Message I get from Amazon, some parts edited for privacy.
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Thanks for writing to us at Amazon.com.

I have checked our records and see that, due to a delay on our end,
the estimated shipping and delivery dates for your order were revised
after you placed your order, as there was an unexpected delay in
obtaining the items. Please be assured that we notified you as soon
as we learned from our supplier that the status of this item had
changed.

However, I am glad to inform you that we obtained the items listed
below and shipped your order on June 10, 2005. We were able to ship
your package in advance of the date estimated in Your Account, so we
expect your order will arrive within two business days of the ship
date.

[snip tracking stuff]

Further, regarding the item "Loose Alliances," I see that this item
is not yet released. Please be assured that as soon as we have begin
receiving copies from our suppliers, we will be filling orders as
quickly as we can on a first-come, first-served basis.

We expect to ship your order in the next few business days of the
release date. On the date of shipment, we'll send you an e-mail
message confirming the date, contents, and method of your shipment.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience caused by this
delay. We value your business and hope that you will visit us again
soon at Amazon.com.
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So, I ask FanPro (I know you're watching...):

What sort of useless distribution operation can't get LA shown as 'released' at Amazon?

I mean, they move *how many* books a month?

Most people I know, FWIW, don't even buy from physical bookstores anymore.

If it ain't on Amazon (I use it cuz I have scads of gift certificates from there), it may as well not be in existence.

I'm still waiting for LA from Amazon as well. The website says July 30 last time
I checked.
I think SOA was listed sometime last April.

Amazon is notoriously bad at geting newly published books, in my experience. Be it fiction, philosophy, or roleplaying I never trust their will be published dates. I have in fact ordered an item at Amazon once and then found a=on a local bookstore shelf 3 weeks before Amazon said it would be published.

Maybe they are low on distributer's list to get books to? Or they handle so many items that they need extra time to figure out what they've got? I don't know But this is why I only order from them when they say the item is in stock.

It's much better to buy rpg-books at the friendly gaming store in your town and not at amazon.com.

I usually don't have troubles with Amazon. Besides, FLGS don't have
LA yet either down where I'm at.

My experience with Amazon has been similar, but I don't use it enough to have anything but anecdotal evidence to support that.

Granted, I usually get WOTC and White Wolf games. That might have to do with
me getting the books on time.

Where I live, there's like, maybe one gaming store of any consequence.

And it's an hour's driving away.

And I'm a bit too blind to drive, so depend on others (parents) to drive me.

So Amazon's the only option.

Are there potential stores closer?

Nope. They all died.

Anyhow...Here's hoping FanPro or Studio 2 rings Amazon and goes "Hi, we exist!"

What's up with rpg-shops who also ship books like stiggybaby?

I would rather pay more and get it from my local comic shop, where I get a phone call just to say hello when I have not been in for a couple of weeks.

Support local business, not only do they have it on-time and in-stock, but you meet nice people.

...even if you do have to put up with the occaissonal Cat Piss Man.

Occasional? I like to think of that odor as tangible charm.

Super: Agreed, but that's hardly available in some areas.

Edit: The game shop, not Cat Piss Man.

Amazon is notoriously bad with small publishers, particularly those in the RPG business.

If you want quick and dependable service a lot of people on here recommend Stiggybaby's. They don't have Loose Alliances in stock yet either, but they're very good with SR stock.

Synner: Never used em, but will consider it. However, Amazon has an advantage in that everybody's heard of it. When asking for stuff for Christmas (or my birthday, but that's on the 14th, so they blob together), it's infinitely easier to ask relatives for gift certificates from Amazon than for stuff from someplace they've never heard of.

As I don't have a credit card (or paypal, but then, I have little money anyway on a normal day that isn't already allocated), I do most of my shopping over the year w/ Amazon gift certificates.

Never, ever, ever, ever pre-order from Amazon. They're great for stuff that's in-stock, but horrible for pre-orders.

yes. they are "great". they murder your family when you're not looking, instead of making you watch the way they do when you pre-order. that's what i call service.

ROFLMAO.

C'mon, mfb, tell us how you really feel.

Actually, I haven't had a single good experience with Amazon.com in the last six months, even with items that they claimed were in-stock. Every single order was delayed at least three times before I cancelled them, and have thus given up on using them for anything anymore.

In the 4 years I have been using Amazon, I have had only one problem ever. This includes when I was on deployment overseas. I have gotten every package but one. I have yet to get screwed over on a preorder as well. Now, this is the first time that the book has been out and Amazon has not shipped it in a week on it being on the market. But then again, the FLGS haven't got their copies either. So I will reserve judgement on this until someone in the USA mentions that they have gotten a book copy of LA.

Seems there's been a mixup with the printer company ... at least, amazon.de lists it as 'not available yet', and my FLGS does the same (they tell me they'll have it propably by the end of July).

And this is confirmed with....?

Ah, good ol' rumours.

kesh, that's like saying "you're confusing George W. Bush with the president of the US again".

I've found amazon pretty good for normal books and DVD's. They keep me up to date on Dr Who and Laurel K Hamilton, but I don't theink they're so good with RPG's. Try Stiggy Baby. They're who I use for SR stuff.