Dear Mr. Customer (you silly ass)

Archive: Online bookselling

Dear Mr. Customer:

I'd rather you email your request for a book than call me on the telephone. Whoever answers the telephone may be the only person in the shop. If we have customers around looking for your book may be inconvenient. If it is misplaced it might take a half-hour to find the book. Indeed it may be easier to just say sorry that was sold to get you off the phone.

When emailing please don't make the title “Book order.” We get lots of those. If you get impatient your inquiry will be more easily and quickly answered if you put the book title in the message subject.

In the body of the message put the title and the book number. You can put the author as well. Often we have more than one copy in stock, the book number makes sure we know which copy you want. Otherwise we'll have to email you to ask.

Please tell us how you want the book shipped. If you are Canadian I'd suggest you ask how much it'd cost to ship. Many books can be shipped to Canada for less than the stated default. Sometimes airmail is only a few cents more than surface.

Please put your shipping address in your email. Even if you are the paranoid type who has to call in the credit card numbers. Then we can cut and paste your address and print the label with no possibility of error (on our end). When you move please correct your shipping address on the sites you buy books through. Nothing is less welcome than an email saying the address was wrong arriving an hour after we've shipped the book.

If you decide you don't want the book or buy it elsewhere an email letting us know would be nice. We may be refusing other sales because we've set the book aside for you.

Many thanks,
The Staff and Management