Why is the Sony eBook store rasing prices?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Cthulhu

I wonder what the correction of $525 what the equivalent to that is in today money.

US$525 in 1981 is the equivalent of approximately US$1200 today.

[ebookreader]

Originally Posted by dhbailey

Either there are gremlins moving prices around at Sony Connect or you've got a glitch in your computer or they change prices in the middle of the night, but Follett's new book is currently priced at $12.99. Hardly "double that price."

The price dropped shortly after my posting (and my emails to Sony). I received an email indicating that sometimes publishers drop their prices but don't notify Sony. I'm not sure I trust that response--wouldn't you think they would track their own competitiveness? The email also requested notification of prices that seem out of whack. I know I am not the first to email Sony with discrepancies. For the books I've tracked (just a handful), most of Sony's prices are $2 to $3 more than Amazon, but on occasion I've found books that are far more expensive such as the Follett book. Right now, From Beirut to Jerusalem is another where there is a huge discrepancy--$24.50 on Sony vs. $9.99 on Amazon. Here are some more:


Eat Pray Love: $8.25 on Amazon, $10.25 on Sony
Three Cups of Tea: $8.99 on Amazon, $10.50 onSony
I am America:$9.99 on Amazon, $12.59 on Sony
In Defense of Food: $9.99 on Amazon, $12.99 on Sony
Musicophilia: $9.99 on Amazon; $12.56 on Sony
Freakonomics: $6.39 on Amazon; $7.19 on Sony
Water for Elephants: $9.99 on Amazon, not available on Sony at all
The World is Flat (publish date 7/07): $9.60 on Amazon; $11.20 on Sony
Team of Rivals: $9.99 on Amazon; $11.69 on Sony
Thousand Splendid Suns ($12.99 on Sony, $9.99 on Amazon).

[ebookreader]

Originally Posted by dhbailey

This morning A Thousand Splendid Suns is 12.99 -- I didn't check it out yesterday, so perhaps it dropped in the middle of the night.

I wonder if Sony Connect prices are automatically linked to something from the publishers and the publishers can't make up their minds as to the prices while Amazon isn't worrying so much about making a profit as they are worried about garnering sales for the Kindle.

I think you are probably right for certain books but not all of them. Amazon seems to have $9.99 pegged as a price for many new releases/best sellers, but not all. Unfortunately for the consumer, Sony hasn't done the same. You are correct that Sony's price on A Thousand Splendid Suns dropped from around $18 to $12.99 shortly after my post (and emails)--the same thing happened with the Follett book. However, Amazon's price bounced from around $18 down to around $13 several days prior. Apparently, Amazon's system is picking up price changes more sensitively than Sony and I agree that Amazon is wiling to absorb more of the fluctuations than Sony.

[ebookreader]

Originally Posted by VikingDave

The selection itself is enough to go elsewhere. Unless you are looking for best-sellers, Sony has little to offer by comparison. Also, I like the idea of being able to establish a Library that will last well beyond the LRF format.

Have you found anything better that doesn't require breaking the DRM?

[Kasracer]

Originally Posted by jamesdmanley

pretty much all video game consoles are sold at a loss. the profits are made back in licensing fees for the software. most printers are sold at a loss and the profits made back in the ink. this is far from an unsustainable business model

Just thought I'd chime in just to mention that this statement isn't true. Nintendo has never sold a console at a loss and the XBox 360 sold at a loss only within the first year (now they make an average of $30-$50 per console, depending on which one you buy). In this generation of gaming consoles, only the PS3 is selling at a loss. Other than the Saturn and, possibly initially, the Dreamcast, most of Sega's consoles were also not sold at a loss.

I guess my point is usually in the gaming industry, some top performing consoles will be sold at a loss but usually become managable and profitable as manufacturing costs decrease where as other industry areas like printers or eBooks if this rumour is true, the items selling at a loss won't eventually be profitable themselves unless prices are raised.

You are correctly in how they make their money though. Licensing software and accessories is everything.

[Penforhire]

Just to fine tune the situation, you are correct about Nintendo but the 360 is only profitable because of creative accounting. If you include the red-ring-of-death warranty costs as they should have been accounted then the 360 may not yet be profitable. The console industry is twitchy!

[ndskyz]

It's pretty simple..Caveat Emptor. There are books that are cheaper on the Sony site than some other sites. I want to own an E-book of "World without End" Went to Fictionwise because I wanted it in LIT (so I could get rid of the DRM) But Fictionwise and ebook wanted 35 bucks for it. Sony wants 12.99 for it. Books on board wants 19.99 with a 10 dollar "rewards gift" Its up to you the buyer to decide what is a reasonable price to pay. Just like everything else, shop around find the lowest price you can. You are not limited to just the Sony store.

[Cthulhu]

To take ndskyz's admonition to a ludicrous end, I wager that all the books listed by ebookreader are available free of charge to tax-paying U.S. citizens at the local library. The cost of many, many things is not so much for the item, but for it convenience. Purchasing direct from SONY is easy, but am confident that there are better deals available on the interwebs, if one is willing to work.