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Old 08-12-2008, 06:52 PM   #1
charlieperry
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Why are ebooks so expensive and so hard to get in Australia?
Someone pointed me towards www.bookdepository.co.uk which has free shipping to anywhere in the world factored into all its list prices. I did a quick comparison and found that it was at least 10% cheaper to buy a print book from the UK (including shipping to the other side of the world) than to buy the ebook from Dymocks in Australia.

This just highlighted to me how ridiculous book prices in general are in Australia.

Also Dymocks doesn't really have any bestsellers in its digital catalogue. Does anyone know why this is?
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Old 08-12-2008, 07:10 PM   #2
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Dymocks hasn't realized it doesn't have a captive market. Also, read this:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...801#post181801
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Old 08-12-2008, 09:54 PM   #3
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Thanks to you both for the original rant and the link. Angus and Robertsons isn't much better, but at least they have a shop in Launceston.

Their prices and attitudes are one of the reasons I went to ebooks.

Regards, Alex
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Old 08-12-2008, 10:20 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nate the great View Post
Dymocks hasn't realized it doesn't have a captive market. Also, read this:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...801#post181801
~ahem~ Thanks, Nate (I think ).

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexBell View Post
Thanks to you both for the original rant and the link. Angus and Robertsons isn't much better, but at least they have a shop in Launceston.

Their prices and attitudes are one of the reasons I went to ebooks.

Regards, Alex
A&R Whitcoulls (incl. Angus and Robertson, a.k.a. "Gus & Bob") have recently (June 2008) purchased Borders Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Gus and Bob (as bookstores) seem to have gone off the boil over the last few years, so here's hoping the purchase injects some revitalising nutrient into them (and vice versa), and by extension into the concept of "competition", in spite of its reduction of same in number.

Cheers,
Marc
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Old 08-13-2008, 05:50 AM   #5
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The whole point about eBooks is that you DON'T have to buy them in one specific country. If they're too expensive in Australia, then don't buy them in Australia - use world-wide stores like FictionWise or BooksOnBoard.
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Old 08-13-2008, 06:17 AM   #6
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When you purchase from Fictionwise or Books on Board, purchasing e-books is considerably cheaper than buying the equivalent print book here in Australia. I have no idea why we pay such premium prices for books here and wont do so anymore. I have to desperately want the book to buy a print copy unless of course it is a photography type book which current e-reading devices cant display well as yet.
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Old 08-13-2008, 06:39 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by HarryT View Post
The whole point about eBooks is that you DON'T have to buy them in one specific country. If they're too expensive in Australia, then don't buy them in Australia - use world-wide stores like FictionWise or BooksOnBoard.
Exactly, Harry.

Cheers,
Marc
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Old 08-13-2008, 08:48 AM   #8
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I spoke to a worker in Borders, Sydney, last month and he told me that the financial consortium that owns A & R had bought Borders but they were both going to be run as seperate concerns.
I would think Dymocks would have to charge 10% GST for the ebooks they sell while ebooks from overseas would avoid this. Still leaves Dymocks charging to much.

Laine
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