Aura HD Ouch! Kobo ebook prices!

[darryl]

I have just paid a visit to Kobo's US site with a view to comparing some prices with Discount Coupons against Amazon. My first observation is that it is extraordinarily difficult to determine what books are eligible for the application of coupons. The Kobo discount thread on these forums makes a valiant attempt to assist by first excluding all of the agency titles, meaning of course all of the BWM publishers (or BPH if you prefer).

Fortunately, I found a convenient method to conduct a quick sample. The front page of the Kobo US site is mostly taken up with agency titles. However, there is a link to “The Indie Next List” which leads to some 20 titles. There is an option on the left of the page to show only those titles eligible for promo codes. This results in a regrettably low 5 titles. Of these 5 titles, and assuming a 35% discount, Amazon is still cheaper on 2 of them, Kobo is cheaper on 2 and the price is equal on 1. Buying these 5 books from Kobo with a 35% discount on each (which would require 5 35% promo codes) would result in a saving of $1.42. Without any promo codes, Amazon is much cheaper in every case. You would pay a ridiculous $33.00 more for these 5 books at Kobo.

Of the remaining 15 books, Amazon is cheaper on 8 of them by a total of $16.46. On the remaining 7, the prices are equal. Kobo is not cheaper on a single title. If you were to purchase the whole 20 books from Kobo without any discount you would pay $289.20 at Kobo as opposed to $239.74 at Amazon, a difference of $49.46. Taking a 35% discount from Kobo on the 5 books for which it is available (if you are able to use 5 promo codes), the Kobo price would drop to $254.78, in which case you would be only $15.04 better off with Amazon. Even with the 35% discount, Kobo is cheaper than Amazon on only 2 titles out of 20. Amazon is cheaper on 10 of them and the price is the same on the remaining 8.

It is also interesting to observe that the price difference (without discount) between Kobo and Amazon seems to be much larger in the case of books eligible for the use of a promo code. Kobo is dearer on every title between $4.80 and $7.00. The difference on the non-eligible books is between $0 and $3. I will refrain from speculating as to the reasons for this, except to say that I can't think of any which reflect credit on Kobo.

Based on this sample, it is difficult to describe these promo codes as much more than a marketing trick. It is not safe to assume you are getting an ebook cheaper than at Amazon even with a 35% discount. What sounds like a very sizeable and worthwhile discount is doing no more than bringing the price down near Amazon's normal price, sometimes a litle more, sometimes a little less. If you buy books that are eligible for promo codes without using such a code, you are almost certainly paying significantly too much. You are probably still paying more at any discount level less than 35%, and even at this level you are still paying more in 50% of cases based on this small sample.

It is still possible to save some small amounts of money using these codes in some cases, but this requires effort and care.

I've attached a pdf of a spreadsheet with the data I used to this post.

[BryanK]

Originally Posted by darryl

I have just paid a visit to Kobo's US site with a view to comparing some prices with Discount Coupons against Amazon. My first observation is that it is extraordinarily difficult to determine what books are eligible for the application of coupons.

When I search for books on Kobo's US site I get a button under the Category/Language filters on the left that says "Items Eligible For Promo Codes". Do you not get that button?

[darryl]

Originally Posted by BryanK

When I search for books on Kobo's US site I get a button under the Category/Language filters on the left that says "Items Eligible For Promo Codes". Do you not get that button?

No. For me, using Firefox, that button appears only when I select the Indie Next List option. It does not appear on the Home Page or the EBooks page itself. When you click the button, how many books do you get?

[Pierre Menard]

Originally Posted by darryl

When you click the button, how many books do you get?

It's not a link to a list. It's a filter. You search for something, you get your list of search results, and then you click that to narrow the results to the ones that are discountable.

Price comparison should never be based on what price you could get if you used a coupon. That's obviously ridiculous, especially based on how few people even realize the coupons exist, or know how to use them.

Coupons are, however, a great promotional tool for someone like myself, who is primarily a library user. I don't usually say, "I want to buy a book. Let me see how much it is at these various places. OK, let me wait until there are some coupons, and see how big of one I can get, and how much it would be then..." I say, "Oh look, I got a coupon. Let me see what I might get that I wouldn't otherwise have bought at all." They're a good marketing tool, and one that I personally hope never goes away (or doesn't get limited to useless pre-determined lists), but a terrible idea if you're relying on them as your main price competitive point.

