Sony Reader on pre-order at the Fnac (France) ; ebooks coming soon too !

zelda_pinwheel · 09-16-2008, 08:27 AM

Eagle-eyed member bookainss has spotted the new pre-order page for the Sony Reader on the site of the Fnac. As announced it can be had for 299€ ; delivery scheduled for the 23 October.

But what about books ??? After all, a Sony is very pretty but if there's nothing inside it's not much use... taking a look around the site I discovered that ebooks will be coming soon to the site as well. They announce "more than 2000 books to download" exclusively on fnac.com including the best of the new litterary season, fundamental works and classics. The page doubles as an ad for the Sony Reader with several testimonials from some lucky people who apparently got their sticky paws on an advance reader !

So what do you think of this offer ? Will French publishers finally catch on ? With the help of the (very well-known chain) Fnac will ebooks finally gain some much-needed visibility in France ? Will the french reading public throw themselves on ebooks with joy or cry "blasphemy ! we want paper !" ? Will they think 299€ is a bit steep given the price you can get the Sony for in the States, and the current exchange rate ???? Find out more in the next episode, same bat-time, same bat-channel !

kesey · 09-16-2008, 08:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

Will they think 299€ is a bit steep given the price you can get the Sony for in the States, and the current exchange rate

The price of the PRS-505 in Ireland is €249.00
In the UK, it is £199.00. You can use the following to do a quick currency comparision:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi

In short, FNAC are being hungry buggers in asking €299 for the 505. Anyone coming to Ireland (maybe to see Montauban or Clermont Auvergne play Munster

) or to the UK could buy a 505 for €50 cheaper than at home.

igorsk · 09-16-2008, 08:56 AM

Oh wow, 2000 books. I had no idea the French write so much

Slite · 09-16-2008, 09:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Oh wow, 2000 books. I had no idea the French write so much

Be nice to the french.... They can't help themselves

HarryT · 09-16-2008, 09:06 AM

Please don't make offensive comments.

Thanks.

zelda_pinwheel · 09-16-2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kesey

The price of the PRS-505 in Ireland is €249.00
In the UK, it is £199.00. You can use the following to do a quick currency comparision:

http://www.xe.com/ucc/convert.cgi

In short, FNAC are being hungry buggers in asking €299 for the 505. Anyone coming to Ireland (maybe to see Montauban or Clermont Auvergne play Munster

) or to the UK could buy a 505 for €50 cheaper than at home.

i don't know if it is the Fnac or Sony who are being hungry buggers but i agree that 299€ is pretty outrageous price... the price in the US 299$ and that translates to 210€, according to your conversion site... that is almost 100€ less than the french price !!! 1/3 less !! even with the cost of shipping it would be less expensive to buy it overseas. I doesn't seem like the optimal way to launch a product in a market which knows almost nothing about this product (france seems overall not too aware of ebooks, which surprises me given how many ebook-related companies are actually based here : bookeen, mobipocket, numilog... probably more i don't know about) so they will have to educate people and create interest to sell them. on top of that, they start with a price that is 30% higher than the identical product in the US. it seems like a bad strategy. i sincerely hope it will work, because it would be good for ebooks overall, but i know i personally would not pay that price for a sony.

Slite · 09-16-2008, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Please don't make offensive comments.

Thanks.

I hope you noted the big s**t-eating grin after my comment, it was absolutley not ment as an offensive comment.

HarryT · 09-16-2008, 09:14 AM

I know you were joking, but it's very easy to misunderstand the tone of such things. Best to avoid them, if you can.

HarryT · 09-16-2008, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

i don't know if it is the Fnac or Sony who are being hungry buggers but i agree that 299€ is pretty outrageous price... the price in the US 299$ and that translates to 210€, according to your conversion site... that is almost 100€ less than the french price !!!

Surely the French price includes 19.6% VAT, doesn't it? That makes the difference rather less, although it is still more expensive, certainly.

