10 things Amazon won’t tell you

Daithi · 06-28-2012, 09:37 AM

Market Watch just published an article titled "10 things Amazon won’t tell you". I wonder if Apple provided an assist in writing this article.

mbovenka · 06-28-2012, 09:49 AM

'Kicking in open doors' and 'Well, DUH!' are things that come to mind...

RainingLemur · 06-28-2012, 09:54 AM

Amusing read.

I have to say that for me, the "free shipping helps you overspend" is garbage. I take advantage of the free shipping to keep within my budget when looking for things.

Synamon · 06-28-2012, 09:57 AM

OMG Amazon's goal is to sell me more stuff??? I'm shocked.

QuantumIguana · 06-28-2012, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Amazon customers who don’t own a Kindle spend an average of $87 a month, those with a Kindle spend $136, and Kindle Fire owners spend over $150.

File this under "duh". Amazon owners who don't have a Kindle spend less because they aren't buying books. It's not that the Kindle makes people spend more, it is that people who read books are going to spend money on books, and those who don't aren't going to spend money on books. I'm also skeptical of these numbers.

And also under "duh", you might prefer an iPad. Well, the Fire is about 1/3 the price of an iPad. Yes, you might prefer a piece of tech that costs 3 times as much, or you might find that the cheaper product is good enough. Your choice.

As I said, "duh".

Sil_liS · 06-28-2012, 10:07 AM

The "You’ll spend a bundle on e-books" section seemed a little off to me. How is buying more books a bad thing?

wyndslash · 06-28-2012, 10:27 AM

in my case, i started spending more on ebooks once i got my kindle because it became more convenient for me than buying physical books. besides, i save a lot more on ebooks and amazon's discounts and such

i also don't see spending on books as a bad thing. i can think of worse...

HappyMartin · 06-28-2012, 10:51 AM

Number 3 is on the money. I do spend a bundle on ebooks.

It si all quite obvious stuff really.

Apache · 06-28-2012, 10:55 AM

Kindle owners spend more on books at Amazon because, unless they are willing to learn how to strip DRM and convert formats, they can only buy from Amazon.

I use Amazon for more freebies than I purchase.

Apache

QuantumIguana · 06-28-2012, 11:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyMartin

Number 3 is on the money. I do spend a bundle on ebooks.

It si all quite obvious stuff really.

It's off base. People don't spend money because they have a Kindle. They spend money because they buy books. They only have a Kindle as a means to read books. Wouldn't you read books even if the Kindle didn't exist?

soulfuldog · 06-28-2012, 11:13 AM

1 thing MarketWatch won't tell you....

We think you are all a bunch of idiots who need the blindingly obvious pointed out.

DiapDealer · 06-28-2012, 11:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by l_macd

1 thing MarketWatch won't tell you....

We think you are all a bunch of idiots who need the blindingly obvious pointed out.

Exactly!

11) Amazon won't tell you the sun rises in the east.
12) Amazon won't tell you that spending money can cause you to have less.
13) Amazon won't tell you; "No. I am your faaa-ther."

Daithi · 06-28-2012, 12:06 PM

1. “Take our customer reviews with a grain of salt.” -- I find the reviews helpful. I read the critical reviews to help me make buying decisions, and I also look at the *number* of positive reviews in relation to competing products.

2. “Kindle Fire? You might be happier with an iPad.” -- I might be happier with a Ferrari.

3. “You’ll spend a bundle on e-books.” -- So what? That's kind of the purpose of a Kindle.

4. “Free shipping helps you overspend.” -- Also, free shipping saves on shipping.

5. “Our list prices are sometimes misleading.” -- People don't pay the list price for cars either. Shhh!

6. “We hurt mom-and-pop stores.” -- buy charging less, providing a better selection, and innovating with things like eReaders.

7. “We’re slow to improve our working conditions.” -- We also employ people in the U.S. and they were thrilled when we hired them.

8. “We know more about you than you think.” -- see point #9.

9. “Our recommendations leave shoppers flummoxed.” -- see point #8.

10. “We don’t always have the best deals.” -- just 95% of the time.

KindleChickie · 06-28-2012, 12:09 PM

I spend a lot more on books since kindle. Convenience and selection drive my purchases. I use to rely heavily on the library, not as much anymore. Also, I no longer need to wait for large print versions.

Oh and I love indie authors and their books. I never had the opportunity to buy from so many authors.

HarryT · 06-28-2012, 12:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daithi

9. “Our recommendations leave shoppers flummoxed.” -- nobody listens anyway.

