Buying from Christian Book Distributors

Do you also think that there are too many Christian Book Distributors out there? Since starting this website, maybe the most interesting discovery I have made is that Christian books are big business. I want to risk saying that Christian books are bigger business than books in general...

I am not going to try answer the why question… However, what this means is that when you resort to buying a book online (for whatever reason) you are confronted by the daunting task of choosing between numerous book distributors. And they all sell a great deal of books…

Let’s first consider why you would order a book online? Simple. You want to buy a newly-released Christian book you heard or read about. Or, maybe your favorite author’s newest release is out, and you just have to get your hands on it.

You want it now! That is if, like me, you are also still working on your patience… But, the local bookshop does not stock it yet, or you just missed their last copy.

Don’t you just hate that? Okay, I don’t mean hate as in a terrible, you-are-going-to-pay-for-this grudge against the shop manager. But you have to agree with me that this scenario is not a nice one, right? Right?

Luckily nowadays you can order straight from your favorite online book distributor!

Thank goodness we live in the information age and this wonderful invention called the internet is solving problems like these at an amazing rate. Yes, buying online is not quite the same as the real thing, but it is sure nice to be able to find what you need!

So, what are the distinctive features of a quality Christian Book Distributor? Obviously, the first consideration is price… Being a clever information junkie that reads too much, you surely knew that. So what can I come up with that you didn’t know?

Yes, I do actually try to add value through what I write…

Let’s see. I live in South Africa, so international shipping charges and the speed of international delivery is an important consideration (if you live in the US of A this would be less of a problem, but I still think that you can judge quality of service by looking at the Christian Book Distributor’s international shipping quality).

Availability of what you need is another important consideration. It does not help if you resort to ordering something online that is not available in your local bookshop, just to find that one of the “trustworthy” Christian Book Distributors also do not have stock.

Let’s throw in a fourth measuring stick. I am not too keen to be bombarded by promotional or marketing material. The information age unfortunately coincides with the spam age. If you order books through online Christian Book Distributors, they absolutely have to ask you for your contact details, and you will be more than keen to give it to them to ensure your precious cargo reaches you.

Now, it is easy for them to use this to send you promotional and marketing material. Naughty naughty. We do not like this, and distributors doing this will have to be penalized. How about grounding the receptionist?

“Come on! These silly jokes are becoming too much…”

Okay, what I suggest we do, is to look at the performance of one of the book distributors as a case study…

I recently ordered four books from the Amazon.com of Christian Book Distributors, CBD (guess what that abbreviation stands for). I was actually quite impressed.

Normally, I would order through Amazon.com, but I discovered that the prices are lower at CBD. Besides, I wanted to write an article on Christian Book Distributors and to have no knowledge on any of them would make me a hypocrite.

Where were we? Oh yes, we already have one positive for price. The books are very well priced, and while CBD may not be the cheapest available (I have yet to confirm whether they are), price is not the only consideration.

I received my books in one piece in the sunny South Africa exactly one month after placing the order. Hmm… Not the speed of light, but not bad either! I was pleasantly surprised by the low shipping and handling charges. Amazon.com would have been much more expensive, and I doubt the package would have arrived much earlier...

Another positive.

Of the online Christian stuff distributors (they don’t sell only books), CBD seems like the largest. Heck, they literally almost own their niche. Try Googling Christian books, Christian book, Christian book distributor, or Christian book distributors and you will see what I mean… They list number one for normal results and sponsored links for all four those terms.

They have a very wide variety. In fact, I will be surprised if you can find any book that you want or might want in the future (or have ever wanted or bought in the past) that they do not stock or do not have in stock. Impressive. Third positive.

And then sadly, we have to conclude with a negative. They sent me two pieces of promotional material with my purchase! I am still waiting to see if they will also send me unsolicited post, which I doubt they will since they surely must be aware of the annoyance that causes customers. And, I decided against grounding the receptionist…

Seventy times seven.

All in all, CBD looks like an obvious choice amongst the many Christian Book Distributors for the reasons listed above.

I hope this not-so-necessary-but-hopefully-still-informative article was of help to you. Good luck with your next Christian book purchase, and I really hope that you find what you need when you pop into your local bookshop. It is still the easiest way to buy a Christian book!

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