Malaysia’s Best Online Book Store – Kinokuniya
Dec 14th, 2006 by AhYap
Surprise, surprise. Many of us doesn’t know that we can actually search and order all Kinokuniya books online!
Website: Kinokuniya
Ordering books from Kinokuniya is very fast and shipping cost is only RM6 flat (RM30 for east Malaysia). If your total order is above RM300, shipping is FREE! However, I do not recommend you to order RM300 of books just because you wanna save the RM6! I did that once with 7 books, and end up that I am only able to finish 4 of them, leaving 3 untouched in my book shelf. The theory is that if you buy a lot of books at the same time, you won’t appreciate them and thus won’t be able to finish all of them. You will also feel overwhelmed having to read so many books at once (especially if the book has 1,000 words per page and it is as thick as YellowPages!)
I usually order a book at night. They will processed and shipped my order the next day. So I usually got my book the very next day!
I have to rely on Kinokuniya a lot because in Ipoh, the availability of books are very limited. There are only 2 mini Popular Book Store and 1 tiny MPH. Unless the books you need are very popular (like Rich Dad’s series that take up a whole cupboard), you don’t have a lot of choice. And that’s why Kinokuniya online comes to rescue!
While RM6 of shipping looks like an extra, I am happy to pay for it because of the speed and convenience to someone who is not in KL! Even if you live in KL and you can go to Kinokuniya KLCC directly, you still need to pay for petrol, tol and KLCC per-hour-based car park fee. That will be more than RM6.
How do you pay for your oder?
Credit card.
What about Amazon?
I ordered twice from Amazon. They give big discount on books (usually over 30%). Unfortunately with the shipping fee (cheapest option), it end up being the same as non discounted price. This is not the problem. The problem is for Amazon to ship the books from US to Malaysia, it takes a few weeks! When the books arrived, you might not have to mode to read it already. hahaha. You may choose more expensive shipping options (where shipping will be more expensive than your books!) and it still need to wait minimum 10 days although they say 5 days. Why? Because it takes them another 5 days to prepare and pack your books.
What if a book you need is not available in Kinokuniya but Amazon?
This should be rare with the size of Kinokuniya, but it happened to me last month. On Nov 19, I searched for the book The New Buffettology and it is not available in their database. So I emailed them. They replied the next day and told me that they can actually order the book for me. I ask them to go ahead and I got my book yesterday (1 month)! I am very happy with their service
What about MPH and Popular book store online?
Popular have removed their online search and order system few months ago. MPH do keep it until today. However, popular books takes 1-2 weeks to ship and unpopular books take 4-6 weeks! Do you want to order from them?
Update: Pelf commented that you can order book from MPH Online for RM4 postage (Free if order above RM80) and delivery only takes 1 day! Making MPH a very good choice if the book is available.
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At last, if you know any other online book store that is good for us, please kindly share it here so I can give it a try. Now, check out their website here.
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I buy my books from MPH Online and no, they don’t take 1-2 weeks to arrive. They normally arrive the next day. And with MPH, I can pay via Maybank2u (coz I don’t have a credit card – I’m a poor student)
And, postage is about RM 4, and if you buy more than RM 80 worth of books, postage is free. And you get to collect points too
Hi Pelf,
Thanks for this previous information. The RM4 postage (free for RM80) make MPH online and incredibly better choice then Kinokuniya if the book is available at MPH. I will definitely give it a try for my next order!
If you intend to buy any used books pls try my website.
Thank you
Teoh K H
haha, incidently found out a good blog, i feel very upset as i cant order chinese book online from kinokuniya
Check out:
(Advance Book Station) http://www.bookstat.com
(Acma Mall) http://www.acmamall.com
I ordered from Acmamall before but due to some problems with some overzealous custom’s people I decided to stop ordering online from Acma. The funny thing is alot of books that are ‘banned’ in their website, and they do actually get confiscated (I had two of my orders confiscated 2 separate times), I had no problems getting the same titles from MPH, Popular, Borders…Makes you wonder if Acmamall pissed anyone off to warrant that kind of treatment.
MPH and Kinokuniya is pretty good though although some books take longer to arrive…I don’t mind as long as they do. I’ve special ordered books from MPH before and it’s nice that they were able to tell me which books was banned.
Can you list a few book tiles that are ‘banned’? I am sort of curious on what books can be banned. Please feed my curiosity. Thanks.
I’d ordered from Kinokuniya about 10 books since last year, and their services are reliable and excellent. I recommend.
For Malay books especially limited-circulation-books, you may want to try http://www.ujanailmu.com.my. I heard their service is equally outstanding.
I have ordered from Betterwolrd.com i order last month- still waitng for my order. Compare to Amazon, their shipping cost only US$2.95 flat per book.
I would like to find a book named ” The Power Of Now ” in chinese translation. Please give me a call to notify me that the book is available. 012-345 0488
i found a book ‘malay folklore: a contemporary retelling’ by d. ruse at kinokuniya ngee ann city singapore, but it is not available at kinokuniya stores in malaysia. any plan to stock it here?
