I haven't ordered through Amazon for my library but I have for myself. My biggest drawback is that it automatically renews each year without warning- ie: I see on my credit card that I have been charged again. And it doesn't renew at a discounted price but at whatever full price is. You might be able to turn off automatic renewal but usually you get a better price the first year if you have it turned on.
I will say that I used Amazon to look for some new magazines back in November as it seemed many of the magazines we were getting kept ceasing publication. The company we use was able to get all of them for us which was a huge plus. Price was the same too as Amazon too.
Good luck!
Kerry Fountain, Director
Saranac Public Library 616-642-9146
Clarksville Area Library 616-693-1001
sarkf@llcoop.org ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've ordered from Amazon for about 10 years. They don't sell all of the magazine subscriptions available through direct purchase. Sometimes I renew through Amazon; sometimes I renew from the renewal notice I'm sent by the publisher. Often when I "renew" through Amazon they initiate a new subscription and I have to report duplicate issues to the publisher and get it sorted out.
But if it saves me money (and it has), it is worth the headache--budgets and public perception being what they are. I just can't rely on Amazon for everything.
Regards,
Jessica
T.A. Cutler Memorial Library
312 Michigan Ave.
Saint Louis, Michigan 48880
(989) 681-5141
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Hi Dana,
I am not a fan of Amazon's billing for our corporate account. We use them as a secondary for books, A/V, requests, miscellaneous items, etc. I think their monthly statement could be streamlined. They have also stopped including any backup documentation with shipments.
Amazon has some very eye catching magazine prices, but these seem to be introductory offers that would generate a full bill after three months or so. One that stood out to me was "The Economist." It looks like a great deal at $12, but this is a 3 month initial subscription with auto-renew. Their standard year is $152 with auto renew and that is $25 higher than our rate through our regular vendor. Prices fluctuate from magazine to magazine. Marie Claire seems to be almost free. Harper's is double our jobber's price. Midwest Living is 1/3 the price. I would be wary of unexpected price increases through auto-renew.
It would be interesting to know how Amazon handles claims for missed issues. The standard magazine jobbers are pretty good at getting replacements or getting the subscription extended when issues fail to show up.
Over the years, we have switched between Faxon (defunct), Ebsco, WT Cox, Ebsco and we're now with Rivistas. We haven't used Popular. All offered competitive pricing, especially to lure new business. They also offer a different level of service targeted to libraries. If these are ephemeral items in your collection and it doesn't matter if they arrive or come back, Amazon might work. I am skeptical that Amazon would provide the same level of service as a subscription manager. You may find you are managing all your subscriptions individually with the publishers, which would create more work for staff unless the collection is considered disposable.
I would recommend putting your package of titles together and shopping it to all the jobbers that service libraries. None will be able to match some of Amazon's prices, but the comparison will give you the best reasonable prices, the annual opportunity to see price increases and cancel subscriptions as necessary. Hope that helps some.
Paul
Paul McCann Dexter District Library
Library Director 3255 Alpine St.
Phone: 734-426-4477 Dexter, MI 48130
Fax: 734-426-1217 www.dexter.lib.mi.us
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I just got a quote from magazine subscription service agency. They were lightning fast!
Their quote was over $500 cheaper than Popular. Their website does say they handle libraries as one of their target markets. It might be worth asking for a quote.
I just emailed them my excel list of current titles and they got back to me within an hour!
Melissa Huisman
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Hope this is helpful and if you discover a new and improved solution, please share!
