On-Line Stores and Vendors

Let me assure you that to us here at First National, you're not just a number. You're two numbers, a dash, three more numbers, another dash, and another number.

— James Estes

Most of my regular purchases (books, music, games, that sort of thing) are done on-line, with the exception of occasional browsing at used book stores and used video game dealers. To be included in this list, I must have made multiple orders through a particular site and have had no significant unresolved negative experiences. I must have also had no negative experiences with spamming or unwanted contact from the store.

The Teaching Company

This is a wonderful company that makes something I didn't realize I wanted until I tried it: college courses on DVD, CD, or MP3 download. They find the best college professors from all over the United States and have them tape a full course in their area of expertise. It's a great way to satisfy curiosity or just get a broader understanding of the world. Always buy their courses on sale; they have a strange pricing structure that puts all courses on sale at least once a year in a rolling schedule, and the non-sale prices are much, much higher.

Powell's Books

I order more from Powell's than from any other on-line store. I highly recommend them over any other on-line bookstore; they have an excellent selection, they carry both used and new books and often have out of print books, all their books are shipped together with free shipping for large orders, and I've never had a problem with their site or order process. On top of that, they're an independent bookseller with a great non-corporate attitude, full of people who just love books. Go here instead of Amazon for books, unless you're looking for something really rare that they just don't have.

On top of their store selection, they also have lots of great articles on their web site. They post new reviews of books every day, from a variety of sources (and can also send the reviews in e-mail). They also have a fantastic selection of interviews of authors, which are good enough that I'm reading through all of them, and plan on buying several books on the basis of the interviews.

Last spun 2022-02-06 from thread modified 2021-06-06