I buy a lot of gaming books on Lulu (here’s my list of 85+ recommendations), and I can’t remember the last time I didn’t use a coupon code.
Like Steam, Lulu has taught me to never buy anything unless there’s a sale. I don’t know if it’s the healthiest business model, but there’s always a sale (and healthy or not, this model does prompt me to order more books on Lulu than I otherwise would).
For about six months there, it was the glorious LULURC, now sadly no longer working.[1] They ran other coupons alongside that one, which seemed odd, but LULURC just kept on working.
Always-on coupons
I used to Google “lulu coupon code” before ordering, and poke through the first few links for codes to try. These days, I search on G+, or go through the last couple days of my stream, and find them that way — or I just try a few default options until one works.
Lulu likes to use the same taxonomy for coupon codes, so I always try these:
- LULU30
- LULU25
- GETIT25
- LULU15
- GETIT15
The number is the percentage off. 15% is my “floor” for placing an order, but if I can’t do better I generally wait for another coupon to roll around.
The taxonomy changes; the year used to be part of their mainstay coupons, until it wasn’t. But once you have a current coupon to work from, experiment with different numbers and variations and see what happens.
Lulu will also sometimes[2] proactively email you a coupon if you sign in, put some books in your cart, close your browser window/tab, and wait a few hours.
Almost a corollary
I coined Lulu’s Law to describe what happens basically every time I place a Lulu order: I immediately hear about another book I should have ordered. (Once in a great while, I escape this curse, but not often.)
But I realized yesterday that there’s a corollary to that law, albeit a “soft” one: The same thing frequently applies to Lulu coupons. Use a sweet 25% off code? Lulu will put out a 30% off coupon the next day. Not always, but often enough to be noticeable.
And at the end of the day, that’s okay: I like Lulu. A lot.
I like the gaming books I can find there, including many that are only there. I like their customer service, which has had my back when I have an order issue (which is rare). I like that they offer an inexpensive shipping option, that their coupons around Christmas and Black Friday tend to be quite good, and that if I’m patient, a good coupon is just around the corner.
[1] All hail LULURC, may it long be remembered.
[2] Maybe always? I’ve only done it a couple times, by accident, so I’m not sure.
I’m a tad surprised that you make a point of getting game books “on the cheap” given the cost of the brass pencil you showed us a few posts ago. I nearly swallowed my teeth when I saw what they wanted for it.
If there was a way to get a discount on the Kaweco, I’d have used it. ;-)
Lulu occupies a funny space for me as a consumer because there’s virtually always a discount available, and it’s one that doesn’t impact the folks who design and write the books I’m buying (since it comes out of Lulu’s end). I’d feel weird not making use of it.
Which is not a criticism of your buying habits, merely a wry observation that having saved money we can all find places to burn it later.
Ask me about my “Tricorder and Sonic Screwdriver” drawer.
No worries, and amen.