Case Study: Comparison Book Shopping – Borders vs. Amazon.com

My wife and I visited the local Borders bookstore to see if we could get a good deal on books. After all, many of the books were on sale for 25% off since they are going out of business.

While at Borders, I jumped onto my iPhone to see how the prices compared at Amazon. I noticed that Borders was charging List Price on their books, and then applying 25% plus local sales tax.

My hunch was that it would be less expensive to buy online at Amazon, especially when spending $25 or more in order to qualify for their free “Super Saver Shipping.”

Because of this, I decided not to buy anything at Borders. While at Borders I took a few photos of the front and back of 3 books (including the price tags) for further comparison later.

When I got home, I crunched some numbers to see if it really would be less expensive to buy on Amazon. Here’s what I found:

Stop Acting Rich: …And Start Living Like A Real Millionaire by Thomas J. Stanley

$26.95 (Price marked on the back of Stop Acting Rich on the shelf at Borders)
-25% off (Going out of Business Sale)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
$20.21 (subtotal)
+ 8.625% Suffolk County, NY Sales Tax
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $21.96

$17.79 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book directly from Amazon)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
+ 1.87 (NY sales tax)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $23.65 which is $1.69 (7%) MORE than the $21.96 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $19.66 (a savings of $2.30 (11%) over Borders’ $21.96 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$13.00 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $16.99 which is $4.97 (23%) LESS than the $21.96 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $13.00 (a savings of $8.96 (41%) over Borders’ $21.96 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$10.70 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a USED book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $14.69 which is $7.27 (33%) LESS than the $21.96 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $10.70 (a savings of $11.26 (51%) over Borders’ $21.96 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip Heath & Dan Heath

$26.00 (Price marked on the back of Switch on the shelf at Borders)
-25% off (Going out of Business Sale)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
$19.50 (subtotal)
+ 8.625% Suffolk County, NY Sales Tax
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $21.18

$15.47 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book directly from Amazon)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
+ 1.67 (NY sales tax)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $21.13 which is $0.05 (0%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $17.14 (a savings of $4.04 (19%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$12.25 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $16.24 which is $4.94 (23%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $12.25 (a savings of $8.93 (42%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$11.74 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a USED book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $15.73 which is $5.45 (26%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $11.74 (a savings of $9.44 (45%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

Rework by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson

$26.00 (Price marked on the back of Rework on the shelf at Borders)
-25% off (Going out of Business Sale)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
$19.50 (subtotal)
+ 8.625% Suffolk County, NY Sales Tax
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $21.18

$12.94 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book directly from Amazon)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
+ 1.46 (NY sales tax)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $18.39 which is $2.79 (13%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $14.40 (a savings of $6.78 (32%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$12.49 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a New book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $16.48 which is $4.70 (22%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $12.49 (a savings of $8.69 (41%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

$10.64 (Price listed at Amazon.com for a USED book through one of Amazon’s partner sites)
+ 3.99 (Shipping & Handling)
(tax is not charged through resellers/partners)
—————————————————————————————————————————-
Grand Total: $14.63 which is $6.55 (31%) LESS than the $21.18 at Borders.
Note: This book would be only $10.64 (a savings of $10.54 (50%) over Borders’ $21.18 price) if combined with another book to make the order total over $25 which qualifies for Free Super Saving Shipping at Amazon.

Conclusion
In almost all cases, it was less expensive to buy from Amazon, rather than at Borders’ going out of business sale in a brick and mortar store. The savings are even greater when buying Used books, and when purchasing at least $25 of merchandise from Amazon, since that qualifies for Free Super Saver Shipping. In my sample of the above three books, if you buy used (and spend more than $25 on your order) you can save 45-51% over buying at a local book chain.

A few things to consider:

1. You should always consider finding better deals online. You can often find things at a lower cost, even with shipping, than in local stores.
2. Physical stores are great for when you need an item today, however you may pay more. This is a trade-off when buying anything. The benefit of shopping at local stores is that you are supporting your local economy. Depending on your beliefs and the item(s) in question, this may be something to think about.
3. In the case of books, music, and video, digital versions can be downloaded immediately. Many people still prefer to buy “dead tree” books, CDs, and DVDs. It all depends on your preference and how quickly you want it.
4. For physical items that you can wait a few days for, shopping online is a great way to save money

This is the first Case Study that I have ever done. Please go easy on me and let me know if I have left anything out, or if there’s an angle or viewpoint that I’ve missed. I would love to see you thoughts in the comments.

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Full disclosure: some of the links in this article are affiliate links.