If a book is not available from Kinokuniya database, you can always email them and ask them to order the book for you. I did that once. No deposit required.
Wow! Thanks for all this information! Just what I was looking for
can anyone tell me where to buy this book
Britney Spears’ heart to heart
i wan the new one and let me know the price
becoz i checked MPHonline but dun hav
thxthx
can anyone tell me where to buy this book
Britney Spears’ heart to heart
i wan the new one and let me know the price
becoz i checked MPHonline but dun hav
thxthx
Yes, Kinokuniya does have an excellent online search facility. But I am disappointed to find out that most of the Japanese books I wanted is only availbale from Japan, not Malaysia. So, Amazon Japan is still the best website for Japanese books. For English books, Kinokuniya does offer a lot more books compared to Popular and MPH. But my favourite online bookstore is fictionwise.com This bookstore specialized in eBooks, so for those who like eBooks, I really recommend this store. I only use Amazon and Kinokuniya to get the books that is not yet converted to eBooks. Next stop, Borders….
do we have to pay after the book is delivered can we just type our credit card details while purchasing online? wat if im buying the book for a friend? i wanna have the book delivered to his house..
@sue: You enter your credit card details on the online order form and they will charge directly to that card. So no payment is collected by the delivery man and you can send a book as gift to your friend.
MPH book prices are definitely chaper than you would find at Kino. IF you can find the book you want at MPH. Boasting the largest bookstores around KL, i still find it extremely hard to get the books i want from them, and i usually have to wait 6-8 weeks for them just to confirm whether they have the book available or not. if i’m dying to get hold of the book, i think Kino is def a better choice, even if it’s going to cost you a few more ringgit to get hold of it. Kino is def more reliable and offers better service to serious book lovers.
Hi,
I would like to know whether amazon.com is a reliable source in delivering books? and by the way is there any difference in the estimated shipment date and estimated delivery date at the checkout counter at amazon.com, do both mean the same thing?
thanks and hope to hear from you soon.
rgds
Hi Ariel Lee,
Yes, Amazon.com is reliable in delivering books – depending on which shipping method you choose, the books can be delivered to you within a week, or within 4 – 6 weeks. Usually, when you choose the cheapest method, it will take longer.
As for the estimated shipment date, it is the earliest date possible for them to ship the books to you. Some books are not is stock, so they usually have to wait for the books first. Estimated delivery date is the date you are likely to receive your books.
Hope the above explaination answers your questions.
Anise
Amazon has recently reduce the shipping cost and is very cheap now. It takes only US5 per shipment + US5 per book in that shipment. So if you buy 2 books, you pay US15 for shipment only. I have ordered books from Amazon few times before. The recent experience is very good even I use the cheapest shipping method. Books ship out in 1 day after order and I receive it in around 3 weeks. Remember, the less book you order in 1 shipment, the quickest they can ship them out. And they do hire special shipping agent to ship the books from America to Malaysia, before it is distribute by Pos Malaysia. So changes of losing the package is mild. But there is a different story 2 years ago, where my Amazon package is lost and they have to send me a replacement, ended up I have 2 packages receive on the same day 2 months later.
thanks for the feedback guys…really appreciate it.
Hi, Can tell me how to buy a book from Amazon.com? i try to click on the “Proceed to Checkout” and fill up the form with my adds (Malaysia) , but i saw this: *** We’re sorry. This item can’t be shipped to the country you selected. You can enter a different shipping address above, or you can remove the item from your order by changing its quantity to 0, then clicking the Update button. *** i looking for a 20years old book (Executive Japanese Volume 1: Beginners Guide to Corporate Communications – Hajime Takamizawa), and only found in Amazon.com. do u have any other suggestion to looking for this old book? (this is very important to me), hope to hear u soon and thank you.
Hi,
OK, you are not buying this book from Amazon directly, but from one of their resellers. Some of these resellers do not ship internationally, so you need you choose one that do ship internationally. Alternatively, you can try this link. http://www.powells.com/biblio/17-9784870320017-0
Their shipping rate is higher than Amazon.com though.
Good luck.
BTW, is this book a good book on learning Japanese?
Thanks a lot! i will try the link. actually, this is library book, i lost it and have to find the same book to replace, if not i cn’t gradute! thanks!
I am a regular at MPH, Kinokuniya,Amazon and Acmamall too.
Usually my process of buying books — read the review and get the ISBN from Amazon and then try to check at MPH (since I like to collect points with my MRC card) by calling them via phone. Reason — their online stock availability is not reliable so I check first if any of their branch have any copy of the books. IF yes I will proceed to order online (I think there is no postage fee for KL..) if NO I will try Kinokuniya.
Kinokuniya online stock availability is very reliable (maybe because they have only 1 store in MY!) so if your search came out with output meant 99% the book is in store and you can order immediately ask them to ship or kept in store to be pick up. They charge RM for delivery.
Since now I live abroad in a country where English books are rare + late to arricve at thelocal book store — I used a lot of Amazon services. Amazon is very efficient + safe, usually books will be received as early as a week and max at 5 weeks. I had one experience where my book was lost and they replaced a new one FOC. The only drawback — shipping will cost you $$ but they are the biggest bookstore in the world and you can even pre-order unreleased books with a good price.
