Kobo Discounts: Coupon Codes + Discussion

[issybird]

Originally Posted by JoHunt

I'm so excited Kobo just sent me an anniversary gift for *are you ready* 20% discount! Hopefully someone will be able to make use of this very generous gift.

The code: anniversary16 (valid from April 21, 2016 until April 28, 2016).

Heh. This one's been working all year. So don't feel rushed to use it!

I miss the better coupons, but we had a good run.

[Amaryllis]

Originally Posted by Susan A

I am not a fan of the selected books coupons. I always have a long list of books I actually want. A small coupon on a book that is not on my to buy list is not going to make me buy anything.

Does anyone ever find anything on those lists? In addition, the "selected" lists doesn't seem to change.

Same here. Without the coupons, the number of books I've bought (other than the ones that are .99 one-day special deals) has dropped drastically. I've bought a couple I really wanted, but they were both $7 cheaper at amazon so price matching brought them down to a price-point I was willing to pay (and about the same as they would have been with a decent coupon). But that isn't going to work with every book I want to buy, and if Kobo's prices are higher than I am willing to pay, I haven't been/won't be buying.
I think I once found one book on one of the selected lists that looked interesting to me, and I did buy it. But only the once out of all the selected lists they've offered over the years.

[Lynx-lynx]

Yep, another useless 'list' promo this weekend as well. I've never found what I wanted in their lists.

My latest next in series books I've borrowed in paper format from my local library, and Amazon has had a number of purchases from me.

[apesmom]

I was all set to buy a cartful with that 50% code they teased us with earlier this week.

Now that cash is going to allromance/omnilit with the 60% off groupon ebucks deal (which work on agency books ).

[Lush]

Why do Kobo offer 30% discount codes to use on selected books, when all they have to do is apply the discount to the listed books for the duration of the promotion?

[Josieb1]

Originally Posted by ferrywoman

30APR unlimited use on selected books until Monday
https://store.kobobooks.com/p/30apr

And yet another useless promo

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Lush

Why do Kobo offer 30% discount codes to use on selected books, when all they have to do is apply the discount to the listed books for the duration of the promotion?

Because the price is set by the author or publisher, even for the duration of the promo. I participate in a number of the promos and I set not only the price for the promo, but agree to the various discounts, which come from my part of the sale. (Sometimes the discount is 10 percent, sometimes it's 30, etc).

Many of the promos are "author" or "publisher" supported. This is part of the reason you see the same books--the publisher has to select which books go in which promos. Then Kobo sets up the lists and makes sure the coupons work with those books.

These promos are still popular. My books are obviously not in all of them, but when they are in one of the promos, they generally sell quite well. First is series sell better than other books so you will very often see the same books submitted because as authors we find that the first in the series sells more books.

THere are various rules to the promos. Sometimes Kobo only wants recently released books (within the last year). Sometimes they want higher priced books that are HIGHLY discounted (50 percent or more). Sometimes they do 99 cent sales.

It's a very complex part of the business, but Kobo can only discount books WITH THE AGREEMENT of the author or publisher. They are not allowed to offer discounts on any old book--the publishers do not allow them to do that. They can offer a range of coupons depending upon the country, publisher rules, geo-restrictions and so on, but as many coupons were used where they were not supposed to work and so on, they have tightened the coupon use and restrictions.

In all honesty, I think Kobo would love to be able to offer more discounts, but there's limitations to how fast and often they can code for them--and account for the coupons being used where they shouldn't work and where georestriction rules fail and so on.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

.... and where georestriction rules fail and so on.

georestriction rules don't fail in AU, from the government down we don't recognise them, and are encouraged to go around them!!

[Susan A]

Originally Posted by apesmom

I was all set to buy a cartful with that 50% code they teased us with earlier this week.

Now that cash is going to allromance/omnilit with the 60% off groupon ebucks deal (which work on agency books ).

Is this deal now? Or was this from a few weeks ago?

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by Susan A

Is this deal now? Or was this from a few weeks ago?

Still going now. And Groupon as a 20% code good today and maybe tomorrow.

[Docno]

Anyone had any trouble purchasing books from Kobo India with the new screen? I get as far as entering the credit card verification number I receive by sms from my bank, and the next screen gets stuck at some 'spinning wheel'. Tried three times and always the same outcome. No purchase shows up in my library (as accessed at the Kobo India website itself). I've called my bank and they say the card is fine and that there have been no transactions against it today.

[Lynx-lynx]

Originally Posted by Docno

Anyone had any trouble purchasing books from Kobo India with the new screen? I get as far as entering the credit card verification number I receive by sms from my bank, and the next screen gets stuck at some 'spinning wheel'. Tried three times and always the same outcome. No purchase shows up in my library (as accessed at the Kobo India website itself). I've called my bank and they say the card is fine and that there have been no transactions against it today.

Docno I haven't bought anything from India using the latest checkout, I tested it to the final stage and didn't go ahead. But, if you try downloading a freebie that will at least inform us that the site is working properly.

[Docno]

Originally Posted by Lynx-lynx

Docno I haven't bought anything from India using the latest checkout, I tested it to the final stage and didn't go ahead. But, if you try downloading a freebie that will at least inform us that the site is working properly.

Good idea, Lynx. I just tried what you suggested, and it worked fine... the free book showed up in my library. So it is specific to CC purchases.

[apesmom]

Originally Posted by Docno

Anyone had any trouble purchasing books from Kobo India with the new screen? I get as far as entering the credit card verification number I receive by sms from my bank, and the next screen gets stuck at some 'spinning wheel'. Tried three times and always the same outcome. No purchase shows up in my library (as accessed at the Kobo India website itself). I've called my bank and they say the card is fine and that there have been no transactions against it today.

Yes, I had this issue elsewhere. I needed the help of a VPN to.get past it. So that tells me it was looking at my IP geolocation because the credit card ended up working.

[Lynx-lynx]

I'm trying to buy a book in the India store, and it gets stuck after my double process credit card procedure. The pic below is a description of the web site info Kobo (?) is using to process the sale procedure ..... (to get this info, using Firefox, I clicked on the green 'lock' to the left of the site url)

And like Docno the procedure doesn't finish and the screen is blank except for a whirling circle type object that appears to be going off to think about things .... (I'm using the newest checkout screen)