04-12-2010, 10:01 PM | #1 |
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Sony Circumvents Agency Pricing Model
There are posts in the Deals and the Sony Reader forums already, but Target is running a sale this week on gift cards for the Sony Reader Store. For $15 you get a $25 gift card. That's a 40% discount on all titles. Yeah Sony for fast thinking!!!!
Technically, Sony haven't reduced the Agency List prices, but the consumer gets the benefit anyway. I can't help but wonder if Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other sellers will follow suit with this kind of promotion. If they do, what steps do the Publishers then take? |
04-12-2010, 10:37 PM | #2 |
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Yeah, I saw this posted on another thread...and quickly took advantage to "stock up". Now, when I have those "must-have" books under the agency pricing, I'll be able to get my Iold) normal Fictionwise pricing!
I'm still going to try to avoid them for the impulse buys, but for the authors/series I've been following for awhile, I'll be happy to get them at a discount after all! |
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04-12-2010, 10:59 PM | #3 |
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Discounted gift cards probably do work around Agency Pricing, but since Sony presumably only gets 30% of the Agency price it is hard to see how a 40% discount works for them. They do get the money up front, which might help a bit, but they must also be paying Target.
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04-13-2010, 07:50 AM | #4 |
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Do the gift cards have to be used within a certain time?
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04-13-2010, 08:25 AM | #5 |
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Pendraggin,
You scratch the back to reveal a code which you input at the Reader Store. Once the funds are in your account they stay there until used. |
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04-13-2010, 02:31 PM | #6 |
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You can find a good brief summary of the various states' regulations about gift card expirations here:
http://www.consumersunion.org/pub/co...es/003889.html Under Michigan's laws, it looks as if you won't have to worry about expiration for at least 5 years from purchase. I am not a lawyer, though. I bought 8 of the cards yesterday. There is no language on the card about expiration. |
04-13-2010, 05:00 PM | #7 |
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I checked that too. When I put one of the cards in my account and then looked in my Book Cart, at the bottom, it listed the "GC Credit" (gift card balance) and the expiration date was listed as NEVER.
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04-13-2010, 05:34 PM | #8 |
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I don't understand how you think this has anything to do with Agency Pricing or even Sony for that matter. Target put them on sale along with the AT & T prepaid phone card. It's a great thing certainly, but Target put them on sale not Sony. Target also had their pocket readers on sale a couple of weeks back.
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04-13-2010, 05:56 PM | #9 |
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Unless somebody here has some corporate information there is really no way for us to know how the deal was worked. Target has to pay Sony for the card. Target put them on sale for the end consumer but Sony could have certainly cut a discount price with Target that allows them to sell the cards for $15. We really don't know how the money is being divided up.
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04-13-2010, 06:19 PM | #10 |
Nameless Being
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So is the definite story that these cards are not available through Target online? I sure could not find them in searching the Target web site. That sucks, it's about 100 miles for me to the nearest Target retail outlet.
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04-13-2010, 08:32 PM | #11 |
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So they're good 'forever'.
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04-13-2010, 09:41 PM | #12 |
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That's correct - if you look at the weekly ad section of the Target website, it specifically states that they're not available online - in store only.
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04-15-2010, 09:42 PM | #13 |
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