[Lynx-lynx]

Price difference: Kobo Aus and Amazon Aus

Peter May
Enzo Files series

Kobo: $11.99

Amazon: 2 x $8.77, 1 x $8.99. 2 x $11.39

[ottdmk]

Interesting. Amazon only has one book from that series available on Amazon.ca: Blowback, and it has two listings, one for $7.99 and one for $9.99. Kobo Canada has it matched @ $7.99.

[Lynx-lynx]

And they're not discountable in the AU CA US or UK stores.

Edit
And they're Quercus publishers in Kobo Aus and Amazon Aus.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by ottdmk

Interesting. Amazon only has one book from that series available on Amazon.ca: Blowback, and it has two listings, one for $7.99 and one for $9.99. Kobo Canada has it matched @ $7.99.

That's the Aus penalty price we pay here ..... the penalty is a higher price, and the reason is 'because they can' charge it.

Anyone interested can read this thread: Aus Gov't report advises ban on geoblocking.

The Aus gov't encourages geo unblocking and there are many sites (including two of the national broadcaster's) that advise how to get around it.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by Pierre Menard

It's not a link to a list. It's a filter. You search for something, you get your list of search results, and then you click that to narrow the results to the ones that are discountable.

Thank you for pointing out that the button concerned appears only when a search has been conducted. This is a shame as most sellers seem to want to publicise their bargains rather than hide them behind a search.

Originally Posted by Pierre Menard

Price comparison should never be based on what price you could get if you used a coupon. That's obviously ridiculous, especially based on how few people even realize the coupons exist, or know how to use them.

With respect, Pierre, it is your statement that is obviously ridiculous. Price Comparison should always be based on the best price you can get, with or without coupons. That is the whole purpose of price comparisons. And if so few people know about them, why bother. Or better still, why not promote them and how to use them properly so more people find out and they actually work properly as marketing tools.

Originally Posted by Pierre Menard

Coupons are, however, a great promotional tool for someone like myself, who is primarily a library user. I don't usually say, "I want to buy a book. Let me see how much it is at these various places. OK, let me wait until there are some coupons, and see how big of one I can get, and how much it would be then..." I say, "Oh look, I got a coupon. Let me see what I might get that I wouldn't otherwise have bought at all." They're a good marketing tool, and one that I personally hope never goes away (or doesn't get limited to useless pre-determined lists), but a terrible idea if you're relying on them as your main price competitive point.

If I have a coupon, I say "Oh look, I've got a coupon. Let me see what I can buy with it." And on Kobo's site, there is no way I know of seeing all of the books eligible for promo codes. Perhaps now you have pointed it out I can do some sort of extremely wide search just to be able to use the search filter? But, in these days where marketing is so paramount, I ask a further question? That is "Is the discount real, or simply a marketing trick?" My above post strongly suggests the latter.

I too hope this marketing tool never vanishes. I just hope that in the future it offers genuine worthwhile discounts rather than a simple mirage.

Just for the record, I am not Kobo's enemy. Certainly I like Amazon and buy mainly from them. But I also like Kobo, and would like to buy more from them. I have an H2O with which I am very happy. I even like KEPubs and their default layout on the device. In fact, I often convert my books, bought mostly at Amazon, to this format for reading on my H2O. I would love to be able to buy at least some of my ebooks from Kobo. But it annoys the hell out of me that it appears even with a 35% off coupon Amazon's normal price is cheaper at least 50% of the time. And in the other cases the discount is actually trivial. Technically it may be 35% of the very high Kobo retail price on the particular book, but it is certainly not 35% of the Amazon price, or even close to it.

I'm afraid my view remains that these promo codes are little more than a marketing trick. One might pose the riddle, "When is a discount not a discount?"

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by darryl

I have just paid a visit to Kobo's US site with a view to comparing some prices with Discount Coupons against Amazon.

There are much better than 35% coupons Canada, UK and US because of the contests there, so for those markets you should probably look at the Kobo price after a 55% or 65% coupon.

In other countries there are not many coupons above 35%, so looking at the Kobo price after a 35% coupon is appropriate in those places.

Also in other countries most of the big publishers allow discount codes to be used, so Kobo is much more competitive.

The Issue for Kobo is that in some countries like the US none of the big publishers allow the use of discount codes on their books, and that is why I think Kobo needs to look at other discounting schemes such as rebates or rewards in those countries.

[darryl]

Originally Posted by GeoffR

There are much better than 35% coupons Canada, UK and US because of the contests there, so for those markets you should probably look at the Kobo price after a 55% or 65% coupon.

