Is online shopping the best way to get your certification books?
One for the Books
Is online shopping the best way to get your certification books?
Building your personal library of certification books
can be a test of endurance and skill—but with the added
edge of some online tools and a few hints for savvy buyers,
you can come out at the head of the class.
For this article, I visited six well-known online booksellers
to find a set of five books for SQL Server 7 certification.
The phrase, "Your mileage may vary," came to mind a lot
during this shopping session since not only the prices,
but also the books varied from site to site!
Comparison
Shopping |
Books
Used for Price Quotes:
- Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 System
Administration Training Kit
Microsoft Press, ISBN 1-57231-827-9
- MCSE Administering SQL Server
7 Exam Cram
Coriolis Certification Insider Press,
ISBN 1-57610-227-0
- MSCE SQL Server 7 Administration
Study Guide, Exam 70/028
Sybex Network Press, ISBN 0-78212-382-1
- MCSE Readiness Review Exam 70-028:
Administering Microsoft SQL Server
7.0
Microsoft Press, ISBN 0-73560-672-2
- Inside Microsoft SQL Server 7.0
Microsoft Press, ISBN 0-73560-517-3
Sites Used for Price
Quotes:
|
|
|
Why would you want to buy online rather than in the convenience
of your local bookshop? One of the most compelling reasons
is simply the price difference. On average, our sample
books came out 20 to 30 percent cheaper than list price.
This kind of savings is especially important when it comes
to certification books, since they tend to be much more
expensive than your typical paperback novel. In most cases,
even after shipping and handling charges, you'll still
see noticeable savings.
To put that in perspective: If you bought our five-book
selection at list price minus a typical 10 percent frequent
buyer discount, dig deep into your pockets because that
would set you back $260.96! If you bought at the highest
online price in every case, your bill (minus shipping)
would be $234.95. If you bought at the lowest online prices,
you would only pay $160.39—nearly $100 in savings for
a little bit of comparison-shopping!
The Books!
Prices as of 9/6/99 as posted on Web sites.
Green = lowest price; Red
= highest price.
|
Training
Kit |
Exam
Cram |
Study
Guide |
Readiness
Review |
Inside |
Total |
amazon |
$50 |
$29.99 |
$34.99 |
$34.99 |
$41.99 |
$191.96 |
bn |
$79.99 |
$17.99 |
$39.99 |
$34.99 |
$41.99 |
$214.95 |
bookpool |
$58.95 |
$18.95 |
$29.50 |
$32.95 |
$29.95 |
$170.30 |
borders |
$69.95 |
$23.99 |
$34.99 |
$39.99 |
$41.99 |
$210.91 |
fatbrain |
$69.95 |
$23.95 |
$34.95 |
$34.95 |
$41.95 |
$205.75 |
readmedoc |
$69.99 |
$22.49 |
$34.99 |
$37.49 |
$44.99 |
$209.95 |
lowest |
$50 |
$17.99 |
$29.50 |
$32.95 |
$29.95 |
$160.39 |
highest |
$79.99 |
$29.99 |
$39.99 |
$39.99 |
$44.99 |
$234.95 |
list-10% |
$89.99 |
$26.99 |
$44.99 |
$44.99 |
$53.99 |
$260.96 |
Shipping Details
Here are standard shipping costs for a book shipped to
a U.S. address:
Site
|
For
1 book |
For
all 5 books |
Amazon.com |
$3.95 |
$7.75 |
Barnes & Noble at www.bn.com |
$3.95 |
$7.75 |
Bookpool.com |
Depends on actual shipping
costs charged by UPS |
Depends on actual shipping
costs charged by UPS |
Borders.com |
$3.95 |
$7.75 |
Fatbrain.com |
$3.95 |
$7.75 |
readme.doc at www.readmedoc.com |
$4 |
$9 |
|
|
Unfortunately, it turns out that it isn't always as easy
as going to a single Web site and consistently getting
the best buy. Amazon.com had one book at a 50 percent
discount, and another one at full list price. It pays
to shop around—not only for the best price, but also for
the little details in the product.
