Quote:
Originally Posted by Katsunami
If it was any other place, the reaction would probably be: "Whatever. I'll shop somewhere else."
However, for ebooks, in the UK and US, it basically *is* the only place to shop if you don't want to pay 10-30% more than the Amazon price. The only reason to go to Kobo or somewhere else is because they sometimes have huge coupons, or if you want epub books without conversion.
And also, Amazon is too big to ignore. They have millions of customers locked into their services and e-reading system; customers who stand to lose a lot of services and/or media if this company turns against them, which erodes the customer's power. Because nobody wants to lose all that stuff they have invested in, the company can basically do whatever it wants.
"We are right because we say so" is one of the first signs of people (or companies) who are becoming too rich, too powerful, and too full of themselves. An entity as big as Amazon (or Google, Microsoft, Apple.... etc) will need to be watched carefully not to abuse the power they wield in the markets in which they operate.
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I am not disagreeing with you on pricing. However, I would disagree that one has to shop there for any product. That is anywhere not just Amazon.
Using your 10%, if the book is $17.99 @ Amazon, it would be roughly $19.99 at another place. The customer has to decide which is more important, principles or the money.
Note: this only applies to luxury items including books.
Necessities are another ball game. On those sometimes that even 15 cents on any given product can make a big difference.
I do see your point but I don't think Amazon/Apple/Google/Walmart are as powerful as some people say they are.
Though I do have to admit that Walmart and Amazon have caused other retailers to become more competitive.