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Returning e-books
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I don't think I have ever returned an e-book.
The only one I've had returns on is Shades of Grey... but that's also the only one that sells!I get the feeling it's people using the one-click option and then realising it's not that Shades of Grey.
People have been debating this on amazon,because people were saying that they read books then returned them for a refund.I've only ever returned about 3 books,1 that i bought instead of wish listed and 2 that the price dropped by more than £2.
It is within Amzon's t&cs that you can return a book within seven days. It doesn't say 'unless you've read it'.People are perfectly within their rights to do so.
I'd like a TBR short enough that I could get to a book within seven days...
i have returned a few - all out of freaking stupidity of 1clicking them when i didnt mean too.
I returned one because it wasn't all there.
Jay-me (Janet) ~plum chutney is best~ wrote: "I returned one because it wasn't all there."There's me gone then.
I'm sure authors are really pleased when people return their books,especially when they know there aren't any formatting or grammatical errors.If you want to return a book after reading it,join a library.
I think I returned one book once. I bought it, immediately changed my mind and returned it. Then realised I wanted it, so re-bought it.If you look for books on your kindle, the default position for your cursor is the BUY button, so there must be loads of happy clickers doing one click too much, but then the next page does say "did you buy this in error?"
I think it should be a very rare thing to return a book. I've heard other authors complaining about this in other groups. I have to agree with Lorraine. No book returns - unless it's like your situation, Patti where your friend clicked by accident. I'm sure you immediately returned it. Some people are very quick readers so they read and return. With the ability to return a book, you can skim through it, make a decision and then return it without giving the book a chance.
Patti (baconater) wrote: "Jay-me (Janet) ~plum chutney is best~ wrote: "I returned one because it wasn't all there."There's me gone then."
Ha :)
Seriously the whole book wasn't there - they sorted the problem and I bought it again about a week later.
Lorraine wrote: "I'm sure authors are really pleased when people return their books,especially when they know there aren't any formatting or grammatical errors.If you want to return a book after reading it,join a l..."Or stick to reading freebies, I suppose.
Lord knows one can now never have to by a book again if they choose not to.
I sometimes get a return straight after a freebie promo, so I guess it's people clicking just as the promo ends, thinking it's still free.
Probably Mark.And you'd think if people were gonna scam the policy they'd choose the expensive books, not the 77p indies.
Oh yeah, I recall I did return another one because it was so dreadfully edited...
Again, was ages ago.
I think I one clicked something by accident and so returned it. I get a few returned every month (single figures only) and just assume that it's because of the same thing. Considering that you can sample the book before you buy it, I don't think I'd ever return a book that I had chosen to buy only to find that I didn't like it. It's not like I wasn't given a chance to find out what it was like beforehand.Anyway, the rules say you can, so you can.
I've had 1 returned, followed immediately by a borrow. So I assume they meant to borrow it all along and just clicked the wrong button.
I've only returned one book that I bought then didn't want to read (it was because the author was leaving nasty messages for anyone who gave less than 4 star reviews.) Otherwise, I've occasionally one clicked when all I meant to do was add a book to my wish list (one cost £9!) - but those I have returned immediately. I wouldn't dream of returning a book after I had read it - that is so mean!
I've had one return, and that was of the only sale I ever made on amazon.de. I suspect someone clicked "kaufen" in error.
It would never have even dawned upon me that I could return an e-book. Not that I'd be likely to, but...just saying...
I'd never return an e-book unless there was something wrong with it.If I found I didn't like it I would put that down to being my bad luck.
Karen (Kew) wrote: "I've only returned one book that I bought then didn't want to read (it was because the author was leaving nasty messages for anyone who gave less than 4 star reviews.) Otherwise, I've occasionally ..."It's shocking how a very small minority of authors shoot themselves in the foot, isn't it?
I would have made a point of returning the book in that circumstance as well, Karen.
Ice returned a couple I bought in error. Think I returned one after reading most, if not all of one but only because it was so terribly written that I didn't think it was worth the money. I can't really remember now because it was so long ago but I think it was a couple of quid. I it had been 77p or 99p I probably wouldn't have bothered returning it.