Acmabooks is OK but shipping is slow.. I think they send all their books to their office in Taman Melawati first before sending out to the customers. I had once pick up the book at their office just to get the book faster.
Other than that I also buy 2nd hand books from Ebay. Do check with Ebay especially children books/rare books can be bought at a cheaper price — they sell in bundle.
Kinokuniya is the best bookstore in Malaysia by far. I order from them 1-2 book per month on average. The RM 6 delivery fee is reasonably cheap and it usually takes less than 48 hr for me to get it (I live in Ipoh), which is incredibly fast imo. I had ordered books from Amazon once or twice before. The shipping fee was USD 12 + 5 (per book), which was more expensive than the book itself and it took a hell of a long time for me to receive it. So nowadays I only use Amazon reviews to decide whether a book is worthy or not and I pick up the books I want from Kinokuniya. Probably the only things you can complain about Kinokuniya are the incompleteness of their collection compared to Amazon (though they’re still easily the one with the largest collection of English as well as Chinese books in Malaysia and I give a rate of 7/10 meaning I can usually find 7 out of 10 books I’m looking for from there) and also you can’t order Chinese books online which is a shame because they’ve a larger market in Malaysia compared to English books imo.
@ks: Is the book second-hand? The used books on Amazon are only available within US iirc.
@Yasha: oic! thanks for telling me about this! anyway, i found back the book already! Thanks 4 ur guy helping ……..
im pregnant now after 6 year of marriage. can anybody advice me what book is suitable to read and buy. Thank you
Wow!!! This blog not just save me time and money. Imagine need to drive and pay for petrol, toll and parking. Most of all, you waste your time which you can’t buy back…hehehe.
I wonder why all this store not really promoting this extra service. I don’t know about Kinokuniya, but everytime I’m looking for books I will call MPH. If the book in their stock they just mentioned to me which store I can go to purchase it. They not even giving suggestion buying through their online store…Hmmm
For pregnancy, highly recommended:
Having a Baby, Naturally: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth (Paperback)
by Peggy O’Mara (Author), Wendy Ponte (Contributor), Jackie Facciolo(Illustrator)
This is a great and informative post! I love buying books online, mainly because I love receiving books by mail.
Anyway, I can’t order books from Kinokuniya since I don’t own a credit card, with me being only a student, it’s illogical to have one.
So far, I’ve purchased books from MPH Online, Acmamall, 1ChildrenBooks.com, and AliceInWonderland.com.my. I wanted to know the shipping rates on Amazon.com and that’s how I came across your blog (via Google).
I’m so glad I found this post of yours! One of your commenters mentioned about a Betterworld.com and I’ve just placed an order for a book. I couldn’t believe my eyes because buying from them would be much cheaper than buying from Kinokuniya or Acmamall! I read everything on the screen over and over again to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. Oooh, I can’t wait for the book to arrive!
Once again, thanks for writing this post!
Here’s the comparison for a recent order I placed on Amazon:
—————————–
First the Amazon order
—————————–
Items Ordered Price
Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions [Hardcover] By: Dan Ariely (Author) $17.13
Habit: The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore [Hardcover] By: Neale Martin (Author) $16.49
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking [Paperback] By: Malcolm Gladwell (Author) $10.87
Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000: Running a Business in Today’s Consumer-Driven World [Hardcover] By: Pete Blackshaw (Author) $14.93
Buying In: The Secret Dialogue Between What We Buy and Who We Are [Hardcover] By: Rob Walker (Author) $16.50
The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style [Hardcover]By: Editors of The American Heritage Dictionaries (Editor) $13.57
Item(s) Subtotal: $89.49
Shipping & Handling: $34.93
Total Before Tax: $124.42
Sales tax: $0.00
Total for this Shipment: $124.42 (RM 415 including shipping)
———————
Next, I searched for the same books on Kinokuniya BookWeb:
———————
ISBN Title Author Publisher Price
9780007263585 PREDICTABLY IRRATIONAL MYR64.90
9780141022048 Blink. Gladwell, Malcolm Penguin Books Ltd MYR32.95
9780131357952 Habit : The 95% of Behavior Marketers Ignore Martin, Neale Financial Times Management MYR91.50
9780385522724 Satisfied Customers Tell Three Friends, Angry Customers Tell 3,000 : Running a Business in Today’s Consumer-Driven World Blackshaw, Pete Currency MYR85.90
9781400063918 Buying in : The Secret Dialogue between What We Buy and Who We Are Walker, Rob Random House Inc MYR89.73
9780618604999 The American Heritage Guide to Contemporary Usage and Style Houghton Mifflin MYR80.45
Total MYR445.43
————————
Conclusion from Amazon Perspective
Pros: 1. Amazon cheaper than Kinokuniya if ordering multiple books even with the shipping costs (On book cost alone Amazon is about 33% cheaper than Kinokuniya)
2. Easy search facility with suggestions. On Kinokuniya a number of times, just typing the book name did not produce anything and had to copy and paste the ISBN number from Amazon
3. Suggestions of other books based on the books you are searching for.
Cons: 1. Delivery time about 3-4 weeks compared with 3-4 days for Kinokuniya. Many people would find this unbearable.
