Kindle price drop at Amazon, $359.00 free shipping

[formulajay]

Originally Posted by f00l

I you bought your Kindle recently from Amazon, I think Amazon honors low-price matching for 30 days or something similar. Why not contact them and ask them to match their current price?

I placed my order for the Kindle on Friday the 23rd(of May) and I used the Amazon customer support option of having them call you right away. They called and I explained the situation, but then the support guy told me that all Kindle issues are dealt by the Kindle division of Amazon.

I thought "Oh boy here we go", but the standard customer service rep forwarded my concern to the Kindle department and I just received an e-mail saying that they are going to credit my card for the full $40. It was an extremely easy process, so anyone that purchased a Kindle in the past month should call and ask for the price difference.

[pilotbob]

Since I just bought my Kindle last week, I put in a request for a $40 refund per their price guarantee. I'll let you know how it goes. I don't expect there to be any problem.

BOb

[Gideon]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

It would be cool if they did. Maybe charge extra ($1?) for the conversion which would have to go through Amazon. The more books sold, the better for Amazon.

Well, it depends on what business model Amazon is pursuing. Apple showed that they can dominate the market with the iTunes store only working on their product. Admittedly, the DRM thing for itunes is moving around a little but that is largely dictated by the publishers and book publishers have traditionally been far less experimental than music companies.

So if Amazon just wants to sell books... yes, it could be a good thing. If Amazon wants to control the hardware and sell books that's a different issue. Of course, the DRM schemes used by various ebook companies is often proprietary as well.. they'd have to go along with it as well. Would Sony be willing to drop their store to allow their devices to use the store? I dunno.

But here's hoping!

[Ervserver]

Probably starting to stack up in the warehouse

[DaleDe]

Originally Posted by Spellbot 5000

Hmm, I wonder if sales have dropped off now that the book-nerds have burned through their initial stock and now few are buying.

Just speculation, but really, when do companies really make such large price cuts on relatively new items unless the sales are slowing?

I suspect it was planned and in line with the fact that currently they have them in stock. I think the lack of stock kept the price up. It is standard for the price to come down irregardless of the sales if a company has stock. I didn't hear anybody making this claim when Apple iPhones dropped.

Dale

[Rocketime]

I too am surprized at the timing of this discount. I made it by one day. Called customer service and my credit is in the works.

Sony did the same thing with the 500 a few weeks prior to unvailing the 505. Is Amazon folowing suit?

[daffy4u]

Update: I just got off the phone with Amazon. Amazon is using 30 days from the ship date not the date received (which makes no sense to me) as the window. My Kindle was shipped on 4/21 and they will NOT give me the $40 refund.

I'm not happy about not getting the refund but I'm still happy with my Kindle.

[wallcraft]

It is typical for Amazon to give a discount off the "list" price for items that remain in stock. The Kindle is a little different, since they make it, so the equivalent is to reduce the list price. I assume the price will continue to drop over time if sales level off at the current price.

[macgirl]

Originally Posted by daffy4u

I received mine on 4/23 but I put in a request for a partial refund or gift card equal to $50 anyway. You never know unless you try.

This is true - I've sent an email to their customer service, so we'll see what happens...

Originally Posted by Gideon

Glad to see it! But I agree that this is just what happens with products, the prices go down. The product has been very successful which may also account for the price drop (more being made, price goes down.)

There is already an ebook reader on the iphone... It works okay, but it's just not something I want to read on. Also, I can't imagine much in the way of book selection unless the book reader comes from Apple itself and they get behind it.

Yes - technology prices do indeed go down. I've been a tech geek for long enough to have experienced this many times. I will say that the iPhone price drop was the most extreme one I've ever experienced, though, and I did take advantage of the $100 store credit Apple offered to early adopters afterward...

I only tried one of the book readers on my jailbroken iPhone (which is currently up on eBay - I prefer the stability of my locked iPhone instead) and didn't really like it. I read somewhere that Mobipocket is planning an ebook reader application for the iPhone, and if OTA downloads are part of that, I'm in, and my Kindle is going on eBay!

[Steven Lyle Jordan]

I'd also prefer to see Amazon books available for other devices... I'm not really interested in the Kindle, I like reading on my iPaq, and to me, a $40 reduction on a $400 reader is a joke, anyway.

[JSWolf]

Amazon really should create a reader for their eBooks that works on your computer and then open up their eBooks to everyone.

[formulajay]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Amazon really should create a reader for their eBooks that works on your computer and then open up their eBooks to everyone.

The Kindle does connect to a computer, but I do agree with you on opening up their ebooks. I would be willing to pay a little more for non-DRM encumbered files.

[pilotbob]

Originally Posted by formulajay

The Kindle does connect to a computer, but I do agree with you on opening up their ebooks. I would be willing to pay a little more for non-DRM encumbered files.

Yes, it connects to a computer, but there is no reader software for the PC/Mac on which you can read Kindle purchased books.

BOb

[Walk Broad]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Amazon really should create a reader for their eBooks that works on your computer ....

But why?

The whole idea of the Kindle (and all of the e-readers) is portability, mirroring the paper book reading experience and using the eInk techonology to free us (e-book readers) from having to sit and stare at computer screens even more than we already do.

Reading e-books on a computer screen, especially for pleasure, would seem like a step back to me, not forward.

[formulajay]

Originally Posted by pilotbob

Yes, it connects to a computer, but there is no reader software for the PC/Mac on which you can read Kindle purchased books.

BOb

Oh, I see what he meant now. Well, that would only be beneficial if Amazon releases books that are DRM free, even if you had a .azw reader program the files are locked to each specific Kindle.