I’m trying to. Especially after they stopped delivering for free to Denmark if I ordered over £25.
But Margaret Hodge, chair of the public accounts committee in the British Houses of Parliament says we “should” because of Amazon’s tax dodging. Dodging of UK taxes, she means.
Here’s a link to The Guardian’s article on the problem.
I’ve largely switched to Goldsboro for signed first editions, to The Book Depository for just about anything (I know they are owned by Amazon, but as far as I can see, they are at least registered in the UK) and they will post ‘free’ (their prices are a shade higher than Amazon’s, presumably to cover this. Or Play.com, who also have a kind of ‘Marketplace’ where they will link you to supplier companies for new, or second hand versions of the title you’re looking for. Or the very wonderful Waterstones Marketplace, which is similar to the Play system. I’ve also had excellent results from Abe books, as have most people.
There. Do what you can to avoid Amazon, eh? And maybe they’ll start paying the taxes they should. Like you do. Like I do. And I guarantee – unless you also live in Denmark, or Sweden or Aruba – I pay a higher tax rate than you (and certainly higher than Amazon) do.
I’m probably howling at the moon here, but if you’re reading this and order from somewhere other than Amazon and can recommend them, please comment below, eh?
speeshreads.com 