[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

-- you can, legally, have up to 6 copies of the book that can be read by different people at the same time.

Depending on the vendor. Or ... you can have one book that vanishes when the vendor decides to un-sell it to you. Or when the authentication servers go down. Or when some pressure group complains too much. Or when you get a new device and your books aren't compatible with it anymore. Or when you've used up all your uses in a couple of decades (that's 6 devices ever, not at once) and you can't read your ebook anymore.

-- your books will never get old or damaged, you always have a new book

I've worn out very few books. I'm good to my books, even the used ones.

-- you don't pay shipping or local taxes (in the US)

If you buy several books at once, you don't pay shipping or local taxes from Amazon, either. You don't pay shipping at the bookstore down the street. And actually, you are supposed to pay tax on things you buy online ("use tax" instead of sales tax) and some states are trying to force online retailers to collect it; it's only a matter of time.

Still, they make more money on ebooks now, no argument from anyone here. Leebase is just arguing that publishers have a right to price ebooks like that -- no matter how stupid it may be.

Actually, no, after reading and responding to his posts for months, I'm entirely too aware that leebase is telling us that we should either pay full price for hardcovers, pay more than that for ebooks, or shut up. We should say "thank you, sir, can I have another?"

He is starting some interesting discussions and bringing a new perspective, why tell him to go elsewhere?

He's complaining that there is too much discussion of ebook pricing on an ebook board. Hence my suggestion that he find himself a board where everyone agrees with him (and agrees that we should just pay up and shut up) where he'll be happy, because this is clearly not such a place.