In other countries there are not many coupons above 35%, so looking at the Kobo price after a 35% coupon is appropriate in those places.

Also in other countries most of the big publishers allow discount codes to be used, so Kobo is much more competitive.

The Issue for Kobo is that in some countries like the US none of the big publishers allow the use of discount codes on their books, and that is why I think Kobo needs to look at other discounting schemes such as rebates or rewards in those countries.

@GeoffR. I'm glad you find Kobo's promo codes worthwhile, and wish I could say the same. My source for the promo codes is the mobileread thread, which is not limited to any particular country and as of yesterday was showing none available more than 35%. If codes with higher discounts became available we can have a look at them then. I would hope to see some worthwhile savings available, because I didn't see any in the ones I looked at.

I don't have any experience with Kobo contests. However, I would observe that you have to be a winner to take advantage of it. If you can point me to a coupon greater than 35% at the moment I would be happy to have a look at it. But it would not be appropriate for me to use a discount off the "Kobo" price greater than 35% on the basis of what you have set out in your post.

Are you in fact aware of other countries where the large publishers allow the use of coupons, or is this anecdotal? If you are aware of such publishers and countries, please share them with us.

I would like for you to be correct, but I'm sorry to say I don't think you are. What the situation seems to be is that Kobo prices are consistently higher than Amazon prices, and higher still on items subject to promo codes. The promo codes seem to do little except to obscure this simple fact.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by darryl

I don't have any experience with Kobo contests. However, I would observe that you have to be a winner to take advantage of it. If you can point me to a coupon greater than 35% at the moment I would be happy to have a look at it. But it would not be appropriate for me to use a discount off the "Kobo" price greater than 35% on the basis of what you have set out in your post.

You have to live in Canada, UK or US to enter the contest, and the coupons only last for the duration of the contest (o maybe a few days after), but there are regular contests (every month I think?).

Edit: You don't need to win the contest to get a promo code. If you win the contest you get an ereader, you get the promo codes just for answering muilti-choice questions (and you can have as many attempts as you need to answer and still get the promo code, you don't need to answer correctly on the first attempt.)

Are you in fact aware of other countries where the large publishers allow the use of coupons, or is this anecdotal? If you are aware of such publishers and countries, please share them with us.

New Zealand for example. HarperCollins, Penguin, Random House, Macmillan US all allow discount codes to be used. Hachette and Macmillan UK don't.

[darryl]

@GeoffR. Thanks for enlightening me on contests. Presumably, if you have an account in the country concerned you can enter the contest and get the promo codes. Though it does not seem that there are any around at the moment.

I also had a quick look at Kobo NZ. It did accept a promo code for Tess Gerritson's Die Again, reducing the price from $NZ32.69 to $NZ21.25, which converts to US$16.39, a massive saving. However, the same EBook is listed on Amazon for US$11.99. I don't have time to look further right now, and this is only one example. However, it appears Kobo NZ store does accept some promo codes for at least some large publishers books (this one is Ballantine, a Random House imprint). However, this particular discount is not worthwhile. I hope this is not typical.

[Lynx-lynx]

Yes Darryl it is typical - the NZ books are very expensive, even more so than Aus.

[GeoffR]

Originally Posted by darryl

I also had a quick look at Kobo NZ. It did accept a promo code for Tess Gerritson's Die Again, reducing the price from $NZ32.69 to $NZ21.25, which converts to US$16.39, a massive saving. However, the same EBook is listed on Amazon for US$11.99. I don't have time to look further right now, and this is only one example. However, it appears Kobo NZ store does accept some promo codes for at least some large publishers books (this one is Ballantine, a Random House imprint). However, this particular discount is not worthwhile. I hope this is not typical.

Any book over $20 is not typical of th ebooks I buy, which is mainly backlist SF/Fantasy. Typical would be something like C. J. Cherryh's Alternate Realities (Penguin US), Kobo $NZ 8.69 (before discount) or $NZ 6.95 after 20% discount, Amazon $NZ 8.51 (after currency exchange and 2.5% bank fees on foreign currency transactions.)

Edit: I should warn that if you look at Amazon prices with a New Zealand IP address, you need to actually click on the book details or log in with a NZ account to see the price. The price displayed in the book list is not usually correct, it changes once you click on details or log in.

Edit2 Screenshot attached: From New Zealand, the Amazon price of this HarperCollins ebook increases from $US 3.99 to $US 7.29 (~$NZ 9.58 after fees) after clicking details or logging in.