24 February 2012

Would you buy it?

Would YOU buy a book with a very pretty cover but NO pictures of what is inside?

I've been buying books for more years than I care to remember.  Mostly, I'll admit, craft books and on the whole - tatting books.  I buy because I see a picture of something I'd like to make in it.  That's the way I have always done it.

I saw a very pretty looking Ebook (tatting, of course) recently in an online store and would love to buy it.  BIG problem is that there are absolutely no pictures of what's inside it.  Not one, ziltch, zero.  It says that there are 29 designs for motifs, doilies, bookmarks and jewellery.  It SAYS that it covers from beginners to advanced.  BUT there's nothing to tempt me by showing what sort of things are in it.

So to get more of an idea I contacted the seller asking for a picture or two to help me on my decision on whether to part with nearly £9.50 (almost $15.00) for an EBOOK - yes, an EBOOK so there's no postage involved.

The only help I've had from the vendor is that if I want to see what's in the book then I'll have to buy it!!!!  NO WAY, JOSE!!!  Would you buy it?

33 comments:

Margarets designer cards said...

I have also been buying tatting books for years and they usually have some pictures, I am not sure if I would buy a book that had no pictures, You need something to at least show you what it looks like when it's finished. You don't say what the title of the book is, so we can't go and have a look at it, to give you a really good answer.
Margaret

Unknown said...

I think I would pass on this one too!

Luv Jane XX

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't. I would also ask about the specific title at InTatters, or do a search there or on google for the title and author, to see if other tatters have made something out of that book and what was their opinion.

Tat-a-Renda said...

Most certainly not!
I like to browse through a book, any book before I decide to buy it or not. If there are only a few items/articles from the book appeal to me I may not buy it.

That is why I like brick&mortar bookshops because I can really spend my time going going through the books before deciding to buy. The only exception is tatting books, because bookshops don't have that many titles with them. In this case, I would rely on reviews from my fellow tatters before ordering online.

Sharren - Tatting in Greenwood, South Carolina said...

Is it a new book or a book of old reprints? If the latter, they're probably available online for free. No, I wouldn't buy a book listed this way without any sample pages, either, unless I was (1) already familiar with it and knew I wanted it, and (2) the price was dirt cheap!

Lace-lovin' Librarian ~ Diane said...

No, I would not buy it! About two years ago I ordered a book on eBay that had no pictures. I never saw any pictures. I never received the ebook, and I never received a response from the seller after paying for my book. Lesson learned!

Frivole said...

I certainly wouldn't buy from such a rude seller!

Elizabeth said...

There is no way I would buy the book or anything else from that person.
Elizabeth

Susie said...

Nope. If I really want something "new" to make, I head over to "knots" on the intatters site. The only books I've gotten recently are Mary Konior ones plus the "Tatted Jewelry" book from Annie's Attic.

Susie said...

Nope. Without pictures, even 29 designs may not be enough for me to want to do one. The only books I've gotten recently are Mary Konior ones, where I had seen pictures that others had posted of their work and knew I wanted to make myself, and the "Tatted Jewelry" book, where I had seen patterns on Ms. Rocklee's blog that were in the book that I wanted to do.

RandaGray said...

I wouldn't even consider buying it! I purchased a book once that all I saw was the cover & that book is sitting on my bookshelf going unused. I personally don't like it at all (even though Iknow several that do)& if I'd had one picture out of it I wouldn't have purchased it to begin with....

Valerie said...

I totally agree with you there, Jane. While the saying goes: "Don't judge a book by its cover", a book without a good cover is seldom a good book (esp craft books)! All the more for an ebook! If there's not even a good cover to entice the consumer, how does anyone know what to expect?! I've come across many tatting books on online bookstores, but I would give those without covers a skip, unless I've heard of the title and have an idea what is inside.

Diane: Did you complain and try to make a claim after not receiving your books on eBay? You should. Last year, I paid for books but did not receive the goods on 2 occasions, and I managed to get full refunds.

Ladytats said...

is there anyway to search for the paper copy of the book so you can find out what is in it? I don't know what you have for e-reader ` kindle, nook, sony.... or on your computer, but usually there is a paper copy available through Amazon or Barnes&Noble that you can take a look at. Also, some early e-readers do not support pictures or not very well. I have a Kindle keyboard, and there are some pictures is some books, but most are pictureless. I can send pdf's to my kindle that have pictures and that works.

I wouldn't buy it sight unseen that is for sure.

send them your curriculum vitea (is that the right term?) and see if they will give you or sell to you cheaper in the hops you will give it a good review to the tatting world. it would help their sales if it is a good book. (I'm talking about your reputation in the tatting community) or a link to this post showing a bad review and how that can be translated into a good review with increased sales.

