Ghost Girl Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 Sigh, so guessing my half delivered order from booktopia isn't coming. We started using them over book repository cause they were Australian. So sad another online store gone. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meepy Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 Got all my kids textbooks from them. Very disappointed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerilyntaryn21 Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 I order all my school's library books through Booktopia and have about 20 on back order. I'm on long service leave, so we'll see what arrives whilst I'm away for term 3 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seayork2002 Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 I presume it is all still functioning like normal at the moment? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Bicycle Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 44 minutes ago, Seayork2002 said: I presume it is all still functioning like normal at the moment? I would say they would be selling books they have in stock (de-stocking is always the aim to create cash), however there will be no new orders from distributors or publishers, their credit with them will be frozen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mooguru Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 I think books are also one of the easier things for people to cut from their budget when money is tight because there are really easily accessible and cheaper options out there like libraries or ebooks. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaryanneK Posted July 3 Share Posted July 3 I love reading and physical books are irreplaceable as far as I'm concerned, no e reader comes close. I wonder if booktopia wasn't just the worst of both worlds though, if you are going to buy a book online then Amazon or other online retailers are usually cheaper than booktopia, especially if you have membership and don't pay postage or delivery. And if you want the in person experience of browsing in a shop, you go to a local independent bookshop. I do both of those things according to circumstances, though I don't spend a lot on books apart from as presents for the kids. I try and support my local bookshop because I love having them there and there is no online experience that beats the feeling of browsing around a bookshop. And sometimes I buy from Amazon because I know I want a specific title and I can't justify buying it somewhere else when it's a significant price difference. Booktopia offers neither option...not the cheapest or fastest online option, nor the best and most enjoyable shopping experience. It's a shame though. 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley225 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 15 hours ago, Kiwi Bicycle said: I would say they would be selling books they have in stock (de-stocking is always the aim to create cash), however there will be no new orders from distributors or publishers, their credit with them will be frozen. From what I've read that's exactly what's happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley225 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 15 hours ago, Mooguru said: I think books are also one of the easier things for people to cut from their budget when money is tight because there are really easily accessible and cheaper options out there like libraries or ebooks. Yes the other day I actually borrowed from the library instead of buying the book but I find for many books I want to read I can easily buy a physical book for less than a ebook which is frustrating but I have to remember I have thousands of books, a library and further bookshelves and have run out of space. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blimpette Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 So I've just used up my voucher with a number of random books. There was very little available. We'll see if I get them! 2 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basil Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 On 3/7/2024 at 9:35 PM, MaryanneK said: Booktopia offers neither option...not the cheapest or fastest online option, nor the best and most enjoyable shopping experience. It's a shame though. I think this is pretty accurate. I read that Booktopia invested millions in a new automated warehousing system. I assume it was in an effort to emulate Amazon's delivery system. They couldn't get the numbers required to cover the cost of the new investment though. I haven't purchased from Booktopia with my own money, for over 10 years. I was really annoyed with their 'in stock' which turns out to not actually be in their stock but supposedly in stock with their supplier/publisher. Something that was supposed to arrive in three days (with extra paid for express post), would end up taking over two weeks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 (edited) I am not surprised by this but it is sad. My DS reads books all day long sometimes a few at a time and takes 1-2 to school every day. We have also had to put some in storage as we just don’t have the room. For those who love books there’s a house near us with its own library!! https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-vermont+south-145353004 Edited July 4 by charli73 Grammar 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Bicycle Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 3 hours ago, charli73 said: I am not surprised by this but it is sad. My DS reads books all day long sometimes a few at a time and takes 1-2 to school every day. We have also had to put some in storage as we just don’t have the room. For those who love books there’s a house near us with its own library!! https://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-vic-vermont+south-145353004 It's back on the market. Sold in Nov 2022 ( and was posted on EB then as well) for $ 2.2 mill. Now on for $ 2.8- 3 mill with no changes. I saw it the other day in my real estate stalking and realised I had seen it before. Some quick Googling confirmed it. The market has softened. I am not sure they will get that big a jump in price. Other properties in this area have had price reductions. