US vs Australian Kindle ebook pricing discrepancies

ozron · 10-07-2011, 01:55 AM

I was looking at importing the new hardcover of Steve Jobs authorised biography from Amazon UK (with free shipping to Oz). However I discovered that on the Amazon US store, the price of the Kindle edition is US$9.99 (when logged in with my Australian address account). However when logged in with my US address account, it comes up as US$16.99. Is everyone else seeing this?

This seems to be the wrong way around to me. Buying it internationally is significantly cheaper than buying it in the US? Also thanks to a post in the Freebies section, I've found there are quite a few preorders which are free for Australian customers, but which are priced normally for people in the US. Are these pricing errors or special deals for international customers? Do Amazon honour these preorder prices if they're incorrect?

geertm · 10-07-2011, 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozron

I was looking at importing the new hardcover of Steve Jobs authorised biography from Amazon UK (with free shipping to Oz). However I discovered that on the Amazon US store, the price of the Kindle edition is US$9.99 (when logged in with my Australian address account). However when logged in with my US address account, it comes up as US$16.99. Is everyone else seeing this?

This seems to be the wrong way around to me. Buying it internationally is significantly cheaper than buying it in the US? Also thanks to a post in the Freebies section, I've found there are quite a few preorders which are free for Australian customers, but which are priced normally for people in the US. Are these pricing errors or special deals for international customers? Do Amazon honour these preorder prices if they're incorrect?

Do both books say "price set by publisher"?
The expensive US version is probably published by one of the agency 6 publishers? The Australian version is perhaps a non-agency book with a price set by Amazon instead of the publisher?

HarryT · 10-07-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozron

I was looking at importing the new hardcover of Steve Jobs authorised biography from Amazon UK (with free shipping to Oz). However I discovered that on the Amazon US store, the price of the Kindle edition is US$9.99 (when logged in with my Australian address account). However when logged in with my US address account, it comes up as US$16.99. Is everyone else seeing this?

They are probably two different publishers. This is a common situation.

ozron · 10-07-2011, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

They are probably two different publishers. This is a common situation.

The cheaper "Oz" version is published by Hachette Digital. The "US" version is published by Simon and Schuster Digital Sales and also states "This price was set by the publisher".

So you were both correct. Obviously different publishers for different territories. And vastly different prices, in our favour for a change. Thanks!

Serpentine · 10-07-2011, 05:03 PM

When it's not the case that you have different publishers/non fixed pricing, there's a standard price increase of $2 for International purchases. I still don't see how they can justify it since there is no sales tax(well... I guess if I wanted to declare it and pay I could, somewhat not worth the effort.) and it's not like I'm paying for 3g delivery.

HarryT · 10-07-2011, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Serpentine

When it's not the case that you have different publishers/non fixed pricing, there's a standard price increase of $2 for International purchases. I still don't see how they can justify it since there is no sales tax(well... I guess if I wanted to declare it and pay I could, somewhat not worth the effort.) and it's not like I'm paying for 3g delivery.

That surcharge only applies in countries where Amazon DOESN'T have a deal with the local telecoms operator, and it is indeed a charge for 3G delivery of the book - but "potential" rather than "actual" delivery.

That's really the only way to do it. Imagine if you had a WiFi Kindle and you bought 100 books with it. Then, a couple of years later, you bought a 3G Kindle and downloaded your 100 books over 3G. Would you be happy for Amazon to send you a bill for $200 at that point?

Up-front payment for the "right" to download via 3G is the only practical way to manage something like that.

murraypaul · 10-07-2011, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That surcharge only applies in countries where Amazon DOESN'T have a deal with the local telecoms operator, and it is indeed a charge for 3G delivery of the book - but "potential" rather than "actual" delivery.

That's really the only way to do it. Imagine if you had a WiFi Kindle and you bought 100 books with it. Then, a couple of years later, you bought a 3G Kindle and downloaded your 100 books over 3G. Would you be happy for Amazon to send you a bill for $200 at that point?

Up-front payment for the "right" to download via 3G is the only practical way to manage something like that.

I think it is making increasingly less sense as less and less of Amazon's sales take place to their 3G devices. They are now making more non-3G than 3G devices, their tablet won't have 3G, and their sales through iOS/Android apps don't involve any 3G charge.
Why should all of their customers have to pay a charge that might affect less than half of them?

HarryT · 10-07-2011, 05:21 PM

That's a very reasonable question to ask. It's an issue that there's really no perfect answer for.

The other side of the coin is that, as time goes on, fewer and fewer customers are paying the surcharge. It's gone for most of Europe now, and also, I believe for Australia, too.

