Kindle Unlimited, Amazon Prime, Or Neither?

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by issybird

They don't. Why take business decisions personally? Amazon has no animus against its British customers. Heck, subscriptions at Audible UK are far cheaper than in the US, but I figure they charge what they can get, consonant with maximizing profits.

I do think Amazon devices were given a better deal overall in the US then in the UK this past Christmas. It's things like that plus this that make me thin that Amazon favors the US big time.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do think Amazon devices were given a better deal overall in the US then in the UK this past Christmas. It's things like that plus this that make me thin that Amazon favors the US big time.

i don't have a regional breakdown to hand but I'd bet that amazon usa is worth more than the sum of all the other amazon regions
I'm just glad that most innovations get here ( UK) within about a year of USA launches: Alexa, Echo, Prime Channels, Kindle Unlimited. there's probably a few USA only still?
I think we got kindles about a year after USA did ?

PS its the same with google, USA get the new stuff first, which does weed out some of the total flops, we get the equivalents later ( like Google Home speakers)

[Junket]

there's probably a few USA only still?

More than a few.

But generally speaking, most stuff rolls out globally within a year. Bezos has commented that the majority of Kindles are sold in N. America and that books are priced according to market conditions - he actually said something along the lines of such and such countries are willing to pay more. But I can't remember the exact wording he used, that is just a rough paraphrase of what he said in the context of a larger interview.

[stumped]

I struggle to think of any great new Amazon tech we don't have in UK yet.
Yes we miss out on the hbo video channel but that's because sky have the UK licence for all the good stuff.
I see the actual TV range of fire TV are here now, but they look somewhat budget spec. Maybe we don't have an Alexa enabled microwave yet, but I will cope , somehow

[Junket]

But your smart fridge at least orders milk, etc when it runs low, right? Alexa could be too much of a good thing.

[stumped]

Originally Posted by Junket

But your smart fridge at least orders milk, etc when it runs low, right? Alexa could be too much of a good thing.

but an Alexa fridge would tell you it's ordered the milk.

We made the mistake, before Xmas, of demonstrating "Alexa , call Santa", to our 3 year old grandson.
Santa was called, and called , and called.
Ho. Ho. Ho
Alexa can now figure out what he's saying, and also can decipher "Alexa play Rudolph the red nosed reindeer" (unfortunately)

Alexa Santa was smart enough to have an answering machine, with instructions to put out a carrot for the reindeer. Amazon missed a trick by not then selling carrots

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Junket

More than a few.

But generally speaking, most stuff rolls out globally within a year. Bezos has commented that the majority of Kindles are sold in N. America and that books are priced according to market conditions - he actually said something along the lines of such and such countries are willing to pay more. But I can't remember the exact wording he used, that is just a rough paraphrase of what he said in the context of a larger interview.

Nobody is willing to pay more. That's that BS.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

I do think Amazon devices were given a better deal overall in the US then in the UK this past Christmas. It's things like that plus this that make me thin that Amazon favors the US big time.

I'm just guessing here but my guess is that Amazon's pricing decisions in England are made by people in England and in the USA are made by people in the USA. I'm not sure they're even the same company.

Barry

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Nobody is willing to pay more. That's that BS.

I think it's a fair guess that "willing to pay more" means kind of the same thing as "we can make more by charging more". When you think about it they do both mean the same thing. If you weren't willing they couldn't charge as much and still make a lot of sales.

If you haven't guessed already, Amazon and Bezos are capitalists.

Barry

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by barryem

I think it's a fair guess that "willing to pay more" means kind of the same thing as "we can make more by charging more". When you think about it they do both mean the same thing. If you weren't willing they couldn't charge as much and still make a lot of sales.

If you haven't guessed already, Amazon and Bezos are capitalists.

Barry

But why lie and say people are willing to pay more? They may pay because it's the only way to get what they want, but are they willing to pay more? No way.

What I find a rip-off is then something is priced say $100 in the US and £100 in the UK. That means that UK buyers are paying more.

[ilovejedd]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But why lie and say people are willing to pay more? They may pay because it's the only way to get what they want, but are they willing to pay more? No way.

What I find a rip-off is then something is priced say $100 in the US and £100 in the UK. That means that UK buyers are paying more.

Our prices don't include 20% VAT.

I've often found it cheaper importing Blu-rays from Amazon UK to the US because it's cheaper after removing VAT (even after currency conversion and shipping).

As for the willing, I expect that means most people *will* still pay rather than go without. In countries with lower median income, higher prices would automatically translate to a much, much smaller market.

[murraypaul]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But why lie and say people are willing to pay more? They may pay because it's the only way to get what they want, but are they willing to pay more? No way.

Yes. If they paid more then by definition they were willing to pay more.
That doesn't mean they wanted to pay more, but they were willing to.

[barryem]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

But why lie and say people are willing to pay more? They may pay because it's the only way to get what they want, but are they willing to pay more? No way.

I guess it depends on your definition of lying. They're not saying anything that's untrue. They're telling the truth in the nicest sounding way. That's what marketing people do.

As an aside, my brother and I have had a running argument for years about whether salesmen tell lies. He's a salesman. I forget which of us originally came up with this example but a used car lot owner gets in a junker that looks pretty good. It's nice and clean and pretty but an experienced car guy can tell it's not going to last very long. So he calls his grandmother and asks her to drive it to get her groceries, which she does. Later a young couple comes in and he shows it to them and tells them it's just been driven by a little old lady to the grocery store. They buy the car, assuming it's been cared for and treated gently. Did he tell a lie?

My brother insists that he did not since nothing he said was untrue. I maintain that it's a lie because what he said was intentionally designed to make them believe something that wasn't true. Of course I'm right but he never can quite see that. And he says something similar about me.

What Bezos said wasn't calculated to believe something that wasn't true. It was simply putting the truth in the best light. I don't think it's a lie in our culture. If we were all monks or priests then maybe so.

I doubt anyone likes all the stuff capitalists do but we sure do like the paychecks we get because they do it.

Barry