Overall: I will be shopping at Kinokuniya.com in future! Others may prefer Amazon for the pros stated above
But if it’s cheaper to buy from Amazon, then it’s worth the wait. The excitement after placing the order will only last temporarily. I was really excited too after my order and felt like I couldn’t wait. But as time went by, I cooled down. So, if anything, I’ll try to go for the cheaper ones albeit longer waiting time!
I am currently living in UK, hence buying from Amazon is really a good choice. I only buy second hand “chick lit” which is not worth to pay for a brand new one. Guess what, the shipping fee is 275 times the book price :p. The shipping fee is flat – 2.75 pound per book and per order, so it does not save the shipping fee if you order several books from the same seller. And most importantly, I received the books the second day the book was sent! Lost shipment happened once, which I ordered from the seller in US (betterworld.com), they refunded me when I put a bad comment regarding the order. Now I only order from UK seller.
I am interested to get some second hand books online too.. anywhere to get those beside ebay?
Buying from Amazon might be cheaper but please be aware of customs (kastam). They have the right to tax you anything you buy from overseas which of course includes books.
If you order multiple books..your package will look bigger and heavier which will attract custom’s attention. Then, you’ll have to drive all the way to KLIA, pay your tax & collect your items which take time and costs money. After you pay tax + fuel price for KLIA trip..in the end you might be paying more then you think.
Moreover what happens if the books you ordered are damaged during shipment? I don’t think that you would want to pay extra cash to send back the book to Amazon
Buying locally is always safer. You can avoid customs and you can select the book which are in good condition.
The above are my experiences after purchasing online for years..but I may be wrong since I have not ordered any books from Amazon.com, so far only 1 DVD. But I’ve ordered some books from HongKong (Play-Asia.com) and they arrive in super bad condition ie. dents sides & torn pages.
How does Amazon ship out books? Do they use bubblewrap envelops or they ship using hard boxes?
Thanks!
@Dhinnesh,
Amazon is the expert in packing and shipping books. I have ordered with them 3 times and received 4 packages (1 late arrival and they resent again so I received 2). All in superb conditions wrap with a lot of bubble-pops or polystyrene. Not very environment friendly buy yes, your books will still smell good and look good. And feel safe to order books from Amazon as books are tax free in Malaysia. Make sure the whole shipment contains only books and nothing else. NOTE: DVDs, even unrelated CDs are taxable if the declared value is high (Malaysia standard over hundred is already high). For taxable items, if they shipped via reputable courier like Fedex or UPS, they will help you to pay the tax first and collect the items so you don’t need to go to KLIA. For normal post, be prepared for a journey to KLIA!
Wow!
Books are tax free in Malaysia? Good then ^^. Now wonder you guys are not afraid of getting books from overseas and its good to hear that Amazon wraps books properly!
Btw, great topic ^^
I wanted to provide an update on Comment 36 (which I had placed on 10 August). The books from Amazon actually arrived exactly a week after I placed the order – even though the delivery estimate was 3-4 weeks. The books were very nicely packed in a box additional outer plastic coverage.
@AhYap
I need an advice.
I would like to order a set of books from Amazon.com. Which shipping method you recommend? Is the shipping method good enough to protect my books from being damaged or should I choose the second cheapest?
Thanks!
I will use the cheapest rate myself.
It’s interesting reading the comments here. I have some experience with online book in amazon.co.uk and amazon.com and find the service great but might be costly
few things to note:
1. Shipping cost
amazon.co.uk
shipping cost per book – GBP7.98 (about RM 45)
next book – GBP2.99 (RM15++)
amazon.com
shipping cost per book – USD9.98 (about RM 37)
next book – USD4.99 (about RM17)
if you can find the book in malaysia, calculate the cost for shipping, is it worth the discount.
2.Discount!
.com and .co.uk carry discount rate. Check them both.
3. Credit cards suck money!
Currency conversion by credit card company is relatively high compared to say paypal. I bought things using paypal and let them charge my credit card using RM.. if I’m not mistaken Citibank charge 3.65, pay pal charge 3.57 for each dollar converted. I hate banks! I hope they go bankrupt (cerita lain)
Question: has anyone tried emailing the used book seller at marketplace to ship the dirt cheap books to Malaysia?
Reply to #46.
From my experience, PayPal is the one who suck money lolz. Let see now..
As at 6am, 2 Jan 09,
PayPal -> 1 USD = RM 3.545
Citibank -> 1 USD= RM3.47
To check PayPal rates, simply try to send any some funds and you can see the conversion rate. To check Citibank rates, check http://corporate.visa.com/pd/consumer_services/consumer_ex_rates.jsp
If you guys know, there are 2 conversion types available at PayPal which is:
1. PayPal converts the currency for you USING PAYPAL’S CURRENCY RATE.
2. PayPal bills you in the original currency and lets the CREDIT CARD COMPANY TO CONVERT THE CURRENCY.
I personally tried the 2nd option once when purchasing stuff online. Using PayPal, I had to pay RM440 but when the credit card statement came, I was only charged RM430! Save RM10!! This proves that the credit card company’s conversion rate IS LOWER that PayPal’s conversion rate!