Slite · 09-16-2008, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Surely the French price includes 19.6% VAT, doesn't it? That makes the difference rather less, although it is still more expensive, certainly.

Isn't it also often the "normal" way to translate the pricing between EU and the US? We take the price in USD and slap a Euro sign in front of it? And vice versa

zelda_pinwheel · 09-16-2008, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Surely the French price includes 19.6% VAT, doesn't it? That makes the difference rather less, although it is still more expensive, certainly.

oh yes, it does, but don't you pay VAT in the UK and Ireland as well ? i don't know the rates, but surely it can't make a difference of 50€ can it ?

zelda_pinwheel · 09-16-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slite

Isn't it also often the "normal" way to translate the pricing between EU and the US? We take the price in USD and slap a Euro sign in front of it? And vice versa

it might be common practice but that doesn't mean it's right. and i can still complain about it.

kesey · 09-16-2008, 09:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by igorsk

Oh wow, 2000 books. I had no idea the French write so much

It's quality, not quantity, you need

I refer you for example to HarryT's uploads of Dumas. Not to mind Camus, Proust, Joyce and Beckett:-)

Slite · 09-16-2008, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it might be common practice but that doesn't mean it's right. and i can still complain about it.

It's definitly not right, and yes, you have my benign permission to complain about it. Just that it seems to be the same about most things.

I really want to buy a PopCorn A-110, checked the US site, and it sells for 215 USD there, checked a reseller in Sweden, and the price was more or less the same, plus our VAT which is the highest in the EU thank you very much. So I figured thats what they do for most items.

Which basicly sucks donkey genitalia as far as I am concerned.

HarryT · 09-16-2008, 09:25 AM

Yes, we do pay VAT, of course, although at a slightly lower rate (17.5% compared to your 19.6%).

It is a little cheaper in the UK and Ireland compared to France, yes. We're paying €212 excluding VAT; you're paying €250 excluding VAT.

09-16-2008, 08:27 AM	#1
zelda_pinwheel zeldinha zippy zeldissima Posts: 27,827 Karma: 921169 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Paris, France Device: eb1150 & is that a nook in her pocket, or she just happy to see you?	Sony Reader on pre-order at the Fnac (France) ; ebooks coming soon too ! Eagle-eyed member bookainss has spotted the new pre-order page for the Sony Reader on the site of the Fnac. As announced it can be had for 299€ ; delivery scheduled for the 23 October. But what about books ??? After all, a Sony is very pretty but if there's nothing inside it's not much use... taking a look around the site I discovered that ebooks will be coming soon to the site as well. They announce "more than 2000 books to download" exclusively on fnac.com including the best of the new litterary season, fundamental works and classics. The page doubles as an ad for the Sony Reader with several testimonials from some lucky people who apparently got their sticky paws on an advance reader ! So what do you think of this offer ? Will French publishers finally catch on ? With the help of the (very well-known chain) Fnac will ebooks finally gain some much-needed visibility in France ? Will the french reading public throw themselves on ebooks with joy or cry "blasphemy ! we want paper !" ? Will they think 299€ is a bit steep given the price you can get the Sony for in the States, and the current exchange rate ???? Find out more in the next episode, same bat-time, same bat-channel !

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09-16-2008, 08:56 AM	#3
igorsk Wizard Posts: 3,442 Karma: 300001 Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Belgium Device: PRS-500/505/700, Kindle, Cybook Gen3, Words Gear	Oh wow, 2000 books. I had no idea the French write so much

09-16-2008, 09:06 AM	#5
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Please don't make offensive comments. Thanks.

09-16-2008, 09:14 AM	#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	I know you were joking, but it's very easy to misunderstand the tone of such things. Best to avoid them, if you can.

09-16-2008, 09:25 AM	#15
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Yes, we do pay VAT, of course, although at a slightly lower rate (17.5% compared to your 19.6%). It is a little cheaper in the UK and Ireland compared to France, yes. We're paying €212 excluding VAT; you're paying €250 excluding VAT.

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