[LIS-Forum] BOOK PURCHASE THROUGH ONLINE PORTALS? SOME POINTS TO PONDER

[Vasanth]

Dear Sir/Madam

Online e-commerce platforms are the best platforms to purchase books and other goods easily from any parts of the country or even from abroad. However, it has its own limitations when it comes to purchasing of large number of books and other materials in bulk to the institutions such as libraries. Some of them have been briefly discussed here. 
1. E-Commerce Portals not Vendors or Book Suppliers 
Amazon or Flipkart and other many platforms as we know are online e-commerce platforms where an individual based on his/her interest purchase books and other materials which are on sale on these platforms. However, for purchasing books in large numbers has its own limitations. These platforms are neither the book suppliers nor the book vendors/publishers. They provide platforms to purchase books through various suppliers. There is no single window to purchase books in large numbers. For instance, if we order ten books from Amazon or Flipkart, ten books will be supplied/sold by ten different vendors through these platforms.  
2. Good For Immediate Purchase of Smaller Copies of Books 
Online e-commerce platforms are good for purchasing in-demand books. If the academics or students are in need of books urgently these platforms can be used to purchase the books quickly and easily. For bulk purchase and for specialized scholarly materials these platforms may not be the best means. 
3. Predatory Pricing of Books and Other Materials 
This is the important issue not only for librarians but for general public. We exactly don’t know how these platforms provide so much of discounts and still make profits.  The predatory pricing is the biggest drawbacks of online e-commerce platforms. Based on our interest in certain products or books the algorithms these platforms used for collecting users data manipulate the pricing of books or other materials automatically.  Predatory pricing may also create kind of monopoly and keep other vendors out of the business. So there will be very fewer choices for negotiating discounts or selecting books from wide variety of sources. 
4. Chances of Supplying Used/Duplicate Copies/Books/Fake Publishers 
There is always a chance of supplying duplicate books or used copies. Online e-commerce platforms have no control over kind of materials that their vendors or sellers supply right materials to the purchaser. There is no guarantee also that the books ordered through these e-commerce platforms comes from right publishers.  There were lot of issues in this aspect and many purchasers and publishers have narrated their ordeal on duplicate books and fake publishers active on these e-commerce platforms. 
5. Uneven Discount Rates for Different Books  
There will be no standard discount rates for books purchased on these digital platforms. As mentioned elsewhere in this piece, if one were to purchase ten books through e-commerce platform all the ten books will be supplied by different sellers no standard discount will be given. Some books may get up to sixty percent discount some may attract only five percent discount. This will be problematic for librarians to manage and also auditing committee may not agree for this kind of uneven discounting prices. 
6. Difficulty in Returning/Replacement of Large Number of Books 
Returning and replacement of books through online e-commerce platforms is somewhat very difficult. If we purchase large number of books from different third party sellers it takes long time to replace materials through e-commerce platforms. The more chances will be of not finding right books for replacement. The ordeal takes lot of time and also refunding will be cumbersome because different sellers refund in different point of time. How do one solve such problems? Do the purchasing committee accept such long process of replacement or refunding? 
7. No Proper Catalogue or Book List 
Another important aspects is difficulty in identifying proper catalog or book lists. Except literature related and competitive exam oriented books it is difficult to find books on specialized subjects on e-commerce platforms. Unless proper book catalog it is difficult for academia or librarians to select right or appropriate books. In most cases it is hard to find specialized documents on these e-commerce platforms. 
-------------------------With best wishesVasantha Raju N.Librarian Mysore