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Online Bookstores -Good Sites For Buying Cookbooks

Ylee

By Ylee
in Cookbooks & References

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Ylee

Ylee

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone!

I was looking for some online alternatives to Amazon for buying cookbooks, and stumbled across this one, which has quite a few books I want, at a fairly reasonable price (eg. the Frederic Bau book is cheaper here than on Amazon)

http://www.chipsbooks.com/

Just wondering if anyone has used this site before (I will be ordering internationally) and if they consider it reliable?

Thanks in advance!

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

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It's even cheaper at chef rubber but you may want to check out the shipping cost from each place before deciding where to order. Sometimes that's a much bigger difference than the price of the book when ordering from outside of the U.S.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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Ylee

Ylee

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Thanks, I had a look at the Chef Rubber site. They don't have any information on shipping (which maybe they only reveal once you have registered and are well on your way to checking out an item).. which is annoying. Is Chef Rubber reliable?

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Tri2Cook

Tri2Cook

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Thanks, I had a look at the Chef Rubber site. They don't have any information on shipping (which maybe they only reveal once you have registered and are well on your way to checking out an item).. which is annoying. Is Chef Rubber reliable?

Chef Rubber has always been very reliable for me. The only problem with them is there shipping rates are way out of proportion to what you order. I'm sure they have some automated system set up but what it saves them in having to calculate realistic rates is sucked hard from the customer's pocket. We're talking things like $35 shipping on a $50 order (that weighs less than 5 lbs.). So, even though they usually have what I need at as good or better a price than most other places I very rarely use them. Only when I can't find what I need anywhere else.

It's kinda like wrestling a gorilla... you don't stop when you're tired, you stop when the gorilla is tired.

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alanamoana

alanamoana

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Posted (edited)

Both sources are good and reliable. Both carry technical and professional books. The prices at both places can be both good and sometimes overpriced (depending on the book). Your best bet is to shop around to more than one place:

Chef Rubber

CHIPS Books

JB Prince

Kitchen Arts and Letters (no web ordering, only fax or phone, but have good selection...prices not too good, but reputable)

I'm pretty sure there are another one or two sites that I go to regularly, but I can't think of them now.

Depending on the language, FNAC (a French website) sometimes has some books at a reasonable price (not now because of exchange rate for US purchasers)

ecookbooks.com is great, but doesn't usually carry the foreign titles or technical books that the other sources carry.

edited to add: noticed that you're in Australia and if you're used to paying a premium for shipping and it is worth it to you, then any of the sites listed are probably okay as long as they ship int'l.

Edited by alanamoana (log)
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alanamoana

alanamoana

Posted
Posted
Thanks, I had a look at the Chef Rubber site. They don't have any information on shipping (which maybe they only reveal once you have registered and are well on your way to checking out an item).. which is annoying. Is Chef Rubber reliable?

Chef Rubber has always been very reliable for me. The only problem with them is there shipping rates are way out of proportion to what you order. I'm sure they have some automated system set up but what it saves them in having to calculate realistic rates is sucked hard from the customer's pocket. We're talking things like $35 shipping on a $50 order (that weighs less than 5 lbs.). So, even though they usually have what I need at as good or better a price than most other places I very rarely use them. Only when I can't find what I need anywhere else.

I agree that their rates are pretty ridiculous, especially for what they're selling, but are the rates for you worse because you're in Canada?

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dougal

dougal

Posted
Posted (edited)
Do any of these sites allow for paypal usage? Because Amazon doesn't (not that I'm aware of) which can be a bit of a pain in the butt for me.

Generally PayPal are providing a service for small traders. Paypal fees (for a few sales) are cheaper than the vast set-up costs of a fully secure and accredited e-commerce website.

For Amazon, and other BIG retailers, the economics are the other way round.

I might be wrong, but I think Amazon are something of a benchmark for security - at least as good as PayPal.

For people doing price, availability and delivery cost comparisons (especially but not only for out of print or other secondhand books), don't forget abebooks (com and co.uk), ... and in the UK, its good to know about bookkoob ...

ADDED : btw, many of the booksellers that list their stock on abebooks, DO take PayPal. You are dealing with the bookseller, whereas on Amazon Marketplace you pay Amazon (who look after the security aspects etc for the sellers).

Internationally, exchange rates change fast.

Just a couple of months ago, £1 bought me $2. Today my £ gets me about 20% less - so your $ gets you about 20% more. Recently the £ has moved in step with the €. Right now the US$ is rather strong, not weak. (Come on over!)

Edited by dougal (log)

"If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch ... you must first invent the universe." - Carl Sagan

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Shinboners

Shinboners

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Posted
Oh man! But I'm going to the US at end of the year and books are cheap there so..........................

It's a shame that you didn't go to the US a couple of months ago when the Australian dollar was almost a parity with the US dollar.

Still, at the current exchange rate, it's still cheaper to buy a lot of US/UK cookbooks from Amazon than locally.

Daniel Chan aka "Shinboners"
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Ce'nedra

Ce'nedra

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Oh man! But I'm going to the US at end of the year and books are cheap there so..........................

It's a shame that you didn't go to the US a couple of months ago when the Australian dollar was almost a parity with the US dollar.

Still, at the current exchange rate, it's still cheaper to buy a lot of US/UK cookbooks from Amazon than locally.

I know, I'm kicking myself as well but what can you do with uni and all :(

What are some US bookstores worthy of note (for cookbooks and for bargain prices)? I'll be travelling to a number of cities but mainly LA, Santa Ana, Las Vegas (won't be book hunting there though), NYC.....

Musings and Morsels - a film and food blog

http://musingsandmorsels.weebly.com/

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