Audible Haul – Bargain Basement or Money Pit?

Spending more than a few dollars for a book puts me in panic mode. But when I tried Audible.com ten years ago, I enjoyed the many bargains I was able to get. There has been no need to re-subscribe now that my library offers digital downloads of almost everything. So why on earth did I fall for the “3 Months free” offer earlier this year? Pure greed.

Not only did I get my three free books (technically 13 books for 3 credits), but my wish list had become so extensive that I bought three more credits (for a small discount). The folks at Audible are not stupid. I wonder if anyone really ever signs up for the free months and gets away unscathed. Here is what I ended up buying:

For the free credits: C.S. Lewis Essential Audio – nine of his non-fiction books (39 hours), Hercule Poirot Short Stories (35 hours, reg $50), Homer Box Set: Iliad and Odyssey by W.H.D. Rouse – (25 hours) but it came with a BOGO offer so I also received George McDonald’s Fairy Tales)

For my purchased credits, I got the C.S. Lewis Essay Collection (reg $23), Ten Charles Dickens novels (reg $25), and the first five Lord Peter Wimsey novels (38 hours, reg $32)

Did I stop there? Oh no, dear reader. How could I turn down Charlotte’s Web read by E.B. White? ($10), and The Magic Apple Tree by Susan Hill ($13), and 36 hours of Agatha Christie for ONE DOLLAR?

Was my heart satisfied? Not yet. I had to have my favorite, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir ($10) and 12 hours of Miss Marple’s short stories (when it went on sale for $8), and Sean Bean reading King Arthurand the Knights of the Round Table by Benedict Flynn (another $8), and James Herriot’sTreasury for Children ($5)

Well, I’m not sure if I did well or if I was just plain hoodwinked. My three free months led to a spending spree of around $90 - something I would never actually spend in a real bookstore.

Granted, if I had used their regular prices of $15 per credit, I would have gotten only 6 books for that amount. As it happens, I purchased 32 books and dozens of short stories so I am not too disappointed. All I need to do now is to cancel my “free” subscription before my husband checks our credit card statement. And to find time to start listening! 

Do you do Audible? What do you think? 

Blessings,