Cost of eBooks vs dead-tree books

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

...Seems like it'd be less than printing the book and handling the logistics of getting it out to the retailer.

Still, the eBooks are commonly more expensive. What gives?

Collusion. Once upon a time eBook prices were cheaper. Then Jobs and the Big Publishers got together and changed that.

They would make more money from me if their prices were more in line with their pre-collusion days. As it stands, I mostly borrow from the library now. I used to buy all my eBooks.

[JSWolf]

I used to buy a lot of eBooks from Fictionwise. But Apple and the price fix six made Fictionwis's business model unable to be continued. Prices were lower and there were sales.

Because of the collusion, I do get more eBooks from Overdrive.

[Uncle Robin]

Comparing my Kobo store with dead tree prices, it seems most ebooks available to me are a little cheaper than the physical copies, albeit with some new releases and best sellers being markedly more expensive, up to 20% in a few instances. When buying from Amazon, the Kindle versions are consistently less than half the price of the paperbacks.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by Uncle Robin

Comparing my Kobo store with dead tree prices, it seems most ebooks available to me are a little cheaper than the physical copies, albeit with some new releases and best sellers being markedly more expensive, up to 20% in a few instances. When buying from Amazon, the Kindle versions are consistently less than half the price of the paperbacks.

Ready Player One from Amazon US.

pBook: $10.79
eBook: $11.99

That should never happen unless the pBook is on sale because it's being remaindered.

[ownedbycats]

I was looking at books for a series that I enjoy. The paperback was $10.99, while the ebook was $16.99.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Ready Player One from Amazon US.

pBook: $10.79
eBook: $11.99

That should never happen unless the pBook is on sale because it's being remaindered.

It's 7.22 and 5.23 for me, Amazon US. Mass market and ebook, respectively. So, the situation seems to be very different in different countries.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

I'm fine with the retail prices. The time I spend with (and the enjoyment I derive from) a good book more than justifies the cost. Compared to some of my other vices, real ebooks are still a bargain--even at retail prices.

Most prices for English-language books from Kobo, Amazon and Google Play are less than 10€ for me, unless just released, and often even then. I don't know what the situation is in the US.

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Ready Player One from Amazon US.

pBook: $10.79
eBook: $11.99

That should never happen unless the pBook is on sale because it's being remaindered.

The ePub of this title is also $11.99 at Google Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, eBooks.com, Books-A-Million and (of course) Apple Books. Nothing like competition in the marketplace. And I literally mean there's nothing like competition. The paperback of this title, on the other hand, is priced differently at different sites or stores. Apple wasn't getting into the paperback business, so collusion didn't apply there.

[issybird]

Originally Posted by ownedbycats

Because with the current 'only paying for a license' crap, the value of an ebook is actually less than the paper book.

The value of an ebook is less to you. That’s a critical qualification. So, don’t buy them. Nobody owes you ebooks at the price you think they’re worth.

I prefer ebooks and hence their value is higher.

I don’t mind revisiting this argument and those who are tired of it are free not to participate, but what does tire me is the assumption that costs are the only factor in pricing, with a heavy dollop of “I want them for less, therefore they should cost less.”

[DiapDealer]

Yes. The "I value ebooks less, so everybody else should/does, too" mindset is pretty old and tired. Not to mention that it's fairly easy to see it's not a widely shared mindset--considering the retail market for traditionally published ebooks isn't showing any signs of collapsing at their "ridiculously inflated" prices. It's time to accept the fact that people willing to pay the current prices are not few, and are not deluded. They just have different ideas about what some things are worth.

Feel free to wait for sales, or borrow more if you like. I'm not opposed to frugality in general. In fact I practice it myself in many other areas. I just don't make the mistake of pretending I'm somehow entitled to all things I desire being priced at, or below, the price I'm willing to pay for them when they first become available for purchase. Nor that my personal comfortability price-point is some sort of societally-held norm.

[Pajamaman]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Ready Player One from Amazon US.

pBook: $10.79
eBook: $11.99

That should never happen unless the pBook is on sale because it's being remaindered.

Cost savings in the production process of books due to new technology are not being passed onto readers. In fact they are increasing the price. What is perhaps more surprising is that readers defend this practice. In their view, greed may not be good, but it is certainly OK.

[Luffy]

Quick joke, for those following the English Premier League... which two players in the Permiership are most likely to get booked?

Spoiler:

Barnes and Noble

[binaryhermit]

(rimshot)

Yeah, IMO, producers should sell wholesale to retailers who can then charge whatever they want.

(IIRC Amazon made money on early Kindle HW and sold eBooks at a loss, now they're able to sell Kindle HW near cost and make a profit off the cut of the eBook price set by the manufacturer thanks to Apple's illegal collusion forcing agency on them)

[ownedbycats]

Originally Posted by issybird

The value of an ebook is less to you. That’s a critical qualification. So, don’t buy them. Nobody owes you ebooks at the price you think they’re worth.

I prefer ebooks and hence their value is higher.

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Yes. The "I value ebooks less, so everybody else should/does, too" mindset is pretty old and tired.

I subscribe to the theory that DRM (and really, the whole licensing model) is defective by design. I'll buy them, but I value them less than formats not encumbered by DRM (e.g. If a game is available on both GOG and Steam, I'll get the GOG version).

Note that the value in eBooks for me lies in mostly them not taking up space (I live in a small apartment with limited shelf space) and that physical books can be a bit awkward to handle with a physical disability.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by binaryhermit

Yeah, IMO, producers should sell wholesale to retailers who can then charge whatever they want.

I can't figure why they are even allowed to insist Publishers set price. We want to sell to Google, Smashwords, Apple, Kobo, Amazon etc at OUR price and let them charge what ever they like.

The current situation would be illegal in a bookshop in UK or Ireland. Why are Internet paper and ebook sellers allowed to enforce it?

As a publisher, we are forced by the online sellers to agree to what we regard as illegal and immoral T&C.

The Cost to Retail (normally) is a compromise between cost and what the market will bear and sales volume. Same applies to the retail price.

Only extremely competitive things of perceived equal quality from very many suppliers have a selling price directly related to production / marketing / storage / transport costs.