+612 9045 4394
You can choose one or all of the above reasons, it is up to you, either way we would love to take your order and impress you with our service.
** Please note, we are unable to accept ABA Gift Vouchers. If you do have an ABA Gift Voucher then they are redeemable at more than 700 bookshops around Australia. To purchase one of our online Booktopia Gift Vouchers please click here
When it comes to compelling reasons why Australians should buy from Booktopia, we love linking to the website ProductReview.com.au where Australians can independently review companies on their capability, performance and service.
Booktopia won the Telstra Business Awards, People's Choice Award in 2012. We won this award because more Australians voted for Booktopia than any other entrant. This is by far the greatest award we could ever win, the support of your own customers. Thank you for voting for us.
Booktopia was also a finalist in the Telstra Business Awards Medium Sized Business Category in 2011 and 2012.
We have been listed in the BRW Fast 100 in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. The BRW lists the fastest growing companies in Australia. To make the list more than once is excellent going but to make it 4 times in a row has only been achieved by a small list of companies and makes our accomplishment very special indeed. Booktopia is the only retailer, be it online or a physical store, who has ever achieved this feat. We have grown so fast for so long because Australians keep buying from us and that enables us to keep developing our computer systems, increasing our stock, hiring more staff and in most cases, exceeding our customers' expectations.
Booktopia was ranked in the Top 10 of all retailers operating online in Australia. We were ranked higher than many household names including Big W, Woolworths, Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Westfield and The Good Guys as well as many others that never made the list. You can read the official story by clicking here.
Booktopia was ranked in the Top 20 online retailers for 2012 by one of Australia's leading independent online business websites, SmartCompany.com.au
Booktopia started in February 2004 in a 60 square metre office in North Sydney on an expenditure budget of $10 per day. By 2014, Booktopia operates from a 10,000 square metre Headquarters & Distribution Centre in Homebush. With over 500,000 units of stock in our warehouse Booktopia currently ships 80% of its orders from its "In Stock" resources and orders the remaining titles from its publishers around Australia and suppliers in the USA & UK. Booktopia took 3 days to sell its first book in 2004, now in 2012 we sell one book every 12 seconds.
The Cathy Freeman Foundation is actively involved in the education program for the indigenous children of Palm Island. Every six months, if a school student continues to do well in class and shows signs of improvement they receive a book pack from Booktopia. We have supported this worthy program in 2011, 2012 and have already supplied them with their 2013 awards to the value of $150,000 worth of books. Each and every Booktopia customer should be so proud that you make a difference to make this program happen.
In South West Sydney, YWCA NSW assists vulnerable families by providing them with books for their pre-school children so they have resources at home to teach them to read letters and words before they start school. Called Books for Bubs, the in-home program sees a YWCA NSW case worker deliver books to the families over a 12 month period, and demonstrate to parents how to read to their toddlers, show them how to engage with a book and when possible show them how to get to a library and borrow books for themselves and their children. Booktopia is extremely proud of its involvement in this program as it is an early intervention program that can change the lives of the children and parents for ever.
Each year Booktopia participates in the Australian book industry's initiative to support literacy of Indigenous Australians. In 2012 the industry has raised $515,000, donated 32,000 books and contributed to 230 communities. Please ask yourself if you do buy from overseas online book retailers whether they do anything for literacy in Australia... of course they do nothing. Please buy your books from Australian book retailers, online or offline, so we can continue to raise funds for these important literacy programs.
Booktopia is constantly being requested to donate books to raffles, events and school programs and we do so all the time. There are so many that it is impossible to list them all. If you are considering contacting us to donate to your event or charity please respect that we put a focus on literacy, reading and education so if you honestly believe that your charitable event falls in to these categories then we welcome your request.
Booktopia has several divisions but the one customers love to depend on is our Call Centre of 10 people, not that everyone uses them, in fact only a small percentage do, but people like to know they are there... just in case! We made a decision in the very beginning that if something goes wrong or if there are delays in an order, customers want to be able to call someone and that is why we have a large Call Centre. We currently have 10 people in our Call Centre answering emails, taking phone calls and being of service in anyway our customers require. We know that our commitment to having a "real" Call Centre at our Sydney Headquarters sets us apart from our competitors.
Booktopia is owned by brothers, Tony and Simon Nash and their sister, Elana Traurig and her husband Steve Traurig. They have been working together since 1998 and have owned businesses in I.T. recruitment, internet software, internet marketing and finally online retailing. They have worked together all these years and never had an argument. Not all families could accomplish this.
Many Australians prefer to "Buy Australian" and Booktopia is an Australian company. We are 100% Australian owned and operated. We employ 55 Australians. We donate to Australian charities. We sponsor Australian Writers Festivals and Readers' Conferences.
Taking on the 800 pound gorilla. Somebody had to do it!
Our goal is to be a legitimate alternative to Amazon. Did you know that Amazon currently sells $120 to $180 million of books and product per year to Australians? It doesn't pay any tax in Australia (not even GST), nor does it employ any Australians. Booktopia currently employs 55 Australians and we are very proud to do so, especially as we were still a team of two as recently as January 2007.
Once people start ordering from Amazon they often realise the shipping costs are quite expensive. Here at Booktopia, we ship as many books as you want for $6.95. This is very economical. Amazon book pricing can be cheaper but once you take into consideration the shipping, it certainly loses its appeal.
We are hopeful that we will continue to win over Australian customers from Amazon with better service and availability of titles.
Up until recently BookDepository.co.uk were quite competitive. They offer free shipping to everyone in the world. Well, actually the price of shipping is included in each book. If you look at the price of the same book when you are in the UK then you will see it is $5 to $10 cheaper over there. However, in 2011 The Book Depository was bought by Amazon.com. Why? They were so cheap and disrupting Amazon's business model so they bought out the three ex-Amazon employees who started it for that very reason. Since the acquisition we have noticed that the prices have been slowly going up so we expect Australian book buyers to return to local Australian retailers more and more.
It is a bit of false advertising that Fishpond is an Australian store. Fishpond is a New Zealand business. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Please understand we enjoy our competition, but Fishpond does not pay GST, does not employ any Australians, does not have a phone number you can ring, nor does it have an email address on its website. There is no Australian physical presence and our Australian Booksellers Association has refused its membership application for this reason. They will never be able to make the BRW Fast 100.
We understand that many Australians enjoy their relationship with their local bookseller. Some stores discount heavily and don't care about service. Others don't discount at all and don't care about service either which amazes us. If you have walked in to those stores you will know which ones we mean. There are however, many independent booksellers around Australia, whom we absolutely support and endorse.
If you find a book you like on our website and you are close to a local bookseller, then please, go in and support them. Maybe they can get that book in for you. They know their product, they love books and are a part of your community. If, however, you are an online shopper, shop on price as well as service, or live in any area where you need the convenience of an online store, then we are here for you.
Thanks again for your support and we look forward to supplying you with books.
