IndiaPlaza.in bookstore review

IndiaPlaza is an online virtual shopping mall based in India which offers a gamut of products and services including Books, Flowers, Air Tickets, Jewelry, Furnishings, Mobiles Phones and so much else. Apparently modelled on the lines of Amazon.com, IndiaPlaza has been around for several years. It was earlier known as FabMall.

They claim to have 3 million titles, 30,000 publishers and 8000 authors and offer a 25 % discount on all books, if you sign up with them for an effectively free book club membership.

IndiaPlaza and their discount on bestselling books

Desiring to make a dent in the Indian market, IndiaPlaza seems to offer several discounts on many of its products. This is a typical strategy many online merchants from India seem to follow. The objective is to win as many customers as possible by offering lower prices.

A look at its section on books confirms this. IndiaPlaza offers discounts on the latest books and on best-selling titles. Most local stores such as Crosswords and Landmark generally price their books at the cover price, offering discounts only on slower moving books like dictionaries, encyclopedias and classics.

Current Bestselling titles like 'Blood Brothers', 'I am Legend' are available at a discount. John Grisham's 'The Innocent Man' is available for Rs.124 as compared to the cover price of Rs.249, a 50% discount. If you want to complete your James Hadley Chase collection, IndiaPlaza offers 25% off on all his books. The Asterix and Tintin Collection is going for 37% off the cover price while Amart Chitra Katha is selling for 25%  off. They have several book collections including those of Perry Mason, Sherlock Holmes, Disney Classic Story books, Archie Double Digest etc all of which are offered at considerable discounts.

It would be hard not to get a good deal on the books IndiaPlaza offers. Sometimes they offer a further reduced if you book a yet-to-be-released book . The shipping cost on some of their products can add up. If you save Rs.1100 on buying their Amar Chitra Collection and getting the huge parcel home costs you Rs.250, you still save a substantial sum. Shipping costs are much lower for smaller items as compared to book collections.

Additionally, if you're buying books for research purposes, you can probably claim them as an expensive and it's a help if you're using your credit card. Many credit card companies also offer reward point programs for those using their cards.

IndiaPlaza book club membership

IndiaPlaza offers a book club membership. The membership gives you an assured discount of 25 % on all their books and you also earn redeemable reward points on all your purchases. The membership costs Rs.500 but when you buy it, they give you a free gift voucher of Rs.500. So the effective cost is zero.

Gift certificates and corporate programs

IndiaPlaza also offers gift certificates for sale. If you represent a company, you can opt for their corporate purchase program.

Paying online

IndiaPlaza accepts all major credit cards online including Visa, MasterCard, Diners Club Card and American Express. You can also transact using your online banking facility if you have an account with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Citibank, UTI Bank, Federal Bank etc. They offer secure shopping.

Returning the books

IndiaPlaza offers a 7 days no-questions-asked return policy on all books. Within seven days of receiving the books, you may return them back with the original packing and receive a refund for the entire amount except the shipping fee. If you need any support from them you can reach them on 91-80-40617000, Monday through Saturday from 9:30 AM to 6 PM.

Visit IndiaPlaza here.