05-09-2010, 11:26 PM | #1 |
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Wasn't agency pricing supposed to mean the same prices everywhere?
Maybe I'm misinformed? I thought the idea with Agency 5 pricing was the publishers set the selling price and it would be the same everywhere.
I was just tracking down some books for my Mom and noticed that the prices are different depending on store. These particular books are from Harper Collins and both Kobo and Sony are higher than Amazon and B&N. Not by a huge amount, but it brought the question to mind. |
05-09-2010, 11:49 PM | #2 |
You kids get off my lawn!
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Yeah, you noticed that too?
Sony almost always is about 35 cents more than elsewhere, when I've noticed a price difference. |
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05-09-2010, 11:51 PM | #3 |
It's about the umbrella
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I thought that was how it was going to be also. I just gave up and will not be purchasing until everything gets sorted out with realistic pricing.
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05-10-2010, 03:07 AM | #4 |
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I thought so, too, but obviously that's not at all the case. Have found that Amazon is consistently higher (but that's probably because they are adding VAT to purchases since I'm a long-time Amazon customer for p-books and other stuff). For most books I've been interested in lately, Kobo prices are $1 to $3 cheaper than the Sony store - though not always - and many titles are in the $9 to $9.99 price range that used to be the norm.
I guess the publishers cut their own deals with each distributor - or that's the only way I can figure the price differences. |
05-10-2010, 10:36 AM | #5 |
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My understanding was that the agency price was the lowest price that a retailer could sell it for but that a retailer could sell it for a higher price. The idea was to prevent discounting. Otherwise, why would there be a clause in the agreement with Apple that no price would be lower than Apple's price?
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05-10-2010, 10:49 AM | #6 | ||
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Quote:
From http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog...9-ebooks.html: Quote:
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05-10-2010, 11:00 AM | #7 |
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For the books that I have investigated:
Amazon and B&N: Random House -a mixture of MSRP or discounted 10-20% Big 5 - MSRP + local sales tax (shows up at checkout) Sony: Random House - discounts of 5-30% off MSRP Big 5 - MSRP + 5% I can't tell if this is Sony is marking up 5% to cover the taxes they are required to collect, or if you also get charged the taxes, too. Anyone in the US buy from Sony lately? Kobo: Big 5 - US MSRP + 9% Random House - discounted 5-40% off MSRP Kobo shows me US pricing as their MSRP - I don't know if they use ISP to change pricing. It's possible, since I would think they have to use Canadian MSRP for Canadian customers? I wonder if they are also collecting US sales tax for the Big 5, or do they have to collect Canadian GST/PST? My local sales tax is 8.75%, so maybe that is the 9% markup I'm seeing? My US credit card charges a 2.96% exchange fee, so they are automatically more expensive for me. |
05-10-2010, 11:03 AM | #8 |
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05-10-2010, 11:04 AM | #9 |
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Noticed that myself
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05-10-2010, 12:01 PM | #10 | |
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Quote:
Good question. List a few books and have people from other states check. Or change your address to a different state for a little bit and look yourself? |
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05-10-2010, 12:25 PM | #11 | |
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I saw this a couple of days ago on the Kobo blog:
Quote:
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05-10-2010, 12:32 PM | #12 |
Blue Captain
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So, let's see.
1. Publishing complains noone reads anymore. 2. Solution? Put prices up. Make books less attractive compared to DVDS, CDS, mp3s, video downloads, etc. That will ensure book sales rise and appear to be better value compared to other entertainment options, won't it? It will also ensure that a greater percentage of the population read, likewise? Also possible that they speak crap about 1., too, of course. |
05-10-2010, 12:44 PM | #13 |
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Thanks for the info KarenH. I guess that's probable why they're higher in Sony's store too. Strange way to do it though since taxes are different depending on state (and sometimes county, city, etc.).
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05-10-2010, 12:45 PM | #14 |
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My contact at Kobo told me they use IP address to determine location for people who are not logged into the site, but once you log in it uses your saved info. So if I go visit my sister in California and browse the site without logging in, it will show me the American stuff in US prices. But if I log in as me while I am there, it will turn over to the Canadian content and prices and I can buy off my regular account just as I do at home---and presumably with whatever taxes or surcharges I pay at home
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05-10-2010, 02:34 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
This is different than setting of the retail price under the Apple contract, at least as I understand it. Under the Apple contract, Hachette could sell the book to the consumer for whatever price it wants but that price cannot be higher than the price Hachette sets for the same book at Amazon -- it could, however, be less than the price it sells the book for at Amazon. |
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