Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book Readers > Amazon Kindle

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 09-29-2008, 08:55 PM   #1
rlparker
Ars longa
rlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankind
 
rlparker's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,179
Karma: 17404
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: north carolina, usa
Device: Kindle K1, K3 wifi
eBook price vs pBook price--is that fair??

Just browsing around on Amazon, and found "Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome", by Robert Harris. The reviews are good, the plot outline sounds interesting. So I'm thinking maybe I'll bite. The price? $4.99 paperback, $9.59 kindle

Just as a matter of principle, I don't think I'll buy an eBook that is more expensive than the same pBook!

And yes, I'm feeling a little grumpy today....

R.L.
rlparker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2008, 11:58 PM   #2
Gideon
Wearer of Pants
Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.Gideon knows the square root of minus one.
 
Gideon's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,050
Karma: 7634
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Norman, OK
Device: Amazon Kindle DX / iPhone
I think that's always a fair complaint. A pbook should NEVER be even close to an ebook unless it's below 6 bucks or so for both.
Gideon is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-30-2008, 11:35 AM   #3
RickyMaveety
Holy S**T!!!
RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.
 
RickyMaveety's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,213
Karma: 108401
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Diego, California!!
Device: Kindle and iPad
I agree that the ebook price should always be below the comparable pbook price. To me that seems only fair.

Of course, from their angle, you are paying what amounts to a "convenience premium" so that you can carry a lot of books with you in a compact format.

Me .... I think that's a way to screw the ereading community, but there you have it.
RickyMaveety is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2008, 11:49 AM   #4
Nate the great
Sir Penguin of Edinburgh
Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Nate the great ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Nate the great's Avatar
 
Posts: 12,375
Karma: 23555235
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: DC Metro area
Device: Shake a stick plus 1
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickyMaveety View Post
Of course, from their angle, you are paying what amounts to a "convenience premium" so that you can carry a lot of books with you in a compact format.
In case you ever need it, here is how to counter that point.

I already paid a premium to carry the ebooks with me; it's called an ebook reader. If you (the publisher) are going to charge me the premium as a part of the price of the ebook, then you can provide the hardware.
Nate the great is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2008, 12:02 PM   #5
rlparker
Ars longa
rlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankind
 
rlparker's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,179
Karma: 17404
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: north carolina, usa
Device: Kindle K1, K3 wifi
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
In case you ever need it, here is how to counter that point.

I already paid a premium to carry the ebooks with me; it's called an ebook reader. If you (the publisher) are going to charge me the premium as a part of the price of the ebook, then you can provide the hardware.
Of course, the problem with both Nate the great's and RickyMaveety's comments is--they make too much sense

If price is determined by supply and demand (as I learned that it is a LONG time ago in college), then it seems to me that the price should approach zero because on the supply side, the supply is limited only by the number of times someone at the publishing company pushes the "copy the file" button....

My reasoning must be flawed (again)

Regards,
R.L.
rlparker is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 09-30-2008, 12:17 PM   #6
pilotbob
Grand Sorcerer
pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
pilotbob's Avatar
 
Posts: 19,832
Karma: 11844413
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tampa, FL USA
Device: Kindle Touch
Quote:
Originally Posted by RickyMaveety View Post
Of course, from their angle, you are paying what amounts to a "convenience premium" so that you can carry a lot of books with you in a compact format.
Funny... my Bank/Insurance company wants me to go paperless. They say for three reasons...

