Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
It means that it puts even the smallest bookshop on an even keel with the big players on price terms. The same argument is used for fixed pricing for books in many European countries, and there is some truth in it. Fixed pricing for books was abolished in the UK in 1997. Since then, and as a direct result, the overwhelming majority of small independent booksellers have gone out of business.
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I understand the theory--I haven't seen it working in ebook stores. With all prices the same, the stores with the biggest selection, most reviews, & most coding features--Amazon and B&N--have things to offer that smaller stores don't.
Since small ebookstores were never going to be able to discount as much as Amazon, they counted on other features to draw customers. Fictionwise had Micropay with a lot of bonuses for buying at their store: buy one, get one half-price later. Or get one free later. Other sites could have member-only discounts or coupons, or other kinds of activity/purchase rewards. But with agency pricing, there's no reason not to buy from the largest aggregator.