Amazon.com slow service when shipping

Amazon's "Free Shipping" is a gamble. I have no reliable local bookstore and place a paperback order at Amazon at least once a month.

If I place my order on a Monday, sometimes "Free Shipping" means that my books arrive in three days. Sometimes "Free Shipping" means that the package won't arrive for nearly three weeks.

I think a lot depends on how many thousands of other orders they are dealing with at the time.

I've had pretty good luck with Amazon, itself, but it's a total crapshoot when you buy from one of their associated merchants.

I ordered two books from amazon yesterday, they sent me a confirmation right then, they told me it had shipped today - and lo and behold, it arrived at my door this afternoon. One-day service with the free shipping. <shrug> I have NO idea how that happened! I do know that amazon delivers thousnads of boxes to businesses and residences in my town. Maybe that market helps with fast delivery.

Oh! And I was hoping that it would take a week to get here as they are school books and I wanted a break from school work. Amazon was actually TOO FAST in this circumstance.

As long as the shipping free, and I'm saving a good amount, I don't really care how long it takes.

I don't order anything from them that I just "have to have" immediately.

The things I've bought were items that I really wanted, like a steam cleaner, but didn't matter if it arrived next week or 3 weeks.

I think that came in one.

Oh how I wish Chai hadn't posted there. I am an idiot. I rarely have two orders with amazon going at once and I mingled the two. I ordered the books on the 16, they shipped on the 17th and I got them today, the 21st. Still pretty fast for free shipping.

Free shipping is 5-8 business days. Sometimes, if I need a book real fast,
I order from B&N, its free ( over $25) and takes 2-3 days. Problem with B&N
they've been adding tax to the bill, while amazon.com doesn't add tax.

I sent B&N an e-mail today, because, something is not right. Under normal conditions, academic books are not subject to US tax. ( Could this have been changed?)

Our community has a tax free period on textbooks coinciding with enrollment. At all other times, you pay tax. Sales tax, of course, is a state thing.

Hey, you get what you pay for. If a customer wants free shipping, he should expect to wait longer than if he pays for expedited shipping.

One time though, I DID get pissed off at Amazon. In the old days, if you ordered a few items with free shipping, and one item was back ordered, they would ship the available items immediately, and not charge you. In the recent past, I have waited weeks until the back ordered item arrived, and the package was sent all together.

B&N hasn't responded to my e-mail.