Fequently Asked Questions

Is my phone compatible?
How much does the service cost?
How do you cover your costs?
Do you plan to charge for this service in the future?
What is an isbn?
What does the received SMS message mean?
Does the price include postage?
How do you get the information?
Is this site related to Amazon?
How long does it take to receive a reply?
What number do I txt the message to?
Is the information up to date?

Is my phone compatable?

Yes, if you can send and receive SMS text messages.

How much does the service cost?

The usual price of sending a text message to a friend, as charged by your mobile operator. Currently there is no additional charge for the service.

How do you cover your costs?

It costs us to send an SMS text to your mobile, but we will recover the costs of this in commission from Amazon if you use the link we provide to visit Amazon and buy the book. The price to you from Amazon is unchanged whichever method you use to access Amazon, however using our link enables us to provide this SMS price check service to you free of charge. Such arrangements are commonplace on the internet and is why you find so many links to Amazon from other websites.

Do you plan to charge for this service in the future?

Only if we cannot cover the SMS costs in other ways.

What is an isbn?

The isbn is the unique number assigned to every book published. It can be found on the barcode which is normally on the back cover of the book. It is a 10 digit number, although the last digit may be an X, it can include spaces or dashes ( - ) these do not need to be included when sending the isbn to us.

What does the received SMS message mean?

This is a sample message "Deep Black - Amazon £5.59, New £3.20, Used £1.99 - 24 hours - 3.19/5 from 27 - www.SMSprice.co.uk". There are a number of parts to the message, each part separated by a dash. In turn the parts are: Book title (maybe truncated if it is too long) - Various Prices - Expected delivery time from Amazon - Average customer review out of 5, the "from 27" indicates the number of reviews making up the average. The various prices are the price to buy it direct from amazon, the lowest new price available, this is either the same as the amazon price or a Marketplace seller, finally the cheapest used price from a Marketplace seller.

What is a Marketplace seller?

See Amazon for full details of Amazon's Marketplace.

Does the price include postage?

We have not included postage in the price quoted, this is because the costs vary depending on the total order, not just the item requested. A single book will cost £2.75 but for each extra book there is an additional £0.59 postage charge. Finally don't forget there is the super saver option on orders over £15.00 direct from Amazon (not the Marketplace), this allows free delivery but you do need to allow a few extra days for delivery.

How do you get the information?

Amazon.co.uk provide the information via their API, and give us permission to use the data.

Is this site related to Amazon?

No, Amazon only supply the data they do not support, sponsor, or endorse this website.

How long does it take to receive a reply?

Our server will normally reply to a request within a second or two of receiving the request, but do bear in mind that the SMS messages have to travel over the mobile networks so this can delay the message.

What number do I txt the message to?

The number will be supplied with our welcome SMS message once you have signed up.

Is the information up to date?

Yes, the information is gathered from Amazon after you request it. Please keep in mind that some of the content that we make available to you through this website comes from amazon web services. All such content is provided to you "as is." This content and your use of it are subject to change and/or removal at any time.

"It's a really straight forward, simple service that solves a direct problem for anyone interested in querying Amazon prior to buying a book." Ewan MacLeod SMS Text News

"Fanastic, I was about to buy a £41 Java book in a High Street shop, while I was still in the shop I found it £12 cheaper at Amazon, Thanks" Mr. C, Bucks.
In association with Amazon.co.uk