It always disappoints me when I see a refund, because it makes me think that for whatever reason, 'there's another unsatisfied reader'. :(
I tend to get between one and two returns for every hundred books I sell. I have no issue with readers returning books even if they've read a few chapters and didn't like it (I am always hopeful that it's due to an accidental one-click purchase, as I've done in the past). What is frustrating is that Amazon don't let you know why the book was returned, ie accidental purchase, misleading description, general crapiness of my writing.
But Shaun, after reading the posts above, it seems the people returning books didn't want it in the first place ;p :)Better a returned book than a one star from that "unsatisfied reader"?
Andy wrote: "What is frustrating is that Amazon don't let you know why the book was returned, ie accidental purchase, misleading description, general crapiness of my writing. "
That's a shame. Amazon know the reason because when you do return a book they ask to know the reason why, so they should be able to pass that info on to you.
That's a shame. Amazon know the reason because when you do return a book they ask to know the reason why, so they should be able to pass that info on to you.
Shaun wrote: "It always disappoints me when I see a refund, because it makes me think that for whatever reason, 'there's another unsatisfied reader'. :("Awwwwwwwww Shaun.
For such a big manly bloke, you're such a softie. Xxx
Joo The Grand Inquisitor wrote: "But Shaun, after reading the posts above, it seems the people returning books didn't want it in the first place ;p :)Better a returned book than a one star from that "unsatisfied reader"?"
And even though you lose the money from the refund, you still get to keep the sales ranking and extra visibility you got from that sale. So it's not as bad as it seems :)
I have only returned one book so far and did um and arr for ages as to whether I should as I felt very guilty. But it was a marketing book for authors on how to sell on kindle and it was literally absolute drivel(and very short - I read it in less than 3 minutes).If it had been priced cheaply I probably would have kept it but the £3.99 it cost meant I could return it and actually give my money to an author who had at least put some effort into their work. I noticed a week or so later it had been removed from Kindle anyhow. I assume from similar returns/complaints.
I think I've only returned 3, mainly because it is very easy to accidentally click buy on the kindle. I buy online now to save that issue.
Same story here - books I've returned myself have been accidental one-click purchases, and I've had only one or two returns of my books, which seem to be for the same reason. I do, however, get quite a few returns of one particular book that I have listed for another author, perhaps due to its controversial content.
I've only returned one, or possibly two. The one I definitely returned, I had opened the page when it was free, clicked on it 24 hours later only to discover that what I thought was free was actually £25+!! Amazon got a very panicky email off me, I got a very nice phone call from Amazon and the book was returned with no problems at all. I did then buy it again six months later when it returned to being free for a while! The other one, I can't remember whether it was actually returned or not, if so, it would have been out of the seven day period but the file was seriously corrupted, it really messed my Kindle up and I believe, on reporting that to Amazon, it was returned (but I might be wrong about that one). I tend to go for free books on the Kindle so I just delete if they're terrible!
I tend to get returns after a free run, probably readers who have downloaded it thinking it was free and then realising it wasn't. I figure they probably didn't want to actually read it anyway.
I have only returned an ebook I have read before and for some reason it did not come up on Amazon that I had done so.
I have not returned a single one although I was extremely disappointed with one non-fiction download that I bought. It purported to be a medical textbook and the sample looked great. When I bought it, I found 95% of the book was promoting an actual medical practice in the USA and thus totally useless except as advertising material. I felt totally cheated, but I didn't return it, knowing how hurt I was at my first few returns. Maybe I am too much of a wimp!
I have only had one of my books returned in two years and that was a 99 cents short story, returned after four days. I assume the buyer read it, then returned it to get their dollar back. I can understand returns when something is purchased in error, but it doesn't take a week to figure it out! And authors don't get anything from returned purchases, as far as I know.
Just wondering how frequently we return a book and what sort of returns rates our authors get on their books.
I can't say for sure how many books I've returned over the years. No more than three, I think. The only one I definitely recall returning was one that a friend one-clicked in error when inspecting my kindle.