Website Review: Christianbook.com

Stars: 4 out of 5

The Latest Incarnation of a Company I Have Used for Years

I don't quite know when my family first learned about Christian Book Distributors, but they had been around for a long time before then.  This was back in the days before the internet, and I used to pour over their mail catalogues every other month when they arrived in the mail.  And several times a year, I would place an order.

When I got on the internet and started doing serious shopping, I quickly found their internet presence, Christianbook.com.  I was delighted to see that everything in the catalogues was there plus so much more.  While I don't order from them like I once did, I still find myself searching their site several times a year and placing orders every so often.

Products

If it is targeted toward the Christian market, you can find it at Christianbook.com.  They've got Bibles, Bible study aids, scholarly works, apologetics, Christian living, even Christian fiction.  But they are so much more than books.  They've got Christian music (including mp3's) and movies, gifts, T-shirts, and homeschool materials to name a few.  Basically, if you think you might find it in a Christian bookstore, you'll find it here.

While the main focus is Christian products for the Christian market, you will find family friendly products that aren't explicitly Christian here.  For example, they have season sets of The Andy Griffith Show and Little House on the Prairie.

Layout and Search

The site has gone through various layouts over the years.  The current one borrows quite a bit from Amazon.  You'll see current specials highlighted on the front page while various categories you can browse through are off to the left hand side.  It might be a bit overwhelming at first, but it doesn't take too long to find what you want.

There is a search box at the top of the page.  It has also improved greatly over the years, becoming much better at finding what you are looking for from a few key words.  The results can be further narrowed down.  For example, if you search for an artist by name, you can then narrow those results to mp3's, accompaniment tracks, or full studio releases as you so desire.

Since they only sell new items, if something goes out of print, it drops off their page.  Frankly, I do find it helpful to know something is no longer available and not find a listing, get excited, then realize I can't really order it.  If something is backordered, they'll tell you when they expect it.  And those estimates are usually pretty accurate.

Prices

It used to be you could find a great price on anything you were looking for at Christianbook.com.  Now, their prices are still good, but they aren't outstanding.  This is one big reason I don't patronize them as much as I used to.  I get enough coupons from my local Christian bookstore I can usually get what I want for about the same price without having to wait for it to arrive in the mail.  Still, I will give them a look when I want to get something, and if they've got a good price, I will place the order.

Shipping Rates and Times

Christianbook.com is willing to ship internationally as well as domestically.  Naturally, you do pay more for those orders.  While they rarely offer free shipping no matter how much or little you order (another reason I don't order from them as much as I used to), their rates are still fairly reasonable.  Rates are based not on weight but dollar amount of the order.  An order under $20 is $3.99 for standard shipping, for example.  Over $100, and you're adding 8% for the same service.

I'm cheap, so I have rarely used the more expensive (and faster) shipping methods, so I can't comment on them for speed.  However, I do feel qualified to comment on their shipping.  They are nothing if not consistent.  In the old days where I had to mail in an order, I knew I would have my items in two weeks.  Now that the internet is around, I know I will get an order in exactly one week.  Since standard shipping is supposed to take one to two weeks, and I live on the other side of the country from their Massachusetts office, I'm pretty happy about that.

With all the orders I have placed over the years, I honestly can't remember a time when I didn't get my order correctly with the items in great shape.  That may not give me any customer service stories to tell, but I still consider that great customer service.

Conclusion

I may not order from them very often, but it isn't because the company has gone downhill.  If you are looking for family friendly products in general and Christian products in particular, be sure to check out Chrstianbook.com