1. It is more secure. No documents are passed in the mail or can be hyjacked if you don't shred them.

2. It is more convenient.

3. It COST THEM LESS and allows them to keep fees and service costs lower.

BOb
pilotbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2008, 12:21 PM   #7
slm
Fool
slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.slm ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 369
Karma: 3557934
Join Date: Feb 2003
Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle PW1, Kobo Glo HD, Nook Glowlight Plus ...
Price is determined by maximum net revenue: the seller tries to find a price which, net of variable costs gets it the most revenue. He isn't interested in fairness.
Kindle owners, are, by definition, more willing to spend than the average reader--they just spent over $300 on a device, so sellers may discover they can charge more to this group.
Frankly, right now I think all the pricing is testing and publishers are trying to gather enough data to set prices.
slm is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 09-30-2008, 12:23 PM   #8
pilotbob
Grand Sorcerer
pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.pilotbob ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
pilotbob's Avatar
 
Posts: 19,832
Karma: 11844413
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Tampa, FL USA
Device: Kindle Touch
Quote:
Originally Posted by slm View Post
Price is determined by maximum net revenue: the seller tries to find a price which, net of variable costs gets it the most revenue. He isn't interested in fairness.
We all know that... but these publishers should also realize we are not stupid. The cost of electronic delivery is cheaper for a company for any product. That's why most software is delivered that way these days. Many times you have to pay more for a shipped in the box product than a download of the same.

BOb
pilotbob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-01-2008, 08:20 PM   #9
RickyMaveety
Holy S**T!!!
RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.RickyMaveety lived happily ever after.
 
RickyMaveety's Avatar
 
Posts: 5,213
Karma: 108401
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: San Diego, California!!
Device: Kindle and iPad
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
In case you ever need it, here is how to counter that point.

I already paid a premium to carry the ebooks with me; it's called an ebook reader. If you (the publisher) are going to charge me the premium as a part of the price of the ebook, then you can provide the hardware.
Oh, I know how to counter it, and you are dead right about that being a great argument. That's why I said that, in my opinion, that is just a rationalization of the ginormous screwing the consumer is getting.
RickyMaveety is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2008, 02:03 PM   #10
catsittingstill
Guru
catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.catsittingstill ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
catsittingstill's Avatar
 
Posts: 643
Karma: 551634
Join Date: Dec 2007
Device: Kindle 1.0.8, iPod Touch, Kindle Keyboard
Usually e-book prices on Amazon are cheaper than p-book prices. Every now and then I find one that isn't. In this case it looks like the p-book price is a (newly offered?) special--the other paperback costs *more* than the e-book price for that book.

If you really want the Kindle book, you might send a polite note to Amazon support to ask if they've noticed that the Kindle version is more expensive than the paper version now.
catsittingstill is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-03-2008, 05:09 PM   #11
rlparker
Ars longa
rlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankindrlparker has exceeded all limitations known to mankind
 
rlparker's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,179
Karma: 17404
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: north carolina, usa
Device: Kindle K1, K3 wifi
Quote:
Originally Posted by catsittingstill View Post
...
If you really want the Kindle book, you might send a polite note to Amazon support to ask if they've noticed that the Kindle version is more expensive than the paper version now.
Hi catsittingstill,

Thanks for the suggestion--I think it's a good idea. I'm not in the habit yet of communicating with Amazon support, but since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, it's would be wise for all of us Kindlers to let them know what's on our mind early and often.

Regards,
R.L.
rlparker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-06-2008, 11:55 AM   #12
DickyCheung22
Enthusiast
DickyCheung22 began at the beginning.
 
Posts: 48
Karma: 10
Join Date: Oct 2008
Device: none
Yes, I agree that pbook should not cheaper than ebook, however, amazon seems don't have any checking on that... can we report it?
DickyCheung22 is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
'What Price Liberty' available pre-publication as variable price ebook garygibsonsf Deals and Resources (No Self-Promotion or Affiliate Links) 2 11-04-2010 10:38 PM
Ended Kindle 2 For Sale - Only $99! [Bidding price starts at this price] MCavacini Flea Market 8 08-06-2010 03:45 PM
What is a Fair Price For E-books desertgrandma Lounge 42 02-13-2010 01:39 PM
Ebook Readers: It’s All About Price Kris777 News 27 09-08-2009 10:30 AM
Fair price for ebook? jasonb57 Lounge 15 02-06-2009 03:19 AM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:47 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.