MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - New Zealand gets first ebook store

karenr_nz · 05-26-2010, 08:27 PM

Well, Whitcoulls NZ (part of Red Group) have finally started selling ebooks in New Zealand. They are also selling the Kobo reader. It seems like they are using the same search engine that Borders Australia use (Borders NZ isn't selling ebooks yet) and they seem to have ironed out a few of the bugs. So far, so good ...

Then I actually checked the selections and prices! In terms of selection, there is only one word I can use and that is CRAP! (Sorry about the profanity folks.) I just checked a couple of very prolific fantasy authors whose books are commonly available in NZ: Mercedes Lackey, Tanya Huff and Robert Jordan. Of those three authors, the only available ebooks are two prologue chapters for the last two Robert Jordan books.

So to find out about prices, I looked at some books by Jodi Picoult - and saw exactly what I expected to see. They are priced very similarly to paperback prices in NZ. (In other words, high!) So a couple of comparisons: The bulk of these books are available on BooksOnBoard at $10-13US, which is already high. At Borders Australia the same books are $17-19AUD (or about $14-15US) and in NZ they are $23-25NZD (or $15-16US).

So my question is this .... Do RedGroup think NZ and Aus ebook readers are stupid!!!! Why would we pay such prices when we can buy cheaper elsewhere - there are no borders on the internet!

Sorry about the rant ....

05-26-2010, 08:27 PM	#1
karenr_nz Connoisseur Posts: 69 Karma: 820 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: New Zealand Device: PB360	New Zealand gets first ebook store - but there's a catch Well, Whitcoulls NZ (part of Red Group) have finally started selling ebooks in New Zealand. They are also selling the Kobo reader. It seems like they are using the same search engine that Borders Australia use (Borders NZ isn't selling ebooks yet) and they seem to have ironed out a few of the bugs. So far, so good ... Then I actually checked the selections and prices! In terms of selection, there is only one word I can use and that is CRAP! (Sorry about the profanity folks.) I just checked a couple of very prolific fantasy authors whose books are commonly available in NZ: Mercedes Lackey, Tanya Huff and Robert Jordan. Of those three authors, the only available ebooks are two prologue chapters for the last two Robert Jordan books. So to find out about prices, I looked at some books by Jodi Picoult - and saw exactly what I expected to see. They are priced very similarly to paperback prices in NZ. (In other words, high!) So a couple of comparisons: The bulk of these books are available on BooksOnBoard at $10-13US, which is already high. At Borders Australia the same books are $17-19AUD (or about $14-15US) and in NZ they are $23-25NZD (or $15-16US). So my question is this .... Do RedGroup think NZ and Aus ebook readers are stupid!!!! Why would we pay such prices when we can buy cheaper elsewhere - there are no borders on the internet! Sorry about the rant ....