop.
Easiest thing in the world to do. Want me to do it for you? :D
4. Pay.
Technically you don't need a credit card since they process their payments via PayPal, and the latter allows you to pay using your debit card. Once you've paid, BD will email you an order confirmation.
Thankfully, though, none of that happened. Everything was good, and since I really found all the reviews posted by other bloggers sharing their experiences with BD extremely helpful, I thought I'd pay it forward and share mine as well.
1. Why order from Book Depository?
In a nutshell - shipping is free AND they deliver straight to your place. You don't need to jump through all sorts of hoops the way you have to when ordering from Amazon. Also, they have a pretty good selection for both discounted and regular-priced books.
2. Create your BD account.
Super easy. Make sure to double check your name and shipping details. You wouldn't want them to ship your package to the wrong address, would you?
3. Shop.
Easiest thing in the world to do. Want me to do it for you? :D
4. Pay.
Technically you don't need a credit card since they process their payments via PayPal, and the latter allows you to pay using your debit card. Once you've paid, BD will email you an order confirmation.
However, keep in mind that's just a confirmation email. Your books aren't actually on their way yet. When they are, you'll receive another email with the following as a subject: YOUR ORDER (#) IS ON ITS WAY.
This means your items have finally been dispatched. You can double check by logging in to your BD account.
Click on Orders (upper right corner of your screen). Input your order # (just copy paste from the subject line of BD's second email) and your email address.
This means your items have finally been dispatched. You can double check by logging in to your BD account.
Click on Orders (upper right corner of your screen). Input your order # (just copy paste from the subject line of BD's second email) and your email address.
You'll be taken to your order page. As you can see with the screenshot below, although I ordered on 2/8, the items were dispatched on 2/11. This is because BD needs time to go through their suppliers and ascertain that your books are in good condition before having them shipped.
5. And the waiting begins.
This is the hardest part. Because I've researched about other people's experiences, I know that the luckiest ones were able to receive their packages in one week. The not-so-lucky ones had to wait for 3 weeks or even an entire month. The average though is 3 weeks, but even so, knowing this still didn't stop me from worrying. In fact, I was so paranoid about this that I even posted a question on the #romanceclass FB group when normally I'm too shy to start any kind of thread in any forum. >.<
That was today, by the way, and everyone reassured me that my waiting period was normal.
But then here's the weird thing. An hour after I posted my question, someone knocked on our door and, well, well, well - what do you know? My package has arrived! Syet, sana pala hindi ko na lang kinapalan mukha ko and nag post pa ko sa FB group. >.<
This is the hardest part. Because I've researched about other people's experiences, I know that the luckiest ones were able to receive their packages in one week. The not-so-lucky ones had to wait for 3 weeks or even an entire month. The average though is 3 weeks, but even so, knowing this still didn't stop me from worrying. In fact, I was so paranoid about this that I even posted a question on the #romanceclass FB group when normally I'm too shy to start any kind of thread in any forum. >.<
That was today, by the way, and everyone reassured me that my waiting period was normal.
But then here's the weird thing. An hour after I posted my question, someone knocked on our door and, well, well, well - what do you know? My package has arrived! Syet, sana pala hindi ko na lang kinapalan mukha ko and nag post pa ko sa FB group. >.<
Individual packages! Which I expected because of the reviews I read. What I did not expect was the texture. They weren't the easily torn kind, if you know what I mean. Also because of the reviews, I made sure to look for bookmarks. And there was one for each book, yay!
I can't remember if I shared this before, but I once had an artwork commissioned for my book & when the artist shipped it to me, she also included a notebook with a custom designed cover (to match her painting) as a surprise. Unfortunately, I was so excited over the painting that the moment I saw it, I didn't care to check the rest of the package. I was too busy oohing and aahing over the painting and getting it framed. By the time I found out from the artist abt the notebook, it was too late. I'd already thrown away the package. The boyfriend even tried going through our rubbish but bec days haf already passed, one of the helpers must have already taken out the trash days ago. So anyway, lesson learned from there. >.<
Oh, and as for my current package - they're already on my shelf: classic fairytales as illustrated by the wonderful Camille Rose Garcia. ❤️
And that's it for my Book Depository experience. Preordered my second package already and will be ordering my third one in a few days. :)