Jane Eborall said...

Thanks for your comments everybody. Ladytats - I've searched and there isn't a paper copy at all and through my research I've found out that even if you buy this ebook you can't print it. The one review I've seen said 'crappy'.
I will certainly send the seller a link to this post tomorrow!!! Maybe that will help as they've only sold two copies since May last year!!!!!

TotusMel said...

Nope, I wouldn't buy it either. Sounds like they're doing nothing to try and actually sell it anyway.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you Jane! I have loved the cover of a book before and not cared for the other patterns inside. It is not always worth the cost for just one pattern.

Fox said...

A no-brainer... That is nuts.
Fox : )

IsDihara said...

Well, I would NOT buy it. No sirree! Buyer Beware alerts are going off in my head left and right. (Mostly because there are folks out there who are taking public domain pattern books and selling them at a profit as PDFs and eBooks.)

Anonymous said...

Not from a seller with an attitude like that even if they added pictures at a later time. There are many wonderful people out there and I find no need to deal with the not nice ones.

Miranda said...

It wouldn't do the seller any harm to show photos of some of the finished pieces, and maybe even a snippet of a diagram. Not enough for you to be able to make the piece without buying the book, just enough to be able to see how clear it is. Why on earth would they expect anyone to buy a book without knowing what's in it?

When I buy harp sheet music online, the best websites always show a couple of lines of the music. It's not enough for anyone to be able to play the song without buying it, but it is enough to see whether you like it and whether it's appropriate to your skill level. I no longer buy music online if they don't show a little bit of it, because I got tired of wasting my money on music I ended up not liking. The only exception is if I happen to know that composer or arrangers's work well already and know that I always like their stuff.

Way back when, we always had the ability to see what was in the book before we bought it, because we could only buy them in stores. There is no reason at all for online sellers not to give us the same opportunity.

If the seller changes their mind and decides to offer pictures, then I would change my mind and consider buying it. After all, they should be rewarded for listening to what their potential customers say. But the pictures have to prove that they are actually good patterns!

Jane McLellan said...

No, is the short answer. How would you know what you were going to tat? Aside from the rudeness of the seller, it sounds completely unattractive.

Marty said...

Nope. It might turn out to be patterns swiped from other books or from historical books already freely available!

victats@gmail.com said...

I have to agree with you on this one. If you can't see the projects how do you know what you're buying? NO WAY!

Unknown said...

Absolutely NOT! Just for their attitude of suspicion and distrust. My money goes where I am welcome and well served. This person is a nut case.

PattyD

Batty Tatter said...

NOPE!

Karrieann said...

I only buy what I like inside the book. Cover gets my attention.
Soooooooooooooooooo. Nope I wouldn't... not for that price for an e-book!

Teresa said...

In a word, No. And I would be willing to bet that unless the seller is well known for their patterns they won't sell too many of those books. That's like buying a car without a test drive.

Sara said...

No, I need to se pictures so I can see if I`m doing it right!

Unknown said...

NO I learn my lesson to not buy books online until you don't have some pictures, just bought a book for crochet and after waiting over a week when I got the book had the surprise more than half of the book have very simple thinks which you can get on youtube and the other half do not have a sketch of the pattern just a picture from a km distance ... so if you can do with out it don't buy.

MimiD said...

No from me, too. Sometimes even if it's not public domain material I still need some photos so I can figure out if it's in my library and maybe I don't remember the title! The lack of pictures and the seller's behavior only lead me to suspect the worst. So sad.

Sharon said...

I wouldn't. Having done a few books, I know it's hard to display the contents or even just a sampling of the contents on the front page, but it is possible. There is no reason for not showing what's inside especially if it's a tatting book. On the other hand, anyone with a modicum of designing ability can recreate a tatted piece from nothing but the picture. That often leaves new designers very protective of their work. Still, the only reason not to show anything, not even a blurred picture of a single item, suggests that it's a scam. As has been said before a lot of people are taking the old designs and reprinting them into electronic format just for the money.

Sharon said...

I wouldn't. Having done a few books, I know it's hard to display the contents or even just a sampling of the contents on the front page, but it is possible. There is no reason for not showing what's inside especially if it's a tatting book. On the other hand, anyone with a modicum of designing ability can recreate a tatted piece from nothing but the picture. That often leaves new designers very protective of their work. Still, the only reason not to show anything, not even a blurred picture of a single item, suggests that it's a scam. As has been said before a lot of people are taking the old designs and reprinting them into electronic format just for the money.

lej619 said...

i have to agree! no I would not. I am to very much of a visual person.

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