Different countries - different prices?

Starko · 12-01-2010, 12:23 PM

Do all Kindle ebooks have the same price regardless of the buyer's location?
Also, are all ebooks sold in US available in to me in The Netherlands?

TenaciousBadger · 12-01-2010, 01:08 PM

question nr 1: it depends on what you mean by "regardless of location" and if by location you mean US v the rest of the world, the buyers from the US do sometimes enjoy more advantages than buyers from Europe (e.g. the freebies, which are always priced $2.30 for me, and i'm from Europe). i'm not sure about other books but i do recall people upset that buyers in the US pay less for ebooks.
british buyers say books are occasionally cheaper on amazon.co.uk than they are on .com, etc, etc, etc.

question 2: a definite no this time! but it's not amazon's fault. rather the pesky geographical restrictions are to be blamed for this major hassle (read turf wars between publishing houses).
however, there are books which only we can buy and the americans can't (can't think of a title right now though

. it used to be the case with the millennium series by stieg larsson)

Bikeridr · 12-01-2010, 01:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starko

Do all Kindle ebooks have the same price regardless of the buyer's location?

More or less. Though the "international delivery through whispernet" seems to charge an average of US$2,- per delivery.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starko

Also, are all ebooks sold in US available in to me in The Netherlands?

No

Just search for "Geographic Restriction" on this forum and you'll find numerous threads about that insanely and utterly stupid ban that (along with DRM) really screws up the ebook market.
Hopefully, when the publishers disappear, we will have self-publishing authors who self-promote their work, and where we can *buy* the ebooks instead of just merely rent a licence to read it on one single dedicated device.

I know it is possible. See, the mp3-business is already nudged into the right direction

Tiersten · 12-01-2010, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bikeridr

More or less. Though the "international delivery through whispernet" seems to charge an average of US$2,- per delivery.

Depends on your location whether you get charged that $2 fee or not. Not everybody has to pay it and when Amazon manage to make a deal with the local 3G carrier then they have removed the fee as well.

foghat · 12-01-2010, 01:45 PM

I find often enough it is cheaper in the Canadian store than the US store.

neilmarr · 12-02-2010, 05:10 AM

Hya Starko: My own indie house currently has nearly 100 titles up at the Kindle Store. Our across-the-baed Recommended Retail Price of $5.95 holds in the US, but there's a markup elsewhere -- I think $2.00 in the UK and $4.00 in other countries (including your own).

We have not yet reveived what we consider an acceptable explanation.

Just for interest, while publishers (those, like us, not using the agency pricing model) pay Amazon only a reasonable 30% commission on RRP in the USA and UK, they claim an incredible 65% on ebook sales to other countries. And that's on RRP, remember. Where Amazon's extra $2 and $4 loading goes has not been adequately explained. It is certainly not all down to local taxation or download costs.

Neil

Blue Tyson · 12-02-2010, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Starko

Do all Kindle ebooks have the same price regardless of the buyer's location?
Also, are all ebooks sold in US available in to me in The Netherlands?

No, and no.

For instance, one of the hoo-hah books recently is being sold for 19.99 in the USA, but 9.99 in Australia, for example.

See http://lostbooksales.com for example.

Starko · 12-02-2010, 07:54 AM

Thank you every one so much for your input!!!

So to sum this up a bit from a different point of view:
1. Before purchasing a book directly from my Netherlands Based account for let's say $13.95 it might be wise to play around with my delivery address. Change it to some US or Canadian address and see whether i can have the same book for let's say $9.95.
2. Before buying a paper based book because there is no Kindle edition available it might be wise, again, to play around with my delivery address. Change it to some US address and see whether there is a Kindle version available.

Am i right or am i misunderstanding something?

foghat · 12-02-2010, 02:00 PM

^ you don't have to play around with any addresses to check prices. Just do NOT log in to your amazon account. Go to the kindle store and you will be able to change your country on the fly - towards the top left of the page.

