That is news to me!

[ArizonaGuy]

I initially thought that prices between the Amazon Kindle Store and Kobo were pretty much the same. I get daily emails with books on sale and they always seemed to be the same price no matter where I looked - Kindle, Kobo, Apple, Android or other places, but I learned differently today.

I had found some interesting historical fiction by Griff Hosker and found that the books were actually less expensive on the Kindle website than on Kobo. Kobo says that they will match lower prices, but you have to buy the book first and then get a refund. That really does not make much sense to me and I do wonder why Kobo makes you buy the more expensive book and then request a refund, and I sent them a question asking why. Perhaps I will get a response, perhaps not ...

However, to my surprise, I found the reverse is also true. I am listening to an Audible book about British war strategy from before World War I through World War II - Conquer We Must - and found that it is much less expensive on the Kobo site than the Kindle one. Much less expensive.

I guess I was surprised enough to sit down and write this post. Just in case others also thought that all eBooks were priced the same everywhere.

[Gormagon]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

Just in case others also thought that all eBooks were priced the same everywhere.

It depends where you are buying a printed or (e)book (and if it's published for the domestic market). Some countries have a fixed book price: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fixed_book_price
I am strictly against fixed prices for books. It prevents competition and, of course, you end up paying much more than you would in a competitive market.

[ArizonaGuy]

I sent a message to Kobo telling them that I understood their price match policy and asked them why they required a purchase before a price match. Wouldn't it be easier all around for them to just match prices? Their response was to send me a copy of their price match policy which I had already said I understood. So there was no rationale in their response as to why they required a prior purchase before price matches. It would have been so much easier and faster to just do a price match prior to the purchase, but perhaps that is the reason for the runaround. Perhaps they base this policy on the belief, correct I am sure, that most people will not bother.

Here is the content of their response:

Hi,
​
Thank you for contacting Rakuten Kobo.

The following are the terms and conditions of Kobo's Price Match policy.

If, within seven (7) days after your purchase from Kobo of an eBook or audiobook, you find that same product advertised for sale by a competitor at a lower price, Rakuten Kobo Inc. will issue a credit to your Kobo account for the difference in cost between the two items, plus an additional 10% of the original Kobo price paid.
​
​
To qualify:
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You must complete the required information and submit your price-match request using the provided form within seven (7) days of purchase;
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The advertised product must be identical to the purchased product (same ISBN for eBooks, or same volume and issue for digital magazines);
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The product must be priced in US dollars and include all fees, costs, and other charges;
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The product must be sold by an authorized retailer located within the U.S.;
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The product’s price must not be lower due to an advertising error; misprint; combination promotion (e.g., gift with purchase); after-sale rebate offer; or preferred-customer, or other similar discount.
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The account credit is not redeemable for cash. There is a limit one credit per item.
​
We will endeavour to verify and issue account credits within three (3) business days of an authorized request. Account credits will only be provided to the account holder who made the original purchase.
​
Rakuten Kobo Inc. reserves the right to cancel or withdraw a refund at any time, if it determines in its sole discretion that the requester has violated these terms, including through any fraudulent or misleading activity. Rakuten Kobo Inc. reserves the right to limit quantities, or change or cancel this offer at any time.
​
​Kobo's Price Match Guarantee is available to customers in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. To request a price match, visit the Price Match page here.

Please reply to this email with anything related to this request.

For inquiries big and small please visit us at https://help.kobo.com

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by ArizonaGuy

I had found some interesting historical fiction by Griff Hosker and found that the books were actually less expensive on the Kindle website than on Kobo. Kobo says that they will match lower prices, but you have to buy the book first and then get a refund. That really does not make much sense to me and I do wonder why Kobo makes you buy the more expensive book and then request a refund, and I sent them a question asking why. Perhaps I will get a response, perhaps not ...

I'm always delighted when I find that Kobo haven't matched an Amazon price reduction yet, as for a tiny amount of admin I get a 10% reduction on the already low Amazon price.

I keep a credit balance at Kobo, so I buy books using that balance, and the price difference (+10% of the lower price) gets credited back to the balance.


Checking my spreadsheet , it looks like I've saved just over £13 from the extra 10% on price matches in the past year. Not bad on a £236 overall spend.

[ArizonaGuy]

> it looks like I've saved just over £13 from the extra 10% on price matches in the past year.

Perhaps you are right. Perhaps I am being a bit too unreasonable about all of this and should just enjoy the refund and extra credit. I guess I will give that a try and see how it works out. I do read a lot and maybe in 6 months I will look at it like you do.

Thanks for the comment.

[Aleron Ives]

IMO they are definitely expecting most people not to bother. Sometimes Amazon will have a sale that Kobo doesn't mirror, and then after a few days the Kobo price will drop, too. I suspect this happens when Kobo gets a certain number of price match requests and doesn't want to keep paying the +10% to people.

[DrNefario]

Yes. Why would you even check the amazon price if you were in the Kobo ecosystem?

I mainly buy from Amazon at the moment. I don't check the prices anywhere else. I don't check the paper price.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Yes. Why would you even check the amazon price if you were in the Kobo ecosystem?

Some people buy wherever it's cheapest and remove the DRM after buying. So only the price matters, not the ecosystem.

Using a Kobo device doesn't necessarily mean being in the Kobo ecosystem. The same goes for any other brand.

[Fbone]

Keep in mind that the 10% credit helps offset the additional sales tax, if applicable, that you paid on the higher Kobo price.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by DrNefario

Yes. Why would you even check the amazon price if you were in the Kobo ecosystem?

I mainly buy from Amazon at the moment. I don't check the prices anywhere else. I don't check the paper price.

As long as I can remove the DRM, I really don't care which ecosystem I purchase the book from (Amazon or everyone else).

So for me, I check the prices and if the Amazon price is lower and Kobo has the book, I'll take the price match + 10% in store credit. It does add up over the year to being able to pick up books on store credit.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Keep in mind that the 10% credit helps offset the additional sales tax, if applicable, that you paid on the higher Kobo price.

In the UK, of course, there's 0% VAT on ebooks.

[Sirtel]

As price matching is not available in my country, I just buy where it's cheapest. Sometimes that's Kobo, sometimes Amazon.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

In the UK, of course, there's 0% VAT on ebooks.

That may be, but prices have risen to be what they were with VAT.