Can I get it in Red?
Same book title and ISBN, different editions. The one
on the left is the book advertised at readmedoc.com. The
one on the right is the book you're buying from Barnes
& Noble at bn.com.
Would you buy a textbook with 41 pages missing? What
about the almost-latest version? Lots of things change
from edition to edition—updates, corrections, additions,
and deletions. If you're doing serious exam studying,
you want the latest and greatest version to make sure
you have, presumably, the best information.
This is where bookshops have the advantage. You always
know exactly what you're getting, because you have it
in your hands. Online vendors, on the other hand, give
you a somewhat restricted view of the item. Looking at
one of the books from our sample group, the six vendors
came up with three different page counts and four varying
publication dates!
MCSE
SQL Server 7 Administration Training Guide
|
Site
|
Page
Count |
Publication
Date |
Amazon.com |
695 |
5/99 |
Barnes & Noble at www.bn.com |
695 |
1/99 |
Bookpool.com |
695 |
5/99 |
Borders.com |
725 |
2/99 |
Fatbrain.com |
725 |
5/99 |
readme.doc at www.readmedoc.com |
736 |
1999 |
|
|
It gets even worse when the picture and text don't agree
(see "Version Mismatch"). How do you know whether to believe
the cover shot or the description?
Version
Mismatch |
|
You mean version number is important?
Barnes & Noble gets the dreaded
"version mismatch" error. Will you receive
the book shown or the book described?
|
|
|
In some cases, it may be less of an issue than it first
appears. You can often find errata and update lists at
the publisher's Web site. You may also find that the changes
are primarily cosmetic, and the contents are similar enough
between versions to be acceptable. In the end, you'll
have to decide whether the version impact is offset by
the price difference.
Even
Cheaper! |
If the bargain book adventure
whet your appetite for even cheaper fare,
you might want to check out these places:
- The public
library. Hey, you can't get
much cheaper than free! You might
be pleasantly surprised at the selection
at your local branch. The downside:
Study fast-you'll have to return it
in two weeks!
- Used bookstores.
Many of these shops are starting to
pop up with MCSE titles in their bins,
usually at 50 percent or more off
list, making them a great source for
bargains. The downside: Erratic availability
of books and the occasional pizza
stain on an important page.
- Online Auction
Sites. Here, it's possible
to get rock bottom prices on nearly
anything. The downside: Serious caveat
emptor involved.
|
|
|
Brutally Honest
"Don't waste your money."
"Fails and Fails Greatly."
"Many Errors."
"Misses the Mark."
—Reviews of MSCE SQL Server 7 Administration Study
Guide, Exam 70/028
Ouch! With reviews like that, who needs enemies? This
is one place where online buying has a huge advantage.
Nearly all of the major vendors have a "Customer reviews"
area where you can see what your peers thought of the
book in question. Although you have to take some reviews
with a grain of salt, if the overwhelming majority read
like the ones above, you may be better off saving your
money! All of the sites in this issue have both positive
and negative reviews for the titles shown, so it's at
least one barometer of the general community opinion.
Remember again that it pays to check multiple sites-not
only for the prices but to compare reviews. There's always
the chance that you happened upon an isolated group of
unhappy readers. Plus, several sites like fatbrain.com
allow you to look at chapter excerpts online, to get a
flavor for the actual contents.
How many Web sites does it take to make a worthwhile
search? You'll have to experiment to find the right mixture
between being thorough and being obsessive. After all,
your time and effort is worth something. Even though you
might shave another two bucks off the price by searching
20 more sites, is that worth the effort?
Finally, you may just be more comfortable in a "standard"
retail setting-where you can browse a selection in "real-time"
and walk out of the store with your purchase in hand.
Talk about express delivery!