Actually, I find Amazon's recommendations very useful indeed. They've come up with some good stuff that I probably wouldn't have found otherwise.

06-28-2012, 09:37 AM	#1
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	10 things Amazon won’t tell you Market Watch just published an article titled "10 things Amazon won’t tell you". I wonder if Apple provided an assist in writing this article.

06-28-2012, 12:06 PM	#13
Daithi Publishers are evil! Posts: 2,418 Karma: 36205264 Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Rhode Island Device: Various Kindles	1. “Take our customer reviews with a grain of salt.” -- I find the reviews helpful. I read the critical reviews to help me make buying decisions, and I also look at the number of positive reviews in relation to competing products. 2. “Kindle Fire? You might be happier with an iPad.” -- I might be happier with a Ferrari. 3. “You’ll spend a bundle on e-books.” -- So what? That's kind of the purpose of a Kindle. 4. “Free shipping helps you overspend.” -- Also, free shipping saves on shipping. 5. “Our list prices are sometimes misleading.” -- People don't pay the list price for cars either. Shhh! 6. “We hurt mom-and-pop stores.” -- buy charging less, providing a better selection, and innovating with things like eReaders. 7. “We’re slow to improve our working conditions.” -- We also employ people in the U.S. and they were thrilled when we hired them. 8. “We know more about you than you think.” -- see point #9. 9. “Our recommendations leave shoppers flummoxed.” -- see point #8. 10. “We don’t always have the best deals.” -- just 95% of the time. Last edited by Daithi; 06-28-2012 at 12:20 PM. Reason: Revised my response to point 9 based Harry's post.

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06-28-2012, 09:49 AM	#2
mbovenka Wizard Posts: 2,086 Karma: 14079267 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Almere, The Netherlands Device: Kobo Sage	'Kicking in open doors' and 'Well, DUH!' are things that come to mind...

06-28-2012, 09:54 AM	#3
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	Amusing read. I have to say that for me, the "free shipping helps you overspend" is garbage. I take advantage of the free shipping to keep within my budget when looking for things.

06-28-2012, 09:57 AM	#4
Synamon Lunatic Posts: 1,691 Karma: 4386372 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Land of the Loonie Device: Kindle Paperwhite and Keyboard, Kobo Aura, iPad mini, iPod Touch	OMG Amazon's goal is to sell me more stuff??? I'm shocked.

06-28-2012, 10:07 AM	#6
Sil_liS Wizard Posts: 4,896 Karma: 33602910 Join Date: Oct 2010 Device: PocketBook 903 & 360+	The "You’ll spend a bundle on e-books" section seemed a little off to me. How is buying more books a bad thing?

06-28-2012, 10:27 AM	#7
wyndslash Wizard Posts: 2,951 Karma: 3000001 Join Date: Feb 2011 Device: Kindle 3 wifi, Kindle Fire	in my case, i started spending more on ebooks once i got my kindle because it became more convenient for me than buying physical books. besides, i save a lot more on ebooks and amazon's discounts and such i also don't see spending on books as a bad thing. i can think of worse...

06-28-2012, 10:51 AM	#8
HappyMartin Martin Kristiansen Posts: 1,546 Karma: 8480958 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Johannesburg Device: Kindle International Ipad 2	Number 3 is on the money. I do spend a bundle on ebooks. It si all quite obvious stuff really.

06-28-2012, 10:55 AM	#9
Apache Readaholic Posts: 5,306 Karma: 90981752 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: South Georgia Device: Surface Pro 6 / Galaxy Tab A 8"	Kindle owners spend more on books at Amazon because, unless they are willing to learn how to strip DRM and convert formats, they can only buy from Amazon. I use Amazon for more freebies than I purchase. Apache

06-28-2012, 11:13 AM	#11
soulfuldog I ♥ Calibre Posts: 2,073 Karma: 5678911 Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis, Voyage, Sony PRS-350, Hudl2	1 thing MarketWatch won't tell you.... We think you are all a bunch of idiots who need the blindingly obvious pointed out.

06-28-2012, 12:09 PM	#14
KindleChickie Connoisseur Posts: 65 Karma: 573682 Join Date: Jan 2010 Device: DX, iPad 2, Kindle 3, Nook simple touch	I spend a lot more on books since kindle. Convenience and selection drive my purchases. I use to rely heavily on the library, not as much anymore. Also, I no longer need to wait for large print versions. Oh and I love indie authors and their books. I never had the opportunity to buy from so many authors.