I would only agree that using PayPal is cheaper IF you’re buying PayPal funds from other people and a cheaper rate.
Hi Azrul,
I’ve been using Amazon USA for quite sometime now. However, I was quite disappointed to find out that some sellers at marketplace simply do not ship overseas. Those who do either will charge a high shipping cost, or the book price itself is as expensive as a new book. But, its a differenct story with Barnes and Nobles. I’ve ordered a used book through one of their reseller, at about 70% off the market price! Of course, the shipping cost is almost double the usual BN rate. The only problem with BN is that they will only accept payment using VISA. I tried using Mastercard, but my order got rejected. Maybe it was a fluke, but ….
I buy my books from Kinokuniya and pay for them via their CIMB account since I do not own a credit card. Their service is equally efficient.
for those want to search rare Malay novel and Islamic/motivation book and didn’t find the books at any bookstore… you can buy at http://www.ujanailmu.com.my … lots of my book collection I’ve had ordered from there…
Hye Yap,
Thank’s for your recommendation on online ordering! It given me idea of the convenience on placing order and it saves me lots of time!
thank q for your info… just now i’ve asked the kinokuniya for a book is not in their databse….
hopefully they will please me too…
ameen
hye,
this is my first time i want to buy online book..
can you give a few guide or information for me since i don’t hv credit card..
i’m very poor stdnt and very desperate to read..
pleaz help me
To #49 monsoon,
How can we pay via CIMB acoount to purchase book from kinokuniya?Thanks for your reply!
Hey there, I was wondering, is it possible to use a debit card to purchase books online from Kinokuniya?
I read their FAQ and Help and it does not say whether its allowed or not. However, it does only state Credit Card under method of purchase.
According to #49 Monsoon though, he used his CIMB account without having a credit card.
So I was just wondering if they accept new methods of payment now.
After all, the FAQ and help on their site was last updated on 1 Nov 2003…
i had a bad experience buying from mphonline recently. that was my first attempt at purchasing books online, from them. read it here at http://begitubegini.blogspot.com/2009/03/mphonline.html
that would be the first and the last time i buy from mphonline. by the way, the shipping cost is RM7 now.
to #49 MiNg, it’s very simple, you just email them (mys@kinokuniya.com) that you want to pay via their CIMB account and they will tell you what to do..=)
#55 Curious Curiosity, you can always ask them about it..
You guys could also try http://synergi-books.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing. All these years living in KL, and I didn’t realise that Kinokuniya and MPH have online bookstores! Hahaha… that’s the trouble when they’re just down the road.
BTW, Borders can also take special orders too but unfortunately you have to order and pickup in person.
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the info. Btw, I’m looking to order chinese book online. Is there any good recommendation? Thanks.
I live in Kuching, Sarawak and visit KL occasionally, perhaps two or three times a year, and each time, I never failed to drop by in Kinokuniya. I like its vast selection of books and normally, I’ll get most of the titles that I was looking for. My last visit to Kinokuniya was on 17th April 2009 when I came to KL for the International Book Fair. I purchased RM388 worth of books and got two pairs of eyes for the Daruma cards and was only allowed 28% discount on only two books (one book for a pair of eyes), which cost me another RM76. Since I came from Kuching and most unlikely to come to Kinokuniya every month to use the 28% discount, I asked to be allowed to pay RM320 to get the two Daruma cards and get the 28% discount for my subsequent books, four in all. But I was told by the sales girl, no. Only one book per card, and they do not care whether I came from KL or Kuching. And the Daruma card is only valid for walk-ins only, not online orders.
I was disappointed, but I got over it. It’s okay, it’s no big deal anyway. However, I read the latest info on Kinokuniya website and learned that now the shipping cost for orders from East Malaysia is RM40 and free shipping cost only for amount more than RM500.
I just felt that this is really unfair. The fact that we are in East Malaysia does not mean that we read less or earn more. In fact, the cost of living in some parts of East Malaysia can be more expensive than West Malysia. We are also deprived of good bookstores which carry lots of titles.
I think bookstores should be more supportive of the government campaign to encourage the public to read more and become a knowledge society. Consider it as parts of your CSR to the public. Maybe you can find a way of reducing the shipping cost to East Malaysia and come up with a flat rate for the whole Malaysia. After all, the talk now is all about One Malaysia. Is it possible to accumulate these shipping costs for tax exemption? Perhaps? One think that I am sure is your online sales will increase significantly if you have one flat rate shipping cost.
Just my RM40 worth of thought…
Unfortunately, most Malaysia online bookstores do not have many books in Arts and Music….
Amazon US is the only option. Tower Records US do also have many choices and in fact the prices are generally cheaper, but they don’t ship to Malaysia!!! Sad….
