Food For Thought: Book Shopping Online in Malaysia (Tips and Ways)

So, since I order books online so often, I thought I might just share some of my knowledge. This is especially applicable for Malaysians. As you all know, books are sold for quite a high price in Malaysia and not to mention, those latest releases aren't really that "punctual". Hey, we're almost half-a-globe away from US and more than 12-hours flight aways from UK. That makes us late for new releases. But fret not, I will share some thoughts on pre-orders, sales, best-bargain and what not.

A tip for book-shopping online. Always double-checked the ISBN code, if you're that kind of person whose the book edition matters to you much. (like me) Check with Bookdepository or google search. Don't just trust the cover posted. 

My list would go ascendingly according to price.
(1) Book Depository
Let me advertise a little! I'm a book depository affiliate!! Click the link above or at my blog's side column to access to the BD's site. Order through my affiliate account! You won't be charged extra but I may be able to collect a little commission through your order. Thank you!!

Pros
- Wide selections of books. Almost everything and pre-orders countdown is available. (If that particular book is not available, BD provides a link to Abe-books site to check out the availability throughout the world or something.)
- FREE worldwide delivery. It's also VAT-tax free for delivery to Malaysia. (You just have to pay for the price of the book.)
- Great bargain books. (It is not payable by Malaysian Ringgit. I usually check the conversion of US dollars, British Pounds and Singapore Dollars. I recommend you pay with Singapore Dollars, it seems a lot more cheaper.) (Most books have certain percentage discount.)
- Excellent customer service.
- Package is nicely wrapped.

Cons
- It takes a long time to be delivered to your doorsteps. They said 7-14 days but it took them 22 days (or more) to deliver my order to my place. (If you can wait, this is not really a significant problem.)
- Not able to track your order, even though they said so. (Sure, key-in the track number and then it would just show you "it's despatched". That's all.)

(2) MPHonline
I presume every Malaysian had been to MPH bookstore, if not heard before. MPH is one of those big bookstores we have in Malaysia, something like US's Barnes & Noble. Fortunately, MPH provides online services. It's sort of like shopping from their warehouse, namely MPHonline.

Pros
- VERY reasonable price (among all the other online book sites)
- FREE shipping with purchase of RM50 & above in a single transaction. (Very good deal, as purchasing 2 books with give you save you the shipping fees.)
- Shipping is just RM7 for less than RM50 spent. (applicable for West Malaysia only)
- Plenty of sales throughout the year. Check the column or subscribe to newsletter for latest bargains. Not to mention, pre-order books have 30% off.
- Aside from credit card payment, you can choose to order online and pay at their selected outlets. You can even collect your orders at their selected outlets, providing you send them an e-mail informing them so. They'll call you again for confirmation.
- Fast delivery (within a week, mostly)
- Good customer service.

Cons
- limited selection of books (if not, mostly unavailable and available for order, which have to wait for 2 weeks or more)
- search box needs precise words (key-in the exact title, author's name or ISBN)

(3) Kinokuniya's BookWeb
To be honest, I like Kinokuniya as much as MPH. They kind of fix each other's weaknesses. Kinokuniya is a Japanese franchise bookstore. There is only one physical bookstore in Malaysia, which is located at the top floor of Suria KLCC shopping mall. In my opinion, it is the largest bookstore in Malaysia.

Pros
- Wide selection of books. VERY. INCREDIBLE. (Almost all version of books can be found, unless limited edition)
- Books are up-to-date. (City of Heavenly Fire is available at their warehouse and it was just released a few days ago.)
- Good customer service.
- Fast delivery. (especially when you ordered as a gift)
- Member's discount for 10%. (not helping much, I'm not a member.)
- Able to track your order.
- Very convenient unless you live near the KL area and able to visit the physical store.

Cons
- Overpriced, most of the time. (the price might vary with the price sold in their physical store)
- RM8 per transaction shipment. FREE shipping only available when purchase RM300 & more. (rarely exits the amount and nobody would purposely exceed the amount to get excuse that RM8 shipment fees)

THE LIST CONTINUES WITH SITES WHICH I'VE NOT TRIED BEFORE.
(4) Amazon
This is a site which seems like eBay. They've, of course, a wide range of books. New or second-hand. Books can be bought as second-hand, with cheaper price (duh).

I personally have not ordered a book from Amazon because I heard the delivery price overkills. However, I heard great things regarding Amazon. Maybe because in Malaysia, it seems to be too far away. If you're living in UK or US, it might just be your perfect choice to choose from.

(5) Borders
Borders' online store has very limited books, or non at all. Everytime I visit the site, it's just outdated & limited pre-ordered books available. Plus, there is no search box on site. However, their physical bookstore is a bomb. You can get a 10% off with their membership card.

Yep, that would be all. Just to make myself clear, this is purely my opinion from personal experience and this only applies to Malaysia.

I will do another FFT for "how to shop for bargain books - physical bookstores edition".
Summer