Hachette is Australian for Ripoff

[Blue Tyson]

Yeah, if hardbacks are 50 bucks here and you can get them for 16 in the USA, don't need too many of them to actually cover the cost of a plane flight!

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by jehane

The Productivity Commission recommended that parallel imports of books be allowed, but the publishing lobby was successful in convincing the Govt to not change the existing system. Dymocks lobbied hard the other way, because as a retailer it can't parallel import, while individuals can. Publishers are not suffering yet, but once Dymocks (as the only large chain left - Collins is not big enough) goes under then publishers will suffer as it will be difficult to showcase their books.

http://www.pc.gov.au/projects/study/books

Recent Book Industry Strategy Group info is here, too :-

http://www.innovation.gov.au/INDUSTR...s/default.aspx

As you suggest, it is likely there will be more dead book chains at the speed this lot moves at, though.

[sabredog]

I cannot remember the last time I purchased a dead tree book locally.

I did try till this Christmas, but have now given up. Too expensive even if they are actually available to buy.

[Blue Tyson]

I can only remember a sort of - someone asked me to pick up a book for them using a gift certificate they had been given - that was three years ago, probably. And it was $27 for a crappy cut down trade paperbackish piece of junk with padded out paragraphs on rubbish worse than mass market paperback paper.

Needless to say, recipient not impressed and hasn't bought one locally since.

I was given a couple of Hard Case crime books someone bought remaindered at Target or K-Mart or somewhere like that for a couple of bucks each I think, too, last year some time.

And there's a remaindered book I might pick up at the local two dollar shop for - wait for it - $2 - as a stocking stuffer.

[carpetmojo]

This is only something I have heard talked about, and have no knowledge as to whether it is true or not.

So....

Allegedly, I heard that if you live outside, say, US or UK , and you reside somewhere like, as an example. Oz or NZ, say, and have an Oz or NZ friend, or just any one happy to assist, who lives in either of these areas, it is possible to use their address, as a sort of "holiday home" (should you be thinking off visiting them). You could possibly, I understand, buy books from those countries and get them on your reader in some way.

So I have heard....

[jehane]

Allegedly, I heard that if you live outside, say, US or UK , and you reside somewhere like, as an example. Oz or NZ, say, and have an Oz or NZ friend, or just any one happy to assist, who lives in either of these areas, it is possible to use their address, as a sort of "holiday home" (should you be thinking off visiting them). You could possibly, I understand, buy books from those countries and get them on your reader in some way.

Unfortunately, it's not usually that simple. Many buying sites use your IP address. Certainly Kobo does, and I've had Amazon query my eligibility as well when I registered as a US user (I have friends and relatives all over the world, including UK/US/Canada, so not short of viable addresses!) Of course there are ways around it, there always are, but to us that's just not the point. I would love to be able to support Australian businesses, and would be prepared to pay a slight premium to do so, but not 2-3 times the price.

[jehane]

Originally Posted by sabredog

I cannot remember the last time I purchased a dead tree book locally.

There is a local charity 2nd hand book sale every month - paperbacks are mostly $1 and hardbacks $2. I usually come away with a stack. Fortunately the last one I was able to get to was in August, and I won't be back until May/June so my shelves are safe for now. The funny thing is my parents always nagged me about how many books I buy, but the last time they visited the book sale happened to be on and they each bought nearly as many as I did!

The last *new* paper book I bought locally...I don't remember. Probably a few years ago.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by carpetmojo

This is only something I have heard talked about, and have no knowledge as to whether it is true or not.

So....

Allegedly, I heard that if you live outside, say, US or UK , and you reside somewhere like, as an example. Oz or NZ, say, and have an Oz or NZ friend, or just any one happy to assist, who lives in either of these areas, it is possible to use their address, as a sort of "holiday home" (should you be thinking off visiting them). You could possibly, I understand, buy books from those countries and get them on your reader in some way.

So I have heard....

I actually have plenty of yankee relatives if I need to do that, certainly. Might well be visiting them when the next Alastair Reynolds comes out, perhaps. ;-)

[Solicitous]

Originally Posted by sabredog

I cannot remember the last time I purchased a dead tree book locally.

I did try till this Christmas, but have now given up. Too expensive even if they are actually available to buy.

The last time I bought one locally was a new release from Kmart. They usually have them for around the $18 which is ok I guess if you really want a new paperback.

