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Old 09-01-2011, 08:31 AM   #1
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First time a price of an ebook bugged me..Audiobook version less than ebook/hardcover
I've been watching for the new Neal Stephenson book Reamde (I know I read that as "Readme" too, oops). But I just noticed the discussion about the price of the ebook being $17 which while a bit high is something I would probably spend because I am a big fan, except for Diamond Age but I digress. The audiobook version, unabridged and on CD is just $16.49.

http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-Neal-St...mm_abk_title_0

Really? I mean, REALLY? This has to be an example of what bug people. It's especially true for me as I have always hunted for audiobook versions of my favorite novels and they cost me a lot more than the print editions over the years. I still have tapes from 40-years ago fer goodness sakes I enjoy them so much.

But, wow, that really struck me as just wrong to be paying more for the ebook version. Thought I would share this one, I'm just floored by it. If this will become the norm I might move to more and more audiobook versions that we already buy and that is well over 100/yr (for several of us that is).

Could this be Amazon thumbing their nose at the Agency 6? I should hope it gets attention.
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Old 09-01-2011, 09:46 AM   #2
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And the ebook for Kindle is $10.46 right now... way cheaper than audiobook... may have been an error that's been corrected or you cross read the line with the $20 hardcover price (which is not bad for a new 1,000 page book)...
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Old 09-01-2011, 09:59 AM   #3
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Originally Posted by joenunya View Post
The audiobook version, unabridged and on CD is just $16.49.
It's unabriged, but it's not really "on CD"; it's a "MP3 CD", meaning it's just a bunch of MP3 files on 1 or 2 computer CDs. The real audiobook on CD is $25.73.
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Old 09-01-2011, 11:30 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by elcreative View Post
And the ebook for Kindle is $10.46 right now... way cheaper than audiobook... may have been an error that's been corrected or you cross read the line with the $20 hardcover price (which is not bad for a new 1,000 page book)...
no...
http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-A-Novel...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

as stated the ebook is $17


maybe you found a different listing?
Last edited by joenunya; 09-01-2011 at 11:42 AM.
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Old 09-01-2011, 11:32 AM   #5
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It's unabriged, but it's not really "on CD"; it's a "MP3 CD", meaning it's just a bunch of MP3 files on 1 or 2 computer CDs. The real audiobook on CD is $25.73.
I don't see your point? The price is in the reading not the media.
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Old 09-01-2011, 12:05 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by joenunya View Post
no...
http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-A-Novel...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

as stated the ebook is $17


maybe you found a different listing?
I clicked your link and got the price I quoted... clearly, on the screen, double-checked...
Attached Files
File Type: pdf Amazon link as posted.pdf (133.7 KB, 432 views)
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Old 09-01-2011, 01:48 PM   #7
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This has to be a location issue. When I click on the link provided by the OP, I get a price for the Kindle Edition of $16.99. According to the PDF submitted by elcreative the price is $10.46. I am in the US. I am sure this factors into the difference in price.
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:00 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elcreative View Post
I clicked your link and got the price I quoted... clearly, on the screen, double-checked...
That is strange, I get $16.99. In case it is a georestriction thing, I'm in the US.
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:03 PM   #9
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I don't think it's a location issue; I think it's a pre-order issue. There have been several threads noting the high cost listed for e-books on pre-order, but once the book was actually available, the price came down to normal levels. I'm not sure why this would happen, but I think that's what's going on.

We should know in 3 weeks, though.
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:11 PM   #10
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It may be a geo-restriction peculiarity but, if so, then it is really weird because I clicked on the quoted link and got what is posted in the pdf... and it clearly has the price listed under Amazon price unlike the other post above, as well as saying it is not available in the UK but why does one show an Amazon price (in dollars as the other prices are shown) and the other shows no Amazon price just a New price (also in dollars) for the Kindle version... and both are coming from Amazon.com
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:18 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by elcreative View Post
It may be a geo-restriction peculiarity but, if so, then it is really weird because I clicked on the quoted link and got what is posted in the pdf... and it clearly has the price listed under Amazon price unlike the other post above, as well as saying it is not available in the UK but why does one show an Amazon price (in dollars as the other prices are shown) and the other shows no Amazon price just a New price (also in dollars) for the Kindle version... and both are coming from Amazon.com
I see $16.99 and I just checked B&N's listing...also $16.99. HarperCollins sets the price on this book in the US.
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Old 09-01-2011, 02:37 PM   #12
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I see $16.99 and I just checked B&N's listing...also $16.99. HarperCollins sets the price on this book in the US.
And I still see $10.46 as in the pdf I posted... nobody's arguing that in the US you're seeing $16.99 just discussing the extreme peculiarity of logging on to the SAME link and getting differing prices with my posted link showing an Amazon price and the US viewers seeing a $16.99 price under "New from" with no Amazon price... just another Amazon peculiarity...
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Old 09-01-2011, 03:15 PM   #13
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weird but I was wondering about if the price shown was not going to be the release price. I even wonder if the release price is manipulated based on pre-orders?

With the whole Agency pricing thing Amazon books prices, well obviously on ebooks only, is more confusing than usual. At least it turns out none of us needed new medications for the visions.
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Old 09-01-2011, 03:32 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew H. View Post
I don't think it's a location issue; I think it's a pre-order issue. There have been several threads noting the high cost listed for e-books on pre-order, but once the book was actually available, the price came down to normal levels. I'm not sure why this would happen, but I think that's what's going on.

We should know in 3 weeks, though.
If it isn't a location issue then why are different people looking at something at the same exact time getting different prices. We're not talking that me and others looked and saw high preorder prices, and el comes along later and sees cheaper prices. Elcreative is seeing $10.46 right now, and myself and others are seeing $16.99 right now.

Quote:
Originally Posted by elcreative View Post
And I still see $10.46 as in the pdf I posted... nobody's arguing that in the US you're seeing $16.99 just discussing the extreme peculiarity of logging on to the SAME link and getting differing prices with my posted link showing an Amazon price and the US viewers seeing a $16.99 price under "New from" with no Amazon price... just another Amazon peculiarity...
Quote:
Originally Posted by elcreative View Post
It may be a geo-restriction peculiarity but, if so, then it is really weird because I clicked on the quoted link and got what is posted in the pdf... and it clearly has the price listed under Amazon price unlike the other post above, as well as saying it is not available in the UK but why does one show an Amazon price (in dollars as the other prices are shown) and the other shows no Amazon price just a New price (also in dollars) for the Kindle version... and both are coming from Amazon.com
Can you check other multiregion stores and see how the prices are?

For instance, when I was talking to Bob Burke about the Third Pig Ho Ho Ho Mystery price, I'd pull up a link and see $19.99, and he'd pull up that same link and be given a much lower price in USD. What we found out was that it was being detected that he was accessing it from a UK IP address, it was giving the UK price, but since the link was an american one, it did currency conversion and showed him the UK price in USD.

To test this, I pulled up the link given before in this thread, but I used a proxy to give the appearance of being in the UK. And low and behold, was given the $10.46 price. I then pull up the Amazon UK product listing, and the price is listed as £6.39, which works out to be roughly $10.46.

My thoughts. Amazon is smart enough to tell what region you're in and adjust prices to that region, but dumb enough to list the price in the currency of who they think should be accessing that particular site (ie amazon.com for americans, amazon.co.uk for brits, amazon.ca for canucks). Given that they went to extra work to add the currency conversion in on top of region detection for price adjustment, it really makes little sense.
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