Hi there,
Thank you for the post.
Although this post was dated in 2006, the response is still coming in, that’s awesome!
I am a staff in Acmamall.com and to be honest I am interested in what the customers have to say about online bookstore, especially in Malaysia region.
Kindly check out Acmamall.com whenever you get the chance and check out the different variation of books we have and also the competitive prices that we offer. We also offer a decent delivery rate, something to look at.
Ah Yap, it would be great if you can post a blog about Acmamall.com as well. I am interested in what you have to say about the site.
Feel free to contact me if there is anything up
Have a great one.
If anyone order anything, be it books, cd or anything, from overseas, have you encountered problems with our Pos Malaysia or Custom people.
I once ordered a lcd protector from Hong Kong using a standard postage just to save cost. From the postage stamps on the envelope, I saw the item took one week to reach Malaysia from Hong Kong but Pos Malaysia kept the item almost one month in their warehouse and worst, they never inform me of the arrival. I only receive the notice from Pos Malaysia almost after one month. I thought the item was lost in transit and almost filed a complaint.
If you have encountered any bad experiences with Pos Malaysia and/or Malaysia Custom, please share with us so that we all can learn and know what to do.
Liow,
Acmamalls.com do a lot of delivery of books to Malaysia and we get some of our book orders held up by the Malaysia Custom. The reason given to us was censorship, so it’s understandable. There are restrictions on which book is allowed to enter Malaysia. I am not very familiar with other products though. Hope this help.
If you guys ever have a chance to go to the US for business trips, order from Amazon and have them send the books to your hotel. SIA allows up to 40kgs (or was it 50?) for flights from the US. Not sure about MAS, though. That’s a heck of a lot of books you can bring back.
I normally go to Singapore and buy from OpenTrolley Bookstore. http://opentrolley.com.sg.
where i can get official prima guide prototype??
Hmmm. .. i m doing an online degree on philosophy… i wish to buy books from Amazon. However, Malaysia is not included as one of the market place.. so how do Malaysian ppl get to buy books from Amazon?
Hi Loo,
Or get a new one from Amazon. Best of luck!
I have the same question myself. There are lots of books at Amazon marketplace, aren’t there? I ended up getting my books from eBay
New Buffettology? I have the old one. Good to own ? or outdated already. Oh ya? I just bought my iCAP 100 lots only for testing. Might switch from others saving to it if it out performs my exisitng, include property investment.
Note: Leang Nui, please read it in Cantonese
Hi nice to meet you , just saw your blog about the daruma card.
I need some help about this because i lost my friend’s daruma card , so now i can’t find it for her. I just want to ask you , do you have any extra daruma card ? Really need help about this. Hope you can reply me soon. Thank you
I have now ordered book through Acmamall three times, all free shipping as I bought RM200 and above each time. For RM200 ++, I got 8-9 books depends on the offer. Which I think is not bad at all compared to buying straight from the bookstore (normally RM32.90 each book). I got two shipments already and awaiting my third one. As I am busy with work, I really did not feel the shipment is slow. And also I get to finish all my books before the next shipment arrives.
I just wish Acmamall can help look for books which are already out of print of my favorite authors.
yup, thumbs up when it comes to Kinokuniya online service!
Hi there! Thanks for this page! It’s really informative!
By the way, I have a question. I want to buy some books which are very expensive in Malaysian bookstores. I’ve been checking out Amazon and some books are cheaper even including shipping fee, but some more expensive, unless if I buy used books. Can we buy used books from Amazon? Cos according to this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?ie=UTF8&nodeId=537734&#outside Malaysia is not in the list. Does it apply to all resellers? Or are there actually some resellers that ship to Malaysia, but we have to search through the list?
Thanks for your help!!
Hi, I would like to order chinese book.
Any recommendation?
@Stephy, I use sanmin.com.tw to order 5 books a few months ago. Books got discount. Shipping fee is reasonable and shipping is quite fast around 1 week only. Highly recommended. The only problem is sometimes lousy streamys will have problem connecting to China and Taiwan websites. And last time I can’t pay online (streamyx pasal I think), so I end up faxing them my credit card details instead and it work. Email reply also very fast if you have any questions.
Just order another book from kinokuniya yesterday. Very expensive compared to Amazon but what to do? It is the only bookstore that stock the book!
What a lively discussion here
If anyone’s looking for USED books children’s books (board books, interactive, lift-the-flap, touch-and-feel and early readers) imported from the US, I’m selling them at SecondhandChildrensBooks.blogspot.com
Will be posting specialty books i.e. children’s books with various themes soon so do keep popping by…
I love buying from kino, they have almost every book that I want to find. Even if you cannot find that book, they will order for you. I usually email or called to ask for the book avaialblity and walk in to buy books from Kino (my office is 20 min walk to klcc). There have 20% off on new books if you purchase another items. And it is the only store that sell japanese books. I use to buy all my japanese craft books from there.
If you want to find cheaper books, try going to bookfair, like the bookfest 2009 which has just pass. There have some books that are very cheap offering there. Once a year thing.
