Hello readers and students of the Ageless Wisdom! Phillip Lindsay has been a self-publisher, selling books (17) with Amazon for 20 years, but in the past 10 years their service has steadily deteriorated. Here are some of the topics covered in this article:
———————————————————–
For those who live in the USA
For those who live outside of the USA
The Jeff Bezos Culture
Other Distributors or Publishers
How Amazon contnually frustrates and wastes the time of their sellers
A New Bulk Mailing Offer for Customers Outside USA
___Priority Mail International
For those who live in the USA. If you are considering buying my books, please visit this link at my website EsotericAstrologer – where you can receive a 15% discount – plus freebies for more than three books purchased.
$50 postage to Britain from USA!
It’s convenient to buy books from Amazon and pick up a few other things while you are on their website. But this is part of a general habit pattern (or addiction!), that most people take for granted and understandably do not consider the ramifications of what independent sellers experience.
For those who live outside of the USA. Unfortunately, Amazon has such a stranglehold on the US postal service that postage costs outside of the USA – to Europe, Australia – or even neighbouring countries like Mexico or Canada – are hideously expensive. For instance, one of my books that retails for $60, cost $50 to send to Britain from USA. (This was verified through one anti-Amazon customer’s insistence!)
But of course not everyone can afford that kind of luxury, to stand for a principle – and it is still cheaper to buy from US Amazon to ship to other countries outside the US. But not Amazon branches in your own countries – all my books are outrageously double the cost or more, and I have no control over that. Using US Amazon.com through a free VPN, has been my ongoing suggestion for anyone outside of the USA.
The Jeff Bezos Culture
Amazon CEO – Jeff Bezos, once told his team, “to attack small publishers like a cheetah would pursue a sickly gazelle”. Charming fellow! Indeed, he has applied that law of the jungle, and is now in the top few wealthiest in the world – having created a global monopoly of distribution.
Most of us may not be aware of the slave-like conditions that many staff work under at Amazon warehouses, constantly tracked and surveilled – to exact that maximum “pound of flesh”.
Here you have a real-life scrooge whose efficiency principles over-ride compassion or a sense of broader sharing. Due to his excessive wealth, Bezos could easily pay his employees more money and give vendors a better percentage deal – and still be very rich! But he does not, and neither does the culture he has created.
Nationwide protests demanding Amazon change its practices.
But enough griping and back to the main issue! All vendors like myself are forced to accept Amazon’s agreement which takes 55% of the retail cost of a book. For example, Unveiling Genesis: Mysteries of the Rootraces and Cycles – sells for US$60, less 55% = $33 for Amazon, $27 for me.
From that must be subtracted production costs. As a small publisher, printing 100 at at time is the best option, working out to $20 per book. (Printing 1,000 would be much cheaper but would take 10 years to sell – and a lot of dry storage space!)
$27 – $20 = $7 profit – minus postage to Amazon warehouse by my shipper, eats up most of any profit. My other cheaper books do a little better but the margins are minimal – overall, I am breaking even. My books are printed as a service – and if they are “breaking clear” business-wise – then it is still viable to continue this service.
Other Distributors or Publishers
Four of my books are on Kindle, each book takes many hours to set up properly. Putting my other books on Kindle is not worth it – time-wise, nor from the either/or deal Amazon offers. Printing with Ingram’s Lightning Source has been tried but found to be much inferior book quality, compared to using a private printer.
Some of the author’s 17 titles, past and present!
Other distributors like Baker and Taylor or Ingrams require you to jump through all sorts of hoops, even for established authors who have nearly 20 titles, like myself. Been there, tried that! The big New Age distributor in the USA – Newleaf, went out of business a few years ago.
Mainstream publishers like Penguin, Harper & Collins etc., basically steer away from esoteric material. Even the more alternative publishers like Bear & Co., Ozark Mountain Press, Theosophical Publishing House or LLewellyn – are not interested; some editors have personal biases or do not understand esotericism.
How Amazon contnually frustrates and wastes the time of their sellers
(Let me count the ways!)
1. Amazon algorithms are psychotic! Amazon continually orders books for which they already have sufficient stock at their warehouse.
2. Conversely, Amazon does not order books that are out of stock, and which show zero quantity on their website. This is detrimental because a customer will hesitate to purchase, if they know it might take 2 weeks instead of 2 days to receive the item.
3. One wonders whether these ploys are deliberate to some authors! Possibly due to the controversial content of one of my books such as the C*vid crisis (Destiny of the Nations and Races vol. V.), Amazon appears to practice “shadow-banning” – by minimising product appearance on their website, or burying them below pages of other titles when doing a search. Not just one title, but in my case – all five books in the same Destiny of the Nations and Races series, unrelated to any controversial topics.
4. Despite many letters to Amazon (the author has over 10 years of letters in a large file!), they come back with the most convoluted and unhelpful responses. (24 pages of letters since 2021!) It appears that the culture at these “help” centres, mainly based in India – are about clearing their quota of enquiries – as quickly and by any means possible; if you call them on the phone, some of their English accents are so thick – only half of what is said is understood.
Amazon has grown too big – now like a lurching Frankenstein that eats up small publishers and many other vendors. There are loads of stories online and in forums that repeat what is being stated here. It’s a wonder no one else has bothered to start up a large alternative book distributor which operates on fairer principles. (There are a few small ones popping up at the moment, using print-on-demand methods.)
A New Bulk Mailing Offer for Customers Outside USA
Which leads to a new idea of buying my books at reasonable cost with low postage, posted from the USA to any country in the world via Priority Mail International. (7-10 days via the US Post Office – USPS). This is a discounted postage rate for printed matter.
At the moment there is an intention of creating solutions for many enquiries about obtaining my books at a reasonable price and postage. Please don’t go through Amazon in Europe – or their branches in other countries like Australia or Canada – as the prices are over double in most cases.
Priority Mail International
Consequently, I have decided to offer direct post to any destination outside of the USA – via USPS Priority Mail International. air shipment. Due to the sliding scale of postage costs, it is only economical to send 22lbs/10 kgs. books, the weight of all 14 books (including post weight), offered at 20% discount, defraying postage costs significantly. (Lesser quantities/weights of booksare not economically viable.)
Hence, so long as the order comes to 20-22 lbs. (10 kgs.) Which brings an the idea of pooling resources in a customer’s particular area, where other local people could contribute to one bulk order. Others may want several copies of one or two titles.
The bottom line is that so long as the book orders are around 20-22 lbs/9-10 kgs. (about 14 titles), any combination of books can be ordered and quickly mailed to the respective countries. The following table clarifies,
The following table lists all titles by Phillip Lindsay, giving their weight in lbs. and retail price in US$.
(Note: Unveiling Genesis: Mysteries of the Rootraces and Cycles – last copies are available on Amazon – but not available for this bulk buy, due to it being republished in 2025 under its original title: The Hidden History of Humanity I.)
Quotations and pre-payment can be arranged with the author via email,
through bank IBAN numbers or other transfer methods such as Wise, direct credit etc.
Postage calculator.
Shipping Zones
Australia 12. Brazil 13. Canada 1. China 13. Denmark 4. Egypt 8. Finland 4. France 15. Germany 16. Greece 5. Iceland 5. India 6. Ireland 4. Italy 4. Lithuania 3. Mexico 2. Netherlands 4. New Zealand 12. Portugal 4. Russia 19. South Africa 9. Spain 4. Sweden 5. United Kingdom 20.
Comments and suggestions welcome – please use the option below.
