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El Blog!, Touppi's Super Eleet Blog.
Tuomas Toivonen
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Mon, 12 Nov 2007
amazon.{co.uk,com} and the cheap dollar
In the latest Foreign Affairs Francis Fukuyama reviewed "Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul", a book by Michael Reid, a Latin America correspondent for The Economist. Inspired by Fukuyama's review and Reid's supposedly pragmatic take on structural reform (or neoliberalism, if you prefer) in Latin America, I decided to put in an order with Amazon.
But, the dollar being as cheap as it is, the eternal question presented itself once more: which Amazon - the .co.uk or .com variant? I also decided to order one another book and this time really compare the prices. Let's see. (Rates GBP:EUR 1.4262 and USD:EUR 0.6817.)
Deborah J. Yashar: "Contesting Citizenship in Latin America: The Rise of Indigenous Movements and the Postliberal Challenge" (Cambridge University Press, 2005). Prices: amazon.co.uk GBP 23.74 (33.86 EUR) and amazon.com USD 27.69 (18.88 EUR).
Michael Reid: "Forgotten Continent: The Battle for Latin America's Soul" (Yale University Press, 2007). Prices: amazon.co.uk GBP 18.99 (EUR 27.08) and amazon.com USD 19.80 (EUR 13.50).
Shipping and handling: amazon.co.uk GBP 5.97 (EUR 8.51) and amazon.com USD 11.97 (EUR 8.16). Taxes: amazon.co.uk GBP 3.90 (EUR 5.56) and amazon.com USD 0.00 (EUR 0.00).
So, what's the total price? From amazon.co.uk GBP 52.60 (EUR 75.01) and amazon.com USD 59.66 (EUR 40.67). Whoa, that's just insane. I'll save roughly 48% by having my books shipped across the Atlantic. Of course it'll take something like 2-4 weeks from amazon.com, compared to 1-2 weeks from amazon.co.uk. And unfortunately Reid's book won't be available until January in the US so I'll run the risk of the dollar appreciating meanwhile as Amazon only charges the order when it ships.
Nevertheless, I ended ordering from amazon.com. And also indulged my shopaholism by ordering Teivo Teivainen's "Enter Economism, Exit Politics: Experts, Economic Policy and the Political" (Zed Books, 2002). The book was available via Amazon as second hand from "bargainbooks" at the insane price of $0.01! Well, shipping and handling came at about $12, but still a bargain.