Hi Ahyap, your blog is really a good one!
Have you tried order DVD from Amazon.com before? I would like to order an educational DVD for my kids. Leapfrog DVD don’t sell in Malaysia.
I saw this website https://www.vpostasia.com/malaysia/index.html it does the shipping from USA to Malaysia. First it give us a USA address to take advantage of FREE Delivery from Amazon and non-delivery items.
Then, vpostasia will do shipping from USA Address to Malaysia.
HAve you tried this before? need your comment. thanks1
I didn’t buy any DVD before from Amazon. But the problem is DVD is subjected to HEAVY custom tax! And it can cost you a lot of money. I forgot how the custom tax is calculated but it is so high that you will want to vomit.
Sorry don’t know where to ask this question but hope someone can help me out…
Is there any import duty or custom tax if i order supplements or vitamins online directly?
Hi all!
Try http://www.bookdepository.com !! They provide FREE SHIPPING to all the book(s) ordered. I’ve been buying from them for the past 3 months and very satisfied with their service.
This blog discussion is still happening!
Ah Yap, you should do a blog on books again.
@Aina: Thank you for your support towards Acmamall.com.
@hyulan: Based on my understanding so far about Amazon.com. I think for second hand books in Amazon.com, they are sold by individual seller. And depending on the seller, they might or might not do the delivery outside the USA. Hope it helps.
wow! a very lively discussion indeed!
@zalman – how long does it usually take for the books to arrive?
thanks!
Hey i’m currently in ipoh too and it IS Hard to get the books that i want here. i had no idea kinokuniya had an online database.!! hahah thanks to u i NOw know. n i’m so Happy cuz i found a few of the books that i’ve been wanting to get for ages.
question> what if i order 2 or 3 books at one time? is it still rm8 or more?? (in this case the total sum of rm less than rm300)
It is still RM8 even if you order more than 1 book.
It’s very sad with the status of availability of online bookshops or even online shops in Malaysia (although I am seeing a steady rise).
I find myself always buying books regarding computers & programming (technical stuff) from Kino because they are the only ones who actually have them! Everywhere else I go its just so much Fiction, health and other categories..although MPH online does show the books its always labeled as out of stock and dated from 1991 to 2000…. Whats the point then?
Kino would be better if the prices were a bit cheaper (cheaper means more customers! that would also mean more profit, so why not?).
MPH is getting better. My local MPH at Jusco all of a sudden has loads of computer books from overseas with the same prices as Kino but closer to home
Sadly I can’t say the same for Popular bookstores. They just feel like a school bookshop with mags and story books.
Hi everybody.
I’ve order books from Acmamall.com. Unfortunately, my books have been detained by Home Ministry. Does this mean that if I order from another source like Amazon, my books will be detaine too? Aside from that, can anyone tell me where to buy books online without using credit card? (if I want to pay via Maybank2u, CIMB,etc)
Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply…
For in-stock books normally within 2-3 weeks after payment but normally stuck at the Post Office Depot.
@zalman – how long does it usually take for the books to arrive?
thanks!
this is a great blog, very useful. thanks!
This chinese books website is very suitable for all the new hand daddy and mummy. My 3 yrs old son like to read the colourful story books very much.
Times Bookstore is also one of the good bookstore in Malaysia (Althought only 4 outlets in west Malaysia). Try out the website for book search: http://www.timesbookstores.com.my/
Hi. Agree with Zalman about bookdepository.com. Free shipping. However, do note that they have a US and a UK website and it’s best to check out the price of the book you want on both sites because sometimes it’s cheaper on one website than the other.
I don’t remember how long it took for the books to arrive because I ask them to send the books over to my mom’s house (there’s always someone there to receive the package) and I just go there once a week to pick up my mail and stuff.
I came across this site while trying to verify the kinokuniya bookweb service. I have just ordered close to RM700 worth of comics from Kino. Because basically it is the only place where I can find all the titles I want. Will update everybody when I receive the stocks from Kino.
By the way, for CDs and DVDs, I get it from cdwow.com. No hassle. Superfast shipping. Never had problem with customs over the years. And I bought a lot from cdwow.com
You just gotta hand it to Kino. Ordered 10 comics worth around RM700+ around 3pm on Jan 13th. Jan 14th noon, received a call from Kino. Today, Jan 15th, received items at 11am.
Kino power!
You can find chinese education books and children story books in this website: http://www.leebook.com.my
This is an Online Bookstore and shipping charge quite cheap.
Bought 3 books from ACMAMALL on 8th Jan and received it yesterday morning in Malaysia (28th Jan). Not a bad service…
At least it shows it is reliable…
Use HSBC credit card can get 35% discount in January. Check out the website from time to time. They will be some good promotion around from time to time.
Hi people,
Does anyone has suggestion where to buy university level books online or in malaysia? I’m studying pharmacy course in Australia. Books there are expensive….
For chinese books, you can try http://www.henghebooks.com.my/
just wanna know if there any place where i can sell my secondhand novels? i needed to clean of my bookshelves
Steph. Try http://www.mudah.com.my.
