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For those interested:
Amazon UK is currently selling The Art of Electronics 3rd ed. for a bargain price of £23.50.
EDIT: Seems the offer is over now... -
Just be on the look-out for counterfeits:
https://artofelectronics.net/the-book/counterfeit-editions/
And I quote:
"** In every case copies purchased as “Ships from and sold by Amazon.com” are geniune copies; it’s some of the marketplace sellers who are selling fakes (and some of these include “Fulfillment by Amazon” with Prime shipping — that’s no guarantee of authenticity).
The one on sale looks to be authentic:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521809266/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=art+of+electronics+3rd+edition&qid=1583287377&sr=8-1
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It seems that book is still available, but unfortunately they won't to send to Serbia
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For those interested:
Huh? It’s still showing that price now.
Amazon UK is currently selling The Art of Electronics 3rd ed. for a bargain price of £23.50.
EDIT: Seems the offer is over now... -
It's a good book, but I haven't read it completely. I use it as a dictionary.
Second edition of Chinese 。
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Damned Amazon UK only accepting credit cards...
Got a free one only to pay for this deal, and now that I received the card, it's sold out.
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Damned Amazon UK only accepting credit cards...
How else would you pay for things online?
Got a free one only to pay for this deal, and now that I received the card, it's sold out.
Every alternative (PayPal, etc) is not nearly as widely accepted, and many require giving bank info, which I’d rather not do. A credit card is ideal for online, since you’re buffered from fraud (since you don’t pay any disputed amounts, unlike a debit card where you’re fighting to get real money returned).
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How else would you pay for things online?
I've never had a problem using direct debit, wire transfer, PayPal and PayPal via Google Pay for online payments of any kind. If you want to stay safe from fraud as a customer, PayPal really is a good choice. I say that as someone operating a business who has lost money due to PayPal always giving customers the benefit of doubt. Every alternative (PayPal, etc) is not nearly as widely accepted, and many require giving bank info, which I’d rather not do. A credit card is ideal for online, since you’re buffered from fraud (since you don’t pay any disputed amounts, unlike a debit card where you’re fighting to get real money returned).
Just acquiring a credit card might negatively impact your credit score for quite some time, which is usually reason enough not to get one.
What you miss is that credit card providers don't explicitly ask for your details, they request them from a reference agency like SCHUFA, arvato, creditreform, etc.
For example, the provider of my shiny new credit card made five separate SCHUFA-requests, now knowing pretty much everything there is to know about me financially. -
Well, many vendors accept nothing but credit cards, as I said. (“Every alternative is not nearly as widely accepted.”) And with PayPal, it’s an added layer of protection.How else would you pay for things online?
I've never had a problem using direct debit, wire transfer, PayPal and PayPal via Google Pay for online payments of any kind. If you want to stay safe from fraud as a customer, PayPal really is a good choice. I say that as someone operating a business who has lost money due to PayPal always giving customers the benefit of doubt. Every alternative (PayPal, etc) is not nearly as widely accepted, and many require giving bank info, which I’d rather not do. A credit card is ideal for online, since you’re buffered from fraud (since you don’t pay any disputed amounts, unlike a debit card where you’re fighting to get real money returned).Just acquiring a credit card might negatively impact your credit score for quite some time, which is usually reason enough not to get one.
No, that’s a reason to get a card early and use it, so you have a long history of paying your bills on time. And you have the credit card available in an emergency.
(One of my credit cards is a classic AmEx with no preset credit limit, so they just calculate it on the fly for each transaction. You can call them up or use the app to “ping” whether a transaction of a certain amount would be authorized or not, to avoid nasty surprises before a large purchase. Last time I checked for fun, it would have approved a purchase significantly higher than my annual income. Luckily, I’m financially responsible enough to not just go out and buy a BMW on a credit card. But it is actually good to know that if I were traveling outside Europe and got seriously sick or injured and the local hospital demanded payment up-front, I could just run it on the AmEx, and then my insurance would reimburse me later. Better than being denied healthcare until the insurance company can manage to prepay...)What you miss is that credit card providers don't explicitly ask for your details, they request them from a reference agency like SCHUFA, arvato, creditreform, etc.
Well, I didn’t “miss” it, since a) the exact credit reporting system of each country is different, and I don’t know (or need to know) the minutiae of how it works in Germany, and b) of course a credit card issuer is going to perform a credit check. As a lender, they’re literally what credit reporting exists for.
For example, the provider of my shiny new credit card made five separate SCHUFA-requests, now knowing pretty much everything there is to know about me financially.
If you really want to see credit reporting being abused, look at USA, where many employers perform credit checks on prospective employees, under the belief that an employee who is in debt is a larger risk. Not only do I think it’s crazy to deny someone work because they’re in debt (how are they supposed to get out of debt if they can’t find work?!?), but it’s a clear misuse of the information that you provided for the express purpose of establishing creditworthiness, nothing more. USA is in desperate need of data protection laws like the ones that are normal in Europe. -
A credit card is ideal for online, since you’re buffered from fraud (since you don’t pay any disputed amounts, unlike a debit card where you’re fighting to get real money returned).
Well, in recent year the credit card companies have nicely reduced their fraud risks by introducing various convoluted two-factor authentication schemes. Which have done a great job in protecting me not only from fraud, but also from spending money on spontaneous online purchases ... -
Well, many vendors accept nothing but credit cards, as I said.
