It’s OK If I Go to Hell for Buying Books on Amazon

106 Amazon orders this year. Nine were books. I'm not apologizing.

Independent Bookstore Day 2026

Saturday is Independent Bookstore Day and I’m already dreading the discourse, getting pummeled with posts online about why indie sellers are the only appropriate way to buy a book. Ever. And that whatever you do, for the love of god, you cannot ever ever purchase a book on Amazon. Because every time you do, a writer loses money, a local book shop shuts down and surely a shelter animal can’t find a forever home.

I’m just waiting for the suggestion that it would be better to stop reading altogether, instead of committing the horrific sin of lining Jeff Bezos pockets. As if it will make a difference.

So I’m putting it out there right now, to get it out of the way. I buy books on Amazon and I’m not gonna stop.

Before your launch in with your lecture: don’t. I’m not looking for your absolution. I’ve made peace with my purchases. But I’m tired of the guilt others try to impose for buying a book. Save your braggadociousness — I’m bored with this fight.

Book censorship is wrong; book banning is wrong; book burning is wrong. I give money to groups that fight those nut-jobs who want to ban books they’ve never read. And yes, I still buy books on Amazon. If that means I’m going to hell, so be it.

I’ve placed 106 orders on Amazon this year. Nine contained books. Of the nine, two were books I ordered elsewhere, first, both used. One never showed up. After way too many in-person attempts to get it rectified, I gave up. The other showed up, but the font was so tiny I couldn’t read it. And I have 20-20 close-up vision. Both got replaced by Amazon within a day.

I also bought an adult coloring book of swear words that I like giving as a gift. Please, hold that against me.

And while you’re at it, tell me:

• “When’s the last time you successfully and easily bought a book that’s out of print?”

• “What about one that’s backordered?”

Like magic, Amazon does both. It even gives you options to buy used.

By all means, support your local bookstores. Visit, hang out, spend money on beverages and buy lots of books. I do that, too, and I’m sure I’ll be there on Saturday in support. But when they don’t have what I want, I buy it on Amazon.

And don’t even start with me on the Public Library. I buy things at the NYC library gift shop to support the cause. In Dallas, I donate money and volunteer my time. I’ve served on two Friends boards, attended budget hearings, and worked book sales where no one showed.

I’m also an avid user. Right now I have 11 books checked out and another 7 ready to be picked up. The hours are ludicrous – only open when everyone is working and closing before we’re done. So getting there is a feat. I have another 30 titles that I’ve requested.

Not that adding titles to your queue is easy, and I say this as someone who works in tech. The search engine limps along, crawling through every type of media --- movies, CDs and probably microfiche. It’s always down at 11 p.m., to the point I’m starting to think it might not even be a machine. The search algorithms are so bad, it was actually the inspiration for Chat GPT.

If that’s not purgatory, I don’t know what is.

Right now, I am No. 62 out of 233 people waiting for the book Theo of Golden by Allen Levi. I’m more likely to die than get that book. And even if it does arrive, it will have had lots of other fingers all over it before I get my turn. So I’ll probably pick up a disease. Which also could kill me.

The book group I joined, believing it was an excuse to eat lots of cheese and drink wine on a Tuesday, actually reads and discusses the book. I can’t wait weeks for it to arrive. I need the book in my hands, so I can break in the spine and tatter the cover. It’s at least got to look like I read it.

I try to love Bookshop.org but it never sticks. They charge for shipping and delivery takes forever. In the “up to 10 days” they make me wait, I’ve already received, reveled-in and read said book from Amazon. This despite their tagline: Friends don’t let friends buy books on Amazon.

I needed to buy Your Brain on Art and Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. I can do this on Bookshop.org for $65.65 and receive them in 4 to 10 days, which is basically the window for a home service call. Of that, $6 would go to a local book store.

Amazon is $46.88 and they arrive tomorrow. That’s a difference of $18.77. I’m much better off walking into a local bookseller when I’m in the area and handing them a $20.

Take the book The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, which is always a perfect gift. I can get a used copy on eBay for $22.99 and pay for shipping. Barnes & Noble has it for $19.99. Amazon: $12.96, free two-day delivery and it includes a personalized gift message.

Don’t argue with me — talk to the numbers. Amazon sells 300 million books a year in the U.S. with book revenue of $28 billion. Obviously I’m not the only person buying books from Amazon. Math wins. So does instant gratification.

I’ve tried to do my part, damnit.

Judge all you want, believing I’m going to hell in a book bag. But consider this: maybe I’m just one of the few willing to admit the truth.

Don’t agree with me? Great! Start the dialogue so we can at least connect and share. Maybe even learn from each other.

Cheers to spending our time and money well!

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