To anyone in Malaysia who has an experience of ordering quite a number of books from overseas:
I’m planning to buy 2 dozen books from a Korean online bookshop and have them delievered here by Express Mail Service (EMS). Do I have to pay any customs tariff and if so how much? Would there be any problem in clearance?
Books are not subject to any custom tax. But custom will block your shipment if you are ordering banned books such as PlayBoyand How To Make a Bomb For Dummies. Make sure your delivery is traceable, i.e. need someone to sign.
This is indeed an informative blog. I was thinking of ordering from Acmamall because they have discount on the books I want & free shipping in Feb, but am having second thoughts as reading the comments posted it takes more than 2 weeks for the books to arrive. Is that everybody’s general experience with Acmamall?
Besides bookdepository.com, there’s aphrohead.com that offers free shipping worldwide & some books are cheaper than bookdepository.com. I ordered a book i can’t find in any of the bookstores in Msia & it arrived in a week. Although these two online bookstores offers free shipping, the books are priced higher compared to amazon, so in a way the shipping charges are included in the price. So do check out how much it cost on amazon incl. shipping & compare prices.
i want to buy books from amazon, but since i got no credit card..my hope when away. thanks for those who suggest,acmamall.com..they accepted maybank.2u which is very very convenient to me.
the prices are already in RM (very useful), the discount are good and the shipping rate for pre-order books are free. can u believe that? it makes me really happy.
i’m so glad that i found this blog. thanks again.
Deasha…how long does it take for acmamall.com to deliver your books?
Hello,
Excellent to be here.Awesome effort buddy.
Hi guys,
I juz received my book ordered from Kinokuniya..
Order it on monday 11.30 pm gt it received on wednesday 12pm..
which was quite fast btw.. (KL > Ipoh)
anyway, Now I wish to find a book
The title is “With your own two hands : Self-discovery through music”
By Seymour Bernstein
MPH – Supplier didn carry this title
Popular – No reply
Kinokuniya – Out Of Print
Atcross.sg – They dont hav this title.
Acamamall.com – Still waiting for reply
Borders – Still waiting for reply
Amazon was slightly expensive compared to the price of some online bookstores.
Noble and Barnes – No Stock or Used (some in bad condition)
Any more recommendation such as local bookstores or trustable and fast online bookstores (overseas or local), guys?
Hey Jen, you could try Better World Books or The Book Depository.
@ Elyse – i just place my order last week, and i suppose to get it this week. still waiting.
anybody knows how to transfer cash to paypal?
I compared prices for some books between Kinokuniya, Book Depository and Amazon. Even with the most expensive shipping charges from Amazon (Book Depository free shipping), Kinokuniya is the mosy expensive of them all. What I want to know is why books in Malaysia are so expensive?! Can anyone please explain to me?
@arupriaa, it is expensive, but it is fast and it stocks almost all books that we need! I bought most of my books from Kinokuniya and today there will be 4 books coming in. One of them is even a Chinese book! Kino is a business that know how to do business. It is selling books at recommended retail price. Malaysian seldom read, so you can’t make money by selling cheap books by volume. The volume that Amazon (and other US merchant) can generate is very different than what Kino can generate. So they can sell at big discount to the recommended retail price.
yea… But how? Me (as a Malaysian) can only depend on Kinokuniya for getting me the books I want.. Although it was expensive, but at least if the stock is available , i can get my book on the 2nd or 3rd day after ordering…
Ah Yap, thanks for the reply. Your explanation makes sense. It makes me less angry about the price of books in Malaysia. Since I am in no rush to get the books, I have decided to buy from Book Depository. I want to buy 12 books so altogether my savings will be more than RM500 compared to buying from Kinokuniya.
I still continue to support Kinokuniya, I love their store
MPH is picking up, still no where near Kino yet. I always find the book (or close to it)I’m looking for when searching at Kino. They have the best for I.T. books I’ve seen. I.T. is all I read, so thats all I look for.
what is kinokuniya’s email?? i enjoyed their services when i was in kuala lumpur… no i am in phnom penh cambodia…. what is their email!?
Dear Anand Pok,
For Kinokuniya at Kuala Lumpur..
their e-mail is mys@kinokuniya.com
for Cambodia. I have no idea for the availability of Kinokuniya bookstore…..
I wanted to ask, was the tax when you got the books ordered from Amazon alot too?
@Lea, books are tax free in Malaysia.
Wow, this post is still active (4 years!) because it keeps getting Google hits. Hehe. Maybe you need to make a newer consolidated post, Ah Yap?
Anyways, I’m currently looking for a rather old, rare-ish book, and have been looking at my options. Unfortunately, like most of you, I faced an obstacle with Amazon’s marketplace sellers. =.= MPH, Kino, Acma, Times and ABS doesn’t have it.
Sigh.
Anyway, thanks to this post, I’ve found a few more places to keep my book addiction going.
I also recommend http://www.mybook-exchange.com , a site selling used books, with emphasis on college and university books, as well as comics, mangas and magazines.
hi ppl, i actually wanted to know where i could sell my used books in kl. thank u
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