Quote:
Originally Posted by Kali Yuga
No, it isn't.
Countless companies figure out how to reduce their costs, and use the savings to increase their profit margins rather than reduce the price. This is downright common-place behavior -- especially during a recession.
So what, exactly, is the "principle" upon which you are standing? Does no one have the right to maximize profits from a cost savings? Are companies that are not monopolies, and produce goods that are not critical to human survival, obligated to stay within a specific profit margin? If so, what's the magic number -- is it OK for Harlequin to make a 15% profit from a paper book, but not a 16% profit from an ebook? Does it only apply to books? If they save 3¢ per paper book and don't pass the cost on to the consumers, is that equally wrong? Does this moral standard only apply to digital books?
There also isn't any real reason for price to be fixed to costs. Prices are complicated and based on numerous factors, including demand and what people are willing to pay. They could charge $5 for paper and $50 for the ebook, and it still isn't a moral failing.
Sorry, but I'm not really seeing any genuine moral principles at stake here, let alone consistently applied. Perhaps you should reconsider what's really going on here?  |
It is my principal - that I don't buy things where the price does not relate to the benefit to me. I don't really own an ebook - I used to exhange Harlequin romances with my friends by the box full. But I don't share ebooks, even though I liberate them from DRM. So to me, while I prefer to read an ebook, it offers fewer benefits to me. If it were a lot more expensive to produce, I might decide to pay the additional money for the convenience. But since I know they cost far less to produce, I refuse to pay more.
I understand economics - Harlequin can charge whatever they like. But I don't have to buy from them. And I won't, if the ebook is more expensive than the pbook. I don't really care about the cost, just that it is less than the pbook. Under the Dome is a good example. That book was windowed. I got a copy from the Darknet. When Amazon, Target and WalMart got into a price war on the hardcover, it eventually showed up on the ebook. I believe I finally paid $7 for the ebook.