Cat in the Hat · 12-03-2010, 03:12 AM

There is an interesting blog entry on TheBookseller.com called Digital focus: leaky borders which reviews the issue of geographical restrictions from an industry point of view.

Starko · 12-03-2010, 03:45 AM

Thanks foghat, this is much easier indeed

And thanks Cat in the Hat - good read!

I have no more questions on the subject!!!

Blue Tyson · 12-03-2010, 05:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foghat

^ you don't have to play around with any addresses to check prices. Just do NOT log in to your amazon account. Go to the kindle store and you will be able to change your country on the fly - towards the top left of the page.

Yeah, or be logged in with one browser, and use a different browser to check as suggested above, for quicker comparison.

neilmarr · 12-04-2010, 06:49 AM

Thanks for the link, Blue Tyson. Interesting. As usual publishers come in for the flak. But I'm surprised that those publishers quoted in the article don't raise one important point ... they're not to blame.

My own indie house holds international rights to all its titles, so I have no vested interest in the huge row over territorial rights; but I've been in publishing for forty-five years now and know enough to point out that it's authors and their agents who lay down the territorial law. I've done it myself very, very often in the past.

An agent representing an author is working in his client's best interests (and he has a percentage stake in the result), so he will go for royalties deals with different publishers in different parts of the world to maximise up-front royalties advances and to ensure the highest possible income after those advances have earned out.

This arrangement often means several publishers running the same book without syncronised launch date, with different cover designs, sometimes with editorial differences in text. An author can only be in one place at one time, so even vital promotion can be staggered. Territorial rights thus established have been traditionally respected by publishing and retail.

Where there is now a muddle is with the universal reach of a single ebook edition sans frontier. There is no easy answer for publishers or retailers. It's really in the hands of agents who collect by selling both print AND digital rights to several houses, each in a strictly separate region.

One solution might well be an agent's negotiation of print and digital rights separately. But what major house dealing with titles and authors with best-seller potential is likely these days to sign for print only, with ebook reading on the boom and already eating into print profits? Another way might be to sell publishing rights by language rather than country, but could, say, a UK or Australian or New Zealand house really afford the massive cost of increased advances and print publishing also in the US just to also secure the international English-language digital rights?

One thing is sure -- the customer is always right. And the ebook reader is justifiably miffed. Everyone in the chain from author to agent to publisher to retailer must realise that this is a major problem that somehow has to be fixed quickly or everyone stands to lose.

Cheers. Neil

12-01-2010, 12:23 PM	#1
Starko Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 998177 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Different countries - different prices? Do all Kindle ebooks have the same price regardless of the buyer's location? Also, are all ebooks sold in US available in to me in The Netherlands?

12-03-2010, 03:12 AM	#10
Cat in the Hat Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Nov 2010 Device: kindle 3	Bookseller blog on geographical restrictions There is an interesting blog entry on TheBookseller.com called Digital focus: leaky borders which reviews the issue of geographical restrictions from an industry point of view.

12-04-2010, 06:49 AM	#13
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Thanks for the link, Blue Tyson. Interesting. As usual publishers come in for the flak. But I'm surprised that those publishers quoted in the article don't raise one important point ... they're not to blame. My own indie house holds international rights to all its titles, so I have no vested interest in the huge row over territorial rights; but I've been in publishing for forty-five years now and know enough to point out that it's authors and their agents who lay down the territorial law. I've done it myself very, very often in the past. An agent representing an author is working in his client's best interests (and he has a percentage stake in the result), so he will go for royalties deals with different publishers in different parts of the world to maximise up-front royalties advances and to ensure the highest possible income after those advances have earned out. This arrangement often means several publishers running the same book without syncronised launch date, with different cover designs, sometimes with editorial differences in text. An author can only be in one place at one time, so even vital promotion can be staggered. Territorial rights thus established have been traditionally respected by publishing and retail. Where there is now a muddle is with the universal reach of a single ebook edition sans frontier. There is no easy answer for publishers or retailers. It's really in the hands of agents who collect by selling both print AND digital rights to several houses, each in a strictly separate region. One solution might well be an agent's negotiation of print and digital rights separately. But what major house dealing with titles and authors with best-seller potential is likely these days to sign for print only, with ebook reading on the boom and already eating into print profits? Another way might be to sell publishing rights by language rather than country, but could, say, a UK or Australian or New Zealand house really afford the massive cost of increased advances and print publishing also in the US just to also secure the international English-language digital rights? One thing is sure -- the customer is always right. And the ebook reader is justifiably miffed. Everyone in the chain from author to agent to publisher to retailer must realise that this is a major problem that somehow has to be fixed quickly or everyone stands to lose. Cheers. Neil Attached Images

