Lollipops and Lattes is going to have a series of pages to help you better navigate through the site, so that you can quickly land on that which meets your needs. Will take some time, as apart from being rather new to this blogging world, I am a mother of two, and fairly busy! Will do my best to get this part of the site up and running within the week. Meanwhile, please check out my latest three posts--am working on a fourth. If you scroll to the bottom of the page, you'll see two sites mentioned, one of which you surely know, the other of which may be a surprise.
Note: When one of the sites that will go on this page is having a sale, etc., I will mention it in one of my posts for the week. Most of the stores that you'll find mentioned here are ones from which I have purchased items, or have monitored for about a year.) By monitoring them, I have discovered many trends on how they price things, etc. More on that later. Back to the point: Some of these stores have incredible things, except for sales---and when they have a sale, it's more like a pretend sale. Other sites, have REAL sales (and run out of items quickly), and still other stores have a habit of having a sale on one brand, while elevating the prices of other items in their store. I suppose this method enables them to have a crazy sale, and that they hope you'll shop their products and pay about $5.00-$10.00 more for the same item that was on clearance the week before, simply because you're getting 50-75% off on another item from their store.
Then there are the stores that simply have different, interesting products, some of which may be on sale or not. Always remember to add the price (mentally) of the shipping cost to the product that you're thinking of buying--some stores ultimately charge a few dollars more for an item, but the shipping cost is less... yes, there's so much thinking to do as we choose our items!
A few of the stores simply have different kinds of toys, and very high quality ones at that.
I will alert you, when I'm aware, that a certain store has limited quantities/sizes of an item so that you're better positioned to make an informed decision about buying now or waiting, but PLEASE, please, please do not hold me responsible if the item you decide to purchase does not attract much attention, and goes into a deeper sale! Just here to help with this, as the online shopping world is very confusing, particularly when you're dealing with boutiques and toy stores that carry more than what you'll find at a Target, etc.
I'll also be writing a summary of strategies for shopping when you're dealing with the better-known stores, like Amazon. As for Ebay--I'm not even going there: Ebay is largely auction-style, and you NEVER know who is bidding on an item and what they're willing to do for it!
Online Bookstores:
Amazon:
Most of you know this site and are aware that they sell far more than books. They offer the Kindle, Prime Shipping, and so much more. Strategy regarding shopping on Amazon follows later.
Daedalus Books & Music
This is one of the premier online remainder bookstores out there. They have a real store, located in Columbia, MD, and you can also order online or call their customer service number (sign up for their catalogues).
POSITIVES: They have an incredibly vast collection of children's, history, art, etc., books. Their customer service is superb. Whether you are asking for suggestions for books--they encourage their telephone operators to read and become familiar with the books, and the additional items (cds, calendars, etc.) featured in their current catalogue, or want more info on a book: their customer service representatives will spend the time reviewing a book with you and offering you alternative suggestions, should you be uncertain about your selections. They offer, within the US, a flat rate shipping of $5.95, per delivery address--irrespective of the weight of your books.
Apart from books, Daedalus also sells remaindered/cutout cds and a vast number of DVDs.
Regarding the books, they do sell popular titles at the same (or almost the same) price as their rivals--these books are NOT remaindered.
What is a Remaindered Book?
Remaindered books are books that aren't selling so well (still can be phenomenal books that didn't generate enough publicity or have a limited-range audience. Also note that sometimes a book is remaindered simply because the paperback edition is coming out.) Some remaindered books are "marked" with a black or red marker along the base or top of the book's pages; other times a bit of the dust-jacket is cut out.
At Daedalus, I have found this to be true SOMETIMES, but NOT always. For example, most of their books coming in from the UK have no markings. Same holds true for the vast majority of their art books (and they have an impressive collection). But again, note that the marking is possible.
Actually, lots of people don't even notice the markings. I recently volunteered at a book fair to help fund my daughter's school library, and those people who purchased remaindered books (at another store) hadn't even noticed the markings and did not know what a remainder was.
(MORE BOOKSTORES TO COME)
CLOTHING STORES:
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