Ebook prices drive me insane

jedi2602 · 08-27-2009, 04:38 AM

Ebook prices suck! Just discovered the new Kathy Reichs book, 206 Bones is out. Cost on mobipocket.com: US$26.99. Cost on cyberread.com: $US26.99 Not even listed on fictionwise or booksonboard

Can't even buy it in ebook format in Australia. Cost of paperback in australia: AU$22.99

What is the point of owning an uber awesome ebook reader if I can't buy the blasted ebooks themselves in Australia? Even emporiumbooks.com.au - which sells the Bebook reader - doesn't seem to sell ebooks!!

Dymocks sell ebooks - but a very limited range and never a new release that I want.

</end rant>

If anyone knows of a decent online Australian ebook store, please let me know!

Shari

HarryT · 08-27-2009, 04:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedi2602

Ebook prices suck! Just discovered the new Kathy Reichs book, 206 Bones is out. Cost on mobipocket.com: US$26.99. Cost on cyberread.com: $US26.99 Not even listed on fictionwise or booksonboard

That's because it's only currently available as a hardback in the US. The eBook price will fall once the paperback is released.

FlorenceArt · 08-27-2009, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jedi2602

Cost on mobipocket.com: US$26.99. Cost on cyberread.com: $US26.99 Not even listed on fictionwise or booksonboard

Can't even buy it in ebook format in Australia. Cost of paperback in australia: AU$22.99

And you're complaining??? Here's what we have in France (for French language books of course):

Les sagesses antiques (Michel Onfray)

- Not available anywhere in prc format

- Available on fnac.com in epub format (with DRM, which means I can't legally convert it to PRC) for the price of 18.80 euros

- Available on Amazon.fr in paperback format for 6.60 euros

Now THAT's what I call outrageous!!!!

FlorenceArt · 08-27-2009, 05:14 AM

Oh, I just noticed that you quoted prices in US $ and AU $, so maybe the difference is similar after all, I'm not sure.

Also, in France part of the difference is explained by a higher VAT rate on ebooks I think. The rest is just plain stupid greed on the part of publishers I would think

The result is that I just borrowed the book at my local library and didn't have to pay a cent for it

Semantic · 08-27-2009, 05:22 AM

This is one of the reasons I'm thinking of getting a kindle (you can use it outside the US via amazon giftcards) - that book for instance is $15 ($18 AUD) with most books $10.

FlorenceArt · 08-27-2009, 05:42 AM

Just doing a few comparisons out of pure curiosity, and I found a book that is 1 euro cheaper in ebook format than in pbook. Yay! Unfirtunately it's the first Twilight book, which I don't really intend to read, and certainly not in a French translation. It's at 16.1 euros at Numilog.com, and Amazon has it for 17.1 (or up to 395 euros for a first edition

)

Sweetpea · 08-27-2009, 05:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Also, in France part of the difference is explained by a higher VAT rate on ebooks I think. The rest is just plain stupid greed on the part of publishers I would think

Yep, that's one of the reasons stated here too about the high ebook prices. Books are 6% VAT, ebooks are software not books, thus 19% VAT...

worxland · 08-27-2009, 05:50 AM

ye whining basterds

Here in Hungary there is precisely 0 ebook store. From our point of view you are extremely fortunate.

FlorenceArt · 08-27-2009, 06:02 AM

Sweetpea: yes, but if the only difference was the VAT rate, in my example the e-book should be priced at (6.6 / 1.055 x 1.196) = 7.48 euros, not 18.80!

worxland: oops, sorry, I guess I shouldn't complain, things ARE getting better in France. I'm guessing that next year I can probably advise my mother that it's now worth it for her to buy a reader

Sweetpea · 08-27-2009, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

Sweetpea: yes, but if the only difference was the VAT rate, in my example the e-book should be priced at (6.6 / 1.055 x 1.196) = 7.48 euros, not 18.80!

Well, I did say "one of the reasons"

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

worxland: oops, sorry, I guess I shouldn't complain, things ARE getting better in France. I'm guessing that next year I can probably advise my mother that it's now worth it for her to buy a reader

Yep, the same here. If they really follow up on their promise (they = central book distributing thingie here), we'll soon have 3000 Dutch books to choose from (right now, it's about 1200) and more to come. If it really is going to pick up speed, I might actually tell the same to my mother (and even though she lives in Hungary, she reads Dutch books

)

sony_fox · 08-27-2009, 06:16 AM

Quote:

That's because it's only currently available as a hardback in the US

Other than shear exploitation of ebook readers why is this at all relevant?

