prices are definitely one of the biggest obstacles to more widespread acceptance of ebooks. like you, i can't justify paying full hardcover price for an ebook (not even when it's new ! sorry), and this sometimes prevents me from buying a book, which i will try to get at the library instead.
the ebook industry is still in its infancy, and i think it's important for us, as consumers, to participate in the form it will take. we can do this by trying to make our voices heard to the publishers ; i have written to a couple of publishers to ask them about their intentions of making digital editions of their books available, and also to let them know that i won't buy overpriced books. a lot of people talk about voting with your pocketbook, and refusing to buy books with drm at outrageous prices ; i think this is a good idea too, but it's best to do so while also letting the publishers know *why* you are not buying their books, so they don't interpret the lack of sales as a lack of interest.
in
this thread we discussed penguin's prices and a few of us wrote to them (you'll find the contact info in the thread, if you would like to do the same
) ; we got back identical noncommittal replies, but i think it's a valid effort nonetheless and the more people write to them the better ; hopefully they will eventually be forced to listen.
i would encourage you to send an email to the publisher whenever you see an ebook priced the same as a new hardcover, *especially* if the hardcover is already available for less. in this specific case, i've heard that some booksellers are quite responsive, and will mark down the books if you alert them, so you should also write to Fictionwise or Books on Board or wherever you are shopping for ebooks.