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Originally Posted by ApK
But how then do you explain the success of eBooks for ALL the other books on the bestseller list (and, presumably the vast catalog way down off the list, too) for almost all of which VASTLY CHEAPER USED copies are available with the click of a button right on the same Amazon page? If price was the only driving factor, used books sales would be eclipsing ebooks sales into oblivion.
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One obvious factor is delivery cost for used books.
For example, the current #1 bestseller on Amazon is The Great Gatsby.
eBook price: $4.99
New paperback price: $8.49
Cheapest secondhand price: $2.99 + $3.99 shipping = $6.98
The top 9 best sellers are all cheaper in eBook than the cheapest used pBook + shipping.
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No, it does not take too much imagination to see that people must be liking other things about ebooks, and if imagination fails, read these forums. People like glowing screens, one handed-page turns, selectable fonts, built in-dictionaries, instant delivery, etc etc etc. Nope, the evidence is pretty overwhelming. People choose ebooks because the like feature and function ebooks offer, not just because of price.
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I never said that they did, that is a strawman.
Price is a factor, as are positive factors of eBooks, such as instant delivery and zero weight; and are negative factors such as no actual ownership, no (or restricted) ability to lend, no ability to resell.
Those three sets of things together to into making a value vs cost determination.
But to say that eBooks are selling well, therefore people prefer them to pBooks, without even considering price, does not make sense. Price is always a factor, even if not the only one. If eBooks all cost $20, do you think they would have sold as well?
The eBooks that are selling the best are ones that are cheaper than their pBook versions. That is verifiable fact.