I'm quite happy to accept that a hardback costs more to produce than a paperback (I'm not quite sure it's 3x as much but that's another argument). However I am very sure that an ebook is an ebook and doesn't change in costs (if anything it gets more expensive over time (server storage) rather than less). Having new ebook titles at hardback prices is just outrageous.

One of the main advantages is the whole convenience thing, want click have, but encouraging readers to wait until the paperback comes out is just counterproductive.

HarryT · 08-27-2009, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

Yep, that's one of the reasons stated here too about the high ebook prices. Books are 6% VAT, ebooks are software not books, thus 19% VAT...

Yes, eBooks attract the full rate of VAT, whereas in many EU countries pBooks have a low, or even zero (as in the UK and Ireland) VAT rate.

FlorenceArt · 08-27-2009, 07:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sony_fox

Having new ebook titles at hardback prices is just outrageous.

One of the main advantages is the whole convenience thing, want click have, but encouraging readers to wait until the paperback comes out is just counterproductive.

Well I would be happy (more or less) to wait a few months for the price to go down, but apparently French publisher are planning to leave ebooks at hardback prices even after the paperback is out.

formerroadie · 08-27-2009, 07:41 AM

Yes, I get frustrated with the European publishers. Their ebooks are the same price as their hard copies. I don't get that. Far less overhead and materials with an e-version. I need to buy a lot of Routledge, Oxford, Cambridge, and Brill volumes and they just stick you with an incredible price for their electronic versions.

Wetdogeared · 08-27-2009, 08:19 AM

A quick search using ebookprice.info returned this.

LRX not your format though.

08-27-2009, 04:38 AM	#1
jedi2602 Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 12 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Australia Device: Bebook	Ebook prices drive me insane Ebook prices suck! Just discovered the new Kathy Reichs book, 206 Bones is out. Cost on mobipocket.com: US$26.99. Cost on cyberread.com: $US26.99 Not even listed on fictionwise or booksonboard Can't even buy it in ebook format in Australia. Cost of paperback in australia: AU$22.99 What is the point of owning an uber awesome ebook reader if I can't buy the blasted ebooks themselves in Australia? Even emporiumbooks.com.au - which sells the Bebook reader - doesn't seem to sell ebooks!! Dymocks sell ebooks - but a very limited range and never a new release that I want. </end rant> If anyone knows of a decent online Australian ebook store, please let me know! Shari

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08-27-2009, 05:14 AM	#4
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Oh, I just noticed that you quoted prices in US $ and AU $, so maybe the difference is similar after all, I'm not sure. Also, in France part of the difference is explained by a higher VAT rate on ebooks I think. The rest is just plain stupid greed on the part of publishers I would think The result is that I just borrowed the book at my local library and didn't have to pay a cent for it

08-27-2009, 05:22 AM	#5
Semantic Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: London Device: T2010	This is one of the reasons I'm thinking of getting a kindle (you can use it outside the US via amazon giftcards) - that book for instance is $15 ($18 AUD) with most books $10.

08-27-2009, 05:42 AM	#6
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Just doing a few comparisons out of pure curiosity, and I found a book that is 1 euro cheaper in ebook format than in pbook. Yay! Unfirtunately it's the first Twilight book, which I don't really intend to read, and certainly not in a French translation. It's at 16.1 euros at Numilog.com, and Amazon has it for 17.1 (or up to 395 euros for a first edition )

08-27-2009, 05:50 AM	#8
worxland Connoisseur Posts: 65 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Hungary Device: PRS-505, Paperwhite	ye whining basterds Here in Hungary there is precisely 0 ebook store. From our point of view you are extremely fortunate.

08-27-2009, 06:02 AM	#9
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Sweetpea: yes, but if the only difference was the VAT rate, in my example the e-book should be priced at (6.6 / 1.055 x 1.196) = 7.48 euros, not 18.80! worxland: oops, sorry, I guess I shouldn't complain, things ARE getting better in France. I'm guessing that next year I can probably advise my mother that it's now worth it for her to buy a reader

08-27-2009, 07:41 AM	#14
formerroadie Bada Bing Posts: 146 Karma: 504 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Fort Worth, TX Device: Sony Reader PRS-600	Yes, I get frustrated with the European publishers. Their ebooks are the same price as their hard copies. I don't get that. Far less overhead and materials with an e-version. I need to buy a lot of Routledge, Oxford, Cambridge, and Brill volumes and they just stick you with an incredible price for their electronic versions.

08-27-2009, 08:19 AM	#15
Wetdogeared Storm Surge'n Posts: 5,776 Karma: 8213195 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Lobster Capital Device: S0ny PRS-300/350/505/700/T1	A quick search using ebookprice.info returned this. LRX not your format though.

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