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetrick Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 That house is gorgeous, and I have seen a few houses recently with libraries (none that impressive though!). I also agree with @Kiwi Bicycle that the market seems to be plateauing/ reducing, so I'm not sure they will get what they are asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charli73 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 35 minutes ago, Kiwi Bicycle said: It's back on the market. Sold in Nov 2022 ( and was posted on EB then as well) for $ 2.2 mill. Now on for $ 2.8- 3 mill with no changes. I saw it the other day in my real estate stalking and realised I had seen it before. Some quick Googling confirmed it. The market has softened. I am not sure they will get that big a jump in price. Other properties in this area have had price reductions. Yes I saw it back then also. It is a big jump and I don’t think they will get that price either but gosh it’s nice. I feel like maybe the inside has been painted? Not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Bicycle Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 2 minutes ago, charli73 said: Yes I saw it back then also. It is a big jump and I don’t think they will get that price either but gosh it’s nice. I feel like maybe the inside has been painted? Not sure. Not sure, but painting an interior doesn't equal 1 mill or more price jump in my mind. The 1 mill and under range is stable, however anything around 2 mill is sitting and keeps on having reductions in their " indicative price range". And the agents have to be on top of that because there's fines if they under quote significantly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley225 Posted July 4 Share Posted July 4 59 minutes ago, onetrick said: That house is gorgeous, and I have seen a few houses recently with libraries (none that impressive though!). I also agree with @Kiwi Bicycle that the market seems to be plateauing/ reducing, so I'm not sure they will get what they are asking. There's one Newcastle I was looking at a couple of days ago , beachside suburb but not that near the water that is listed for 2.8 mil, nice old house but rather run down and the listing was intimating it was a pull down rebuild and for that price I was shocked. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petal71 Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 Sad to read this. I have to admit that I used to ask for vouchers from a local independent bookstore for birthdays etc, but then the family who were getting me those started getting me plants instead : ) I still love books but read much more slowly these days so I don't get through many a year, and when I buy them it's usually second hand at market stalls or Vinnies etc. I do get a new book once or twice a year - usually from Dymocks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nightmarish Posted July 5 Share Posted July 5 This is frustrating, the last thing we need is more consolidation in the book seller industry and it seems like it’s largely down to one poor decision. I buy a lot of books and had found Booktopia great in the past, for some newer, Australian books they were the only seller and they were often priced competitively with Amazon. I did notice a lot of things being out of stock this year and thought it may have been ongoing issues from a paper shortage, but that looks like old news. Hopefully one of the other bookstores picks up the pieces and continues, a world where all books go through Amazon is not the future I want (hypocritical of me since I also use a Kindle). 4 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic_marker Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 QBD looks like the front runner to take over. I won’t shop at QBD unless desperate. The store doesn’t have a bookshop feel and they introduced a membership. Pretty much trying to emulate Costco. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie28 Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 15 minutes ago, magic_marker said: QBD looks like the front runner to take over. I won’t shop at QBD unless desperate. The store doesn’t have a bookshop feel and they introduced a membership. Pretty much trying to emulate Costco. QBD is horrible. The problem I had with Booktopia was similar to a PP- they weren’t the fastest or the cheapest. Often took 2 weeks to deliver books they had listed as “in stock”. I’d rather spend the extra to wait 2 weeks for my local bookshop or Hill of Content to order a book in if they don’t have it in stock, and I’m lucky to be able to afford the extra few dollars. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yogaalaates Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 24 minutes ago, magic_marker said: QBD looks like the front runner to take over. I won’t shop at QBD unless desperate. The store doesn’t have a bookshop feel and they introduced a membership. Pretty much trying to emulate Costco. Yeah, I was only just saying (complaining) to dh about qbd as it’s the only nearby bookstore. It doesn’t feel nice to browse there and doesn’t really have a great range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Bicycle Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 11 minutes ago, Rosie28 said: QBD is horrible. QBD is better than Kmart or Big W. At least the staff actually deal with books and you can find one at the counter. And the shop is kept tidy. Don't try and kill the chain some poster might onky have access to. QBD at least stock back list, lots of topics and doesn't just cherry pick like Kmart and Big W do. 33 minutes ago, magic_marker said: QBD looks like the front runner to take over. I won’t shop at QBD unless desperate. The store doesn’t have a bookshop feel and they introduced a membership. Pretty much trying to emulate Costco. And trying to be Costco? Really? Costco is a warehouse! With lots of crud in it. Yes, QBD picked up Australian Geographic line, but at least they are a actual bookstpre. Not a frigging warehouse. And you don't need a membership to step in the store, unlike Costco and their door police. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onetrick Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 I fell for the QBD membership thing. Don't recommend it- you get vouchers back, BUT they are 5x 'spend X amount and get $10 off', NOT '$50 in vouchers' as the person at the checkout told me. Stupidly expensive mistake that I won't be making next year. I'm not loyal and buy from anywhere. Book grocer isn't bad for an online option? I got their advent calender last year and I'm still going with the books. Not sure who owns etc, but they have a few stores around as well. Dymocks is lovely to browse, and I used to like Robinson's but as @Meepy mentioned there were issues with how they treated staff, including a friend of mine. This combined with their prices means they are a nice to browse (as in, look, not touch) but unlikely to buy from. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic_marker Posted July 6 Share Posted July 6 My point is, QBD jumped on the membership bandwagon. Now l won’t shop there even if desperate. Rather go to Costco. The door police are lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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