TFeldt · 10-07-2011, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The other side of the coin is that, as time goes on, fewer and fewer customers are paying the surcharge. It's gone for most of Europe now, and also, I believe for Australia, too.

The kindle fire should be the last nail in that coffin, unless they want to portray themselves as utter hypocrites. But hey, there may be more to it than we know. Could be that they're just rolling over costs for marketing deals by providers in some territories, 3G traffic data or no.

HarryT · 10-07-2011, 05:35 PM

The Fire doesn't really enter into the picture. It's a US-only device (where of course there is no surcharge) and likely to stay that way.

TFeldt · 10-07-2011, 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

The Fire doesn't really enter into the picture. It's a US-only device (where of course there is no surcharge) and likely to stay that way.

I seriously doubt that. Amazon has already, by mistake, announced the opening of their app store to the rest of the world. They're propagating both kindle devices and the kindle store to just about everywhere. Their music service is available internationally.

It would make little sense to limit their only device capable of sampling all of these services when the services themselves are, or are preparing to become, available internationally. Now, if you mean the fire specifically then you might be entirely right. But the Kindle fire 2, or ice, or whatever the next will be called will be international.

Serpentine · 10-07-2011, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

That surcharge only applies in countries where Amazon DOESN'T have a deal with the local telecoms operator, and it is indeed a charge for 3G delivery of the book - but "potential" rather than "actual" delivery.

No, the charge is not for that - if it were, it would be against the law. I'm sure they write it off as something interesting never-the-less. I've actually called and asked about it, there's a lot of excuses and ambiguity thrown in, but they pretty much just resort to a "we're sorry sir, but that is the pricing in your region".

The other thing is, you'd need to download the book nearly 25 times to break even without bulk discount.

ozron · 10-07-2011, 11:10 PM

Harry is correct, in that Australians no longer pay the extra $2 charge.

HarryT · 10-08-2011, 01:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TFeldt

I seriously doubt that. Amazon has already, by mistake, announced the opening of their app store to the rest of the world. They're propagating both kindle devices and the kindle store to just about everywhere. Their music service is available internationally.

But their video services aren't, and that's the primary target of the Fire.

TFeldt · 10-08-2011, 03:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

But their video services aren't, and that's the primary target of the Fire.

Well, I didn't mean to turn it into a debate since that'd be entirely off-topic for the thread. But since neither one of us are clairvoyants we should do the only sensible thing to resolve this. I bet you 5 karma that amazon will have an android tablet available for international customers within 2 years. To be quite honest I think it'll be earlier than that but I'm hedging my bet.

This is where I'd normally insert a statement concerning the warmth of the kitchen and wheter or not staying there is prudent for you (5 whole karma ought to make anyone sweat), but taunting moderators is probably unhealthy in the long run.

10-07-2011, 01:55 AM	#1
ozron Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 344054 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Melbourne, Oz Device: Kindle Touch, iPad, iPhone	US vs Australian Kindle ebook pricing discrepancies I was looking at importing the new hardcover of Steve Jobs authorised biography from Amazon UK (with free shipping to Oz). However I discovered that on the Amazon US store, the price of the Kindle edition is US$9.99 (when logged in with my Australian address account). However when logged in with my US address account, it comes up as US$16.99. Is everyone else seeing this? This seems to be the wrong way around to me. Buying it internationally is significantly cheaper than buying it in the US? Also thanks to a post in the Freebies section, I've found there are quite a few preorders which are free for Australian customers, but which are priced normally for people in the US. Are these pricing errors or special deals for international customers? Do Amazon honour these preorder prices if they're incorrect?

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10-07-2011, 05:03 PM	#5
Serpentine Evangelist Posts: 416 Karma: 1045911 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Cape Town, South Africa Device: Kindle 3	When it's not the case that you have different publishers/non fixed pricing, there's a standard price increase of $2 for International purchases. I still don't see how they can justify it since there is no sales tax(well... I guess if I wanted to declare it and pay I could, somewhat not worth the effort.) and it's not like I'm paying for 3g delivery.

10-07-2011, 05:21 PM	#8
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	That's a very reasonable question to ask. It's an issue that there's really no perfect answer for. The other side of the coin is that, as time goes on, fewer and fewer customers are paying the surcharge. It's gone for most of Europe now, and also, I believe for Australia, too.

10-07-2011, 05:35 PM	#10
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The Fire doesn't really enter into the picture. It's a US-only device (where of course there is no surcharge) and likely to stay that way.

10-07-2011, 11:10 PM	#13
ozron Groupie Posts: 158 Karma: 344054 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Melbourne, Oz Device: Kindle Touch, iPad, iPhone	Harry is correct, in that Australians no longer pay the extra $2 charge.

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