Rating Summary
“Fairly good place to get sf/fantasy books”
- an avid online shopper
- Pros
- Good selection of books, Easy to cancel featured books now
- Cons
- DOn't carry all authors in genre
Science Fiction Book Club —
I have been in the Science Fiction Book Club for years. I first joined when I got my first job. I LOVE science fiction and fantasy books. I had cancelled my membership once but then joined again several years later.
They have a very good sign up deal. You usually get a deal where you can get 6 or 8 books for free. YOu just have to pay for shipping and handling (which now usually comes to around $10 - $15) The books are all hardbacks, never paperbacks. I prefer hardbacks so that is perfect. Then you are obligated to purchase 2 more books at regular price in the next year or 2. That is usually VERY easy to do if you are an avid reader like me.
Once you sign up, you get a packet in the mail about every 3 weeks with a small catalog of books you can buy and any specials they are running. There is an order form you need to send in, even if you don't want to buy anything. If you are not buying anything, you just mark on it that you don't want the featured selections and then you don't get them. If you don't send back the order form, they automatically send you the 2 featured selections. So you need to remember to always send it back in!!!
But now they have made it so simple. YOu can sign up on their website and elect not to get the mailings (so no forms to send back). Instead, they email you the featured selections. If you don't want them, you need to go to their website and select not to recieve them. If you don't, they automatically send them. But ever since I have signed up to recieve it by email instead of mail, I've never had trouble with packages being sent by mistake.
If you get a package in the mail and you didnt' want them, you can just send them back. Make sure to NOT open even the envelope on the top. Cover your address and put return to sender and the PO will send it back to them at their expense, not yours. If you even open the envelope, you have have to pay for the return postage. NO FUN.
The only problems that I've had with them is... they don't carry books by everyone that is in the sf/f genre. I wanted some books by Terry Goodkind today and they haven't even heard of him. They also don't carry JV Jones, who is my altime fav fantasy author. BUt they DO carry other things... like some videos and music and jewelry and stuff like that. They carry items dealing with comic books (not the comic books themselves, but things like graphic novels and videos and stuff like that).
I once had problems with returning a shipment that I didn't order. I had gotten on their website and opted out of getting the featured selection but they sent it anyway by mistake. I didn't open it and sent it right back. A month later they still didn't show it returned and was sending me emails telling me I owed them money. I emailed them several times telling them I returned it but it was like the Customer Service was staffed by dorks that couldn't understand what I was talking about in my emails to them. I called them and they were very polite and said they would take care of it, but it never got taken care of. I think it took like 4 or 5 months before they finally took that charge off my acct. And they assured me it wouldn't affect my credit rating.
But other then those 2 things (the latter of which can happen with any website store), I have had no problems with them. When you make a purchase, the items come very promptly and of course in excellent condition.
If you are an avid reader, check out the site. If you see some things you like, give it a try. I think you will be pleased.
Science Fiction Book Club
