The RCUS Publications Committee has opened an Amazon Seller Account and listed the books in the depository on Amazon.com. Consequently, the publications page on rcus.org (Resources/Publications) lists all the RCUS titles without distinguishing between those in the depository and those available directly from Amazon as print-on-demand books. There are several reasons for this decision.
Listing our books on Amazon makes them available to an audience outside the RCUS. While hoping to clear out the inventory of our older titles, we also hope that such books as “The Six Days of Creation” reach the broader church.
For several of our books, we were losing money after packing and shipping costs. With the Amazon Seller tools, we can now see exactly how much it costs to fulfill an order. Thus, some book prices have increased while others have decreased.
With Amazon’s Seller tools, we have real-time, accurate inventory and sales reports.
Rather than filling out a paper form and mailing a check, buyers can use their Amazon account to order and pay for purchases.
Perhaps most important is taxes. Although we are a non-profit organization, we are still obligated to collect taxes on the sale of books. Amazon charges the buyer the appropriate tax and pays said taxes to the proper entities—a nearly impossible task for our Depository Manager.
The Publications Committee trusts that this change, though certainly not free of some challenges, will benefit and bless our pastors and members.