Amazon no longer charges an extra $2

[lene1949]

Fantastic news... A book advertised as $1.99 is still $1.99 now, instead of 3.99... $2 extra per book can add up to a huge amount of money for someone who buy a lot of them.

I know this was applied to Canada some time ago, and I know this one applies to Australia and New Zealand... Japan, however, still has to pay the $2 surcharge.

[neilmarr]

Odd you should mention that, Lene. I've just checked the Kindle Store where my own house has 78 titles and counting.

Our recommended ebook price is $5.95. But pulling up the Kindle Store from Europe (other than in the UK where you are) shows our $5.95 RRP but sells at the Kindle Price of $9.14 (incl VAT and Amazon's own Whispernet charge for download).

I just did my sums and, even in those countries charging a full 20% VAT, that would come to $1.19 ... leaving a full $2 charge per title for download still entirely in place.

Publisher returns, of course, are still based on our own RRP, so Amazon takes its commission on a sale, plus $2.00 download, plus the odd cents balance on countries where VAT is less than 20%.

Considering the huge multi-million dollars claim against the company for back tax in Texas, I can't help wondering what machinery is in place for Amazon to actually pay that VAT to all countries that charge it outside the US.

Cheers. Neil

[Sweetpea]

Still there for me as well.

"Ohh, nice, a book for $0,95!" (on the front-page) And then when I click it: $3,39....

[Blue Tyson]

It definitely isn't consistent, neil, I think. And maybe takes time to replicate over various products and servers.

They have Angry Robot books priced wrong too for us.

[SidneyW]

Great news.

[neilmarr]

***It definitely isn't consistent***

Worse than that, Blue: We're now technically in breach of Amazon's own contract by offering a book for sale that's cheaper in one place than another. Daft, eh? And how is that $2.00 loading justified? Cheers. Neil

[kacir]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

And how is that $2.00 loading justified?

Simple and easy.
"because they can"
... and ... people are obviously willing enough to pay.

Now that WiFi-only models outsell 3G ones here, they do not even have justification of "roaming charges", whatever that means.

[neilmarr]

***and ... people are obviously willing enough to pay.***

Or to feel justified in cheating the system by jumping through hoops and/or with a white lie about where in the world they are, Kacir.

Price loading of ebooks, geographical restrictions and DRM all encourage otherwise honest folks to become minor crooks. It's a shameful state of affairs.

Very best. Neil

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Or to feel justified in cheating the system by jumping through hoops and/or with a white lie about where in the world they are, Kacir.

Price loading of ebooks, geographical restrictions and DRM all encourage otherwise honest folks to become minor crooks. It's a shameful state of affairs.

Somewhat amusing, as many people would include price fixing in that list

[Blue Tyson]

Plus speaking of crooks, Amazon has to deal with telcos for the Whispernet thing - and they like overcharging like Australian publishers do...

Usurious might be a word used there..

[kacir]

Originally Posted by Blue Tyson

Plus speaking of crooks, Amazon has to deal with telcos for the Whispernet thing - and they like overcharging like Australian publishers do...

How come that owners of WiFi only K3 devices have to pay those Usurious $2 surcharge on their $.99 book?

[Kali Yuga]

I would assume that Amazon was able to successfully negotiate new deals with wireless carriers in some countries, while other carriers are sticking to whatever the previous deal was.

Not really a big deal, just a good break for some people.

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Price loading of ebooks, geographical restrictions and DRM all encourage otherwise honest folks to become minor crooks. It's a shameful state of affairs.

Uh huh. You might as well say that "speed limits encourage otherwise honest, albeit impatient, drivers to become minor crooks."

Oh, and in case you missed it, abolishing geo restrictions would basically require trampling over tens of thousands of existing contracts between publishers and authors -- hardly a precedent I expect anyone here would want to set. Plus, you'd have to get every nation and municipality to do a 180º turn from harmonizing sales taxes to "location of the buyer" towards "location of the seller," and that is not going to happen.

[neilmarr]

With all due respects, Kali, you've not been reading what's been said on the subject of geographical restrictions carefully. I've been talking about store-imposed and not publisher-imposed georestrictions. Stores are closing the doors on whole nations of would-be buyers of ebooks by publishers holding international rights to save themselves the trouble of sorting out international rights titles from those by publishers with country-specific contracts in place with authors and agents. Very best. Neil

[Blue Tyson]

Originally Posted by kacir

How come that owners of WiFi only K3 devices have to pay those Usurious $2 surcharge on their $.99 book?

To subsidise the people reading the goatse articles on Wikipedia on theirs, presumably. And to pay telcos that charge for 'international' bandwidth like it was gold.

[Kali Yuga]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

With all due respects, Kali, you've not been reading what's been said on the subject of geographical restrictions carefully.

Uh.... You didn't say anything substantial in this thread, certainly not in the post I quoted.

Originally Posted by neilmarr

Stores are closing the doors on whole nations of would-be buyers of ebooks by publishers holding international rights to save themselves the trouble of sorting out international rights titles from those by publishers with country-specific contracts in place with authors and agents.

Uh... what?

Sorry, you need to clarify this.