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12-01-2010, 01:08 PM	#2
TenaciousBadger Mrawr? Posts: 1,109 Karma: 15039064 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: kindle 3 wifi	question nr 1: it depends on what you mean by "regardless of location" and if by location you mean US v the rest of the world, the buyers from the US do sometimes enjoy more advantages than buyers from Europe (e.g. the freebies, which are always priced $2.30 for me, and i'm from Europe). i'm not sure about other books but i do recall people upset that buyers in the US pay less for ebooks. british buyers say books are occasionally cheaper on amazon.co.uk than they are on .com, etc, etc, etc. question 2: a definite no this time! but it's not amazon's fault. rather the pesky geographical restrictions are to be blamed for this major hassle (read turf wars between publishing houses). however, there are books which only we can buy and the americans can't (can't think of a title right now though . it used to be the case with the millennium series by stieg larsson)

12-01-2010, 01:45 PM	#5
foghat Evangelist Posts: 464 Karma: 1006520 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: Kindle PW3	I find often enough it is cheaper in the Canadian store than the US store.

12-02-2010, 05:10 AM	#6
neilmarr neilmarr Posts: 7,215 Karma: 6000059 Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Monaco-Menton, France Device: sony	Hya Starko: My own indie house currently has nearly 100 titles up at the Kindle Store. Our across-the-baed Recommended Retail Price of $5.95 holds in the US, but there's a markup elsewhere -- I think $2.00 in the UK and $4.00 in other countries (including your own). We have not yet reveived what we consider an acceptable explanation. Just for interest, while publishers (those, like us, not using the agency pricing model) pay Amazon only a reasonable 30% commission on RRP in the USA and UK, they claim an incredible 65% on ebook sales to other countries. And that's on RRP, remember. Where Amazon's extra $2 and $4 loading goes has not been adequately explained. It is certainly not all down to local taxation or download costs. Neil

12-02-2010, 07:54 AM	#8
Starko Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 998177 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Thank you every one so much for your input!!! So to sum this up a bit from a different point of view: 1. Before purchasing a book directly from my Netherlands Based account for let's say $13.95 it might be wise to play around with my delivery address. Change it to some US or Canadian address and see whether i can have the same book for let's say $9.95. 2. Before buying a paper based book because there is no Kindle edition available it might be wise, again, to play around with my delivery address. Change it to some US address and see whether there is a Kindle version available. Am i right or am i misunderstanding something?

12-02-2010, 02:00 PM	#9
foghat Evangelist Posts: 464 Karma: 1006520 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Alberta, Canada Device: Kindle PW3	^ you don't have to play around with any addresses to check prices. Just do NOT log in to your amazon account. Go to the kindle store and you will be able to change your country on the fly - towards the top left of the page.

12-03-2010, 03:45 AM	#11
Starko Zealot Posts: 123 Karma: 998177 Join Date: Aug 2010 Device: Kindle 3	Thanks foghat, this is much easier indeed And thanks Cat in the Hat - good read! I have no more questions on the subject!!!

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