Quote:
Originally Posted by stewball
I go for the bottom line - Price. FW's books are almost always over-priced compared to Amazon, Sony, and BarnesandNoble.
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I agree than in the US the four stores you mention are typically the low price leaders. FictionWise's discount system is designed to keep customers loyal, and it often has higher prices if you happen to come across an existing ebook you want. It has low prices immediately after an ebook is first released and then again when it has a major sale. Also, if you get lots of micropay dollars these are best spent on multiformat ebooks or on non-discounted secure ebooks. FictionWise now sells ePub, and it is the only store that has demonstrated long term commitment to its customers. On the other hand, B&N could now close it down tomorrow if they decided it was not in their interest.
If you want to buy from one store in the US, then the Kindle Store is the best overall (but watch out for TOPAZ unless you only read using Kindle devices and apps). If you strip DRM, then buying from all four stores isn't that hard. An intermediate approach might to be pick two stores, and for me these have been the Kindle Store and FictionWise. However, the Sony Store and B&N are relatively new alternatives, with the Sony Store in particular carrying a nice range of ebooks at a good price.
The major looser seems to be Books on Board. This is a good independent store that pioneered the ePub catalogue. I just don't see how they can compete on price now that everyone has ePub.