"Amazon sales pop as Kindle books overtake paperbacks"

[carld]

Originally Posted by queentess

? Where do you buy your books, and what genres do you read? For new pbooks, Amazon is consistently (I hesitate to say always) the same or cheaper for my location. If I want a used pbook (which again, I can usually get on Amazon for cheaper), I can travel 20 minutes one-way to my local used book store, pay for parking, and pray they have the used book in stock for a decent price. Hasn't been my experience though.

If you're even lucky enough to have a used bookstore close by. As far as I know, I don't. I don't buy many paper books, new or used, but when I do they're almost always from Amazon or one of its sellers.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

This works for you because of what you choose to read. Your reading choices don't reflect others' choices. So it doesn't make sense to say that others are overpaying for their choice of books.

Actually it doesn't matter what you choose to read. When comparing the same MMPB at multiple retailers Amazon isn't usually the lowest priced in my experience. Granted, it may be more convenient.

If your choice of reading material is only available at Amazon, then there is nothing to compare and overpayment is a non-issue. Of course, it may not be available in Kindle format either and that only adds to the paperback totals.

Edit- This is actually what I said. I didn't make an absolute statement.

Which may possibly suggest they are overpaying for their paperback books.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Fbone

Actually it doesn't matter what you choose to read. When comparing the same MMPB at multiple retailers Amazon isn't usually the lowest priced in my experience. Granted, it may be more convenient.

If your choice of reading material is only available at Amazon, then there is nothing to compare and overpayment is a non-issue. Of course, it may not be available in Kindle format either and that only adds to the paperback totals.

Edit- This is actually what I said. I didn't make an absolute statement.

You originally posted about paperback books, not just mass market paperbacks. I can't speak to MMPBs alone, because I don't often buy them. I buy mostly trade paperbacks, and I find those are better deals at Amazon than at Borders. (The ones I read aren't usually sold at general retail stores.)

[Wordeater]

Just saw on the news that Amazon has sold 115 eBooks for every 100 paperbacks. 3 times the sales of eBooks per hardcover sold.

WE

[Catlady]

My experience has been that Amazon often does have the lowest price on mass market paperbacks, but it's not significantly lower--a few cents, not a few bucks. I tended to buy paperbacks at Amazon only if I was making another purchase and needed to hit the free-shipping minimum. Otherwise, paperbacks were mainly impulse buys at BN or Borders. I'm a bargain shopper most of the time, but not for paperbacks--it's just not cost-effective for me.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Catlady

My experience has been that Amazon often does have the lowest price on mass market paperbacks, but it's not significantly lower--a few cents, not a few bucks. I tended to buy paperbacks at Amazon only if I was making another purchase and needed to hit the free-shipping minimum. Otherwise, paperbacks were mainly impulse buys at BN or Borders. I'm a bargain shopper most of the time, but not for paperbacks--it's just not cost-effective for me.

I hear you. I don't mind spending a couple of extra bucks to help keep a local business going, but I find nonfiction trade paperbacks at Amazon for $5 or $6+ less each than what Borders sells 'em for. When you buy several at a time, that quickly adds up. It makes Amazon hard to beat, especially when you get free shipping, pay no tax, don't have to drive anywhere, and can shop at your own convenience.

[Nathanael]

Originally Posted by SensualPoet

Anyway you shake it, it's been a strong year for Kindles, and Kindle ebooks.

It's been a strong year for ebooks. B&N reported the same thing at the end of December -- ebooks outselling pbooks online, and the Nook its best-selling product ever -- even outsold Rowling and Dan Brown.

It's not just Amazon's boat rising.

--Nathanael

[Nathanael]

Originally Posted by Kali Yuga

Yes, clearly the buying habits of millions of Americans are identical to yours.

Oh, wait, they aren't. In fact they're one of the largest book retailers in the world.

Those two statements aren't necessarily contradictory. As a thought experiment, imagine Amazon has a single customer who buys, say, a half billion books a year. Amazon gets to be the planet's largest bookseller, and millions of American still do their shopping elsewhere.

--Nathanael