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Comment by GeoSys

8 days ago

Is there a way to filter out such books when you browse Amazon? They should at least tell you it's an "on-demand" printed book before you order?

I haven't found one, like I mention in the article; I'll edit it if someone proves me wrong.

I'm starting to get a feel for a pattern - the books tend to be more expensive, and also take longer on average to deliver (a few weeks, instead of a few days). The latter would be normal for rare editions and some third-party sellers, but if I'm ordering a popular book and it takes longer than usual to deliver I can kinda smell the dead rat. But the only way to know for sure is to open the box in disappointment.

Not only am I sure there isn't one, I'm sure there will never be one. That might reduce profits for Amazon slightly.

Not that I can tell. It’s probably an intentional choice, just like how they don’t let you filter by country of origin.