No good idea if you want to do business in Germany, you're going to exclude 60 %+ of your potential customers right off the bat.
Generally, offering diverse payment options, or utilising a payment provider that does so is going to greatly enhance your conversion rate. Some businesses are voluntarily foregoing money and giving their competition an edge.
Maybe I'm also a bit oblivious on how people in countries with widespread credit card use handle money. What is the use-case of an on-demand credit for every silly small purchase you make? You get your income on your transaction account, some cash savings on your deposit account, and the rest invested on some mix of financial instruments to suit your needs. How does it matter whether your variable expenses are now withdrawn at the time of purchase, or combined on the end of the month? Like, I get how that could be attractive if you had no spending discipline whatsoever while simultaneously living from paycheck to paycheck, but, really? -
Really?! Just now? Weird! My US-based credit cards never had any 2FA, and my main Swiss card used to have it, but seems to have abandoned it. (My other Swiss card never had it at all.)A credit card is ideal for online, since you’re buffered from fraud (since you don’t pay any disputed amounts, unlike a debit card where you’re fighting to get real money returned).
Well, in recent year the credit card companies have nicely reduced their fraud risks by introducing various convoluted two-factor authentication schemes. Which have done a great job in protecting me not only from fraud, but also from spending money on spontaneous online purchases ...
Do you really only order from vendors within your country?!? (When I was living in USA, this was mostly possible, but here in Switzerland, absolutely impossible.)Well, many vendors accept nothing but credit cards, as I said.
No good idea if you want to do business in Germany, you're going to exclude 60 %+ of your potential customers right off the bat.Generally, offering diverse payment options, or utilising a payment provider that does so is going to greatly enhance your conversion rate. Some businesses are voluntarily foregoing money and giving their competition an edge.
Yes, but to be honest, it’s widely understood that credit cards are the default payment method of the Internet. I don’t really understand some people’s aversion to credit cards.Maybe I'm also a bit oblivious on how people in countries with widespread credit card use handle money. What is the use-case of an on-demand credit for every silly small purchase you make? You get your income on your transaction account, some cash savings on your deposit account, and the rest invested on some mix of financial instruments to suit your needs. How does it matter whether your variable expenses are now withdrawn at the time of purchase, or combined on the end of the month? Like, I get how that could be attractive if you had no spending discipline whatsoever while simultaneously living from paycheck to paycheck, but, really?
I already listed one potential advantage: you are buffered from fraud. If you use cash or debit, real money is gone, and you are fighting the bank to get it back. If it happened to be your last money, you are fucked, since even if you get it back eventually, you might have been unable to pay bills in the meantime. With a credit card, a disputed amount is not due. So if some scumbag company gets your CC number somehow, it can’t cause cashflow issues.
Second, many credit cards offer cash back. Why wouldn’t you want a discount on everything you buy? This is my main reason for paying for everything I can on credit, rather than debit or cash.
Third (although this varies a LOT by country), credit cards offer varying purchase protections, like free extended warranties, travel insurance, car rental insurance, etc. I had one computer repair that was covered in year 4 (in my case, during the extra year of free warranty AmEx gives me, after the 3 year extended manufacturer warranty ran out), and that single repair saved me more money than all the annual fees I’d ever paid for that card added up.
Similarly, one of my Swiss cards gives me travel insurance for all trips (even if not paid for with that card!!), at a lower cost for the annual fee than it would cost to add travel insurance to a single long-haul flight.
Fourth, travel: credit cards are essential for international travel, since they are the most universal way of paying for things worldwide. No other payment method can be used in as many places. I used to get foreign currency for traveling, but now, I only get petty cash in local currency, and everything other than little snacks, I pay by card. It’s safer, and it means not having to deal with large amounts of excess foreign currency afterwards. Additionally, in many countries, you categorically cannot rent a car without a credit card.
As for cash vs. debit: I like not having to worry about whether I have enough cash in my wallet. It’s nice to simply not have to go to the ATM any more. I’ve gone nearly 100% cashless now. Heck, now that all my credit cards support Apple Pay (which is more secure than the physical cards it replaces), and the transit authority lets you load your passes into the app, I could even leave my entire wallet at home 99% of the time...
(In USA, some small businesses are starting to accept card only, since not handling cash means eliminating the risk of cash theft by robbers or employees, not to mention eliminating the effort of having to go to the bank to make daily deposits.)
Finally, as I mentioned before, credit cards provide immediate payment in an emergency. I’ve been lucky to never have to do it, but it’s good to know that if I needed to, I’d be able to pay for a rental car, healthcare, a hotel, or whatever.
Now, I know that what works for me will not work for everyone. I’m someone who always pays off his credit cards in full — I don’t use them to buy things I can’t afford. I know that for some people, they can’t handle that, and would end up in debt. But even so, I wouldn’t normally recommend having no credit cards at all, but rather just not keeping them in the wallet. (Some people freeze the card in a large block of ice, so that they are forced to “sleep on it” before making a CC purchase.)
I know that Germany is a particularly credit-averse country, but I think you guys need to understand that credit cards exist primarily as a universal payment system, not as loans. It’s about convenience and peace of mind, not about spending money you don’t have.