VedicBooks.info is an affiliate partner of Loi Bazaar, The Vaisnava Marketplace. Here are some thoughts they have written:
Why Are We Here?
Ah, the greatest of questions. A while ago
while trying to write the ultimate essay on Vaisnavism for a
university class, I discovered how difficult it is to obtain
Vaisnava literature. Most of the large stores do not carry a
good range, and even when they do have a relevant title, it
will often be exhorbitantly priced. As an ecommerce developer,
I was also shocked to see that many of the reputable
publishing houses in India had web sites that were not only
inneffective but insecure. Many do not use SSL to encrypt data
and many use practices that are not allowed in the United
States, such as collecting and storing the security codes from
credit cards. These flaws, coupled with the risks involved in
shipping from India, often make it difficult--inadvisable,
even--to buy books directly. I have also had the experience of
packages not arriving, upside down printing, inordinate
delays, misleading claims as to inventory, etc. We have
therefore embarked on this endeavor to bring the truths and
trinkets of the Vaisnava world to the Western audience.
Our Mission
Besides the aspect of bringing a
convenient and secure service to those in the Western world
who are interested in Vaisnavism, we also use proceeds from
this site to further the preservation and development of
Gaudiya Vaisnavism, especially in the realms of translation,
digitization, and publication of texts.
Why "Loi
Bazaar"?
Loi Bazaar is the name of one of the central
markets in the town of Vrindavan. Originally a cloth market
("lohi" = a type of chaddar or wrap), it has now become an
outlet for all manner of devotional items, from bells to
books, clothing to conchshells. We are now supplementing that
wonderful market with this online store for those unable to
travel there--replacing the ricksha with "click sure."
Shipping
Our goal is to charge shipping as
close as possible to the actual rates. Shipping is not marked
up and there is no minimum set. Our books are individually
weighed and the rates are calculated directly from the USPS
rate server in real time. If you desire the books to be sent
some other means, please let us know.
To avoid the
frustration imposed by many other stores where you do not know
the shipping costs till you go part way through the checkout,
we have instituted a shipping rate lookup feature whereby you
can check the rates at any time. The results will be based
entirely upon the weight of the book(s) in your cart.
Quality
Obviously many of our books come
from India. This means that the quality varies greatly. Over
time, as our books are catalogued, we will introduce a grading
system for the Indian titles. If you have questions about the
condition of any book, feel free to contact us.
Requests
If we don't have a title that you
are looking for, chances are that we can get it for you if it
is available somewhere. Hunting for books is our hobby(!) so
please don't hesitate to ask if there is something you have
been looking for but have not found. We visit India regularly
and have a network of publishers and distributors who should
be able to locate just about anything in that vast and
mystical land. Although our focus is Vaisnavism, we have
access to all manner of titles.
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