What made me absolutely laugh was when the wife went to buy Michelle Bridges Crunch Time book. Now title and content aside (yes she is on a health kick), but when it was released the cheapest she could buy it here in Australia was $34.95. She ended up buying it from Book Depository for just over $16 or $18 (I forget which, but either way around 50% of the local price).

Now the sad thing about that is, the book is written by an Australian author, printed and published in Australia, and we bought it for half the price after it was printed, boxed, shipped to the UK, mark up added, and shipped back to us in Australia, than we could from anyone in Australia.....and all they had to do was ship it from NSW and not to and from one end of the world.

Import restrictions may be a reasonable excuse for some sellers and to an extent it probably holds some truth, but I still maintain that by living in the lucky country retail outlets feel they have the right to price gouge. Now don't get me started on DVDs that are one week selling for $34.95, then $14.95 on sale the next week only to go back up to $34.95 after the sale.

[rdfry]

I have a fondness in my heart for Australians, they invented the cpap machine which helps a lot of us sleep. It is a shame that everything is so inflated.

[wannabee]

Originally Posted by CazMar

.......As more and more Australians learn to use online shopping services (and I would say the majority already do so) the retailers are going to have to compete or sink.........

I needed an ADSL filter for the telephone so I went to Dick Smiths. $35. I couldn't believe it. Went home and ordered three for twelve dollars with free shipping on the net. I know there are warehousing and distribution costs but not 800% over the overseas version.

Originally Posted by jehane

......... I would love to be able to support Australian businesses, and would be prepared to pay a slight premium to do so, but not 2-3 times the price.

I think it's become an Australian business mentality to gouge.
Example: I saw a kilo of dog meat at Coles for a dollar. That looked like good value so I bought it. Five days later the same product was $2 I still bought it. On week two it was $4.99 or similar. They introduce something and if it sells they keep putting up the price until they find the price people wont pay any more. Don't get me started on the Coles, Woolworths duopoly that is bleeding Australia dry. They control 80% of all retail sales in Australia. There isn't another government in the world that would let companies do that. (Dick Smiths is owned by Woolworths)

Originally Posted by Solicitous

.....the book is written by an Australian author, printed and published in Australia, and we bought it for half the price after it was printed, boxed, shipped to the UK, mark up added, and shipped back to us in Australia, than we could from anyone in Australia......

A good example of gouging. Why pay the regular price (you know, what the rest of the world pays) when you can pay twice or three times as much in Oz?

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by rdfry

I have a fondness in my heart for Australians, they invented the cpap machine which helps a lot of us sleep. It is a shame that everything is so inflated.

They've been using their invention on the price tags.

[jehane]

Originally Posted by wannabee

Don't get me started on the Coles, Woolworths duopoly that is bleeding Australia dry. They control 80% of all retail sales in Australia.

I'm lucky enough now to live in an area with a good produce market and an Aldi, so I hardly ever go to Coles or Woolies any more, unless there is something a bit unusual I need. Though it's not just in food that they have taken over - petrol, alcohol, now hardware... They don't seem too interested in books though.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by Solicitous

Now the sad thing about that is, the book is written by an Australian author, printed and published in Australia, and we bought it for half the price after it was printed, boxed, shipped to the UK, mark up added, and shipped back to us in Australia, than we could from anyone in Australia.....and all they had to do was ship it from NSW and not to and from one end of the world.

Import restrictions may be a reasonable excuse for some sellers and to an extent it probably holds some truth, but I still maintain that by living in the lucky country retail outlets feel they have the right to price gouge. Now don't get me started on DVDs that are one week selling for $34.95, then $14.95 on sale the next week only to go back up to $34.95 after the sale.

I have had a similar experience, but with Geographic Restrictions.

Graham Sharp Paul is an Aussie SF author, ex RAN. His publisher is Random House. I could not buy the ebook version of his Helfort series with out going through a serious amount of sneakiness. Darknet was not an issue, but wanting to buy a copy so he got a little money from me. Well, in the end he got paid, but the effort was long and arduous.

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by sabredog

I have had a similar experience, but with Geographic Restrictions.

Graham Sharp Paul is an Aussie SF author, ex RAN. His publisher is Random House. I could not buy the ebook version of his Helfort series with out going through a serious amount of sneakiness. Darknet was not an issue, but wanting to buy a copy so he got a little money from me. Well, in the end he got paid, but the effort was long and arduous.

Heh. Looking at the yanks now - and they are definitely the way to go, if being sneaky.