medrin: matlab code with everything but 'hold on' blurred (Default)
medrin ([personal profile] medrin) wrote in [community profile] ebooks2016-03-01 12:01 pm

Amazon pricing weirdness

I've noticed that odd things are happening with the prices on Amazon with regards to ebooks.

I thought hey! I should finally read the Vorkosigan Saga! So I went on Amazon, searched for Bujold and scrolled down the list of books.
Shards of Honor $6.99
6.99! not bad! I should buy that! I click the link and
Shards of Honor $8.74
8.74. That's more. Actually that's quite a lot more. :(

I do some more poking around. And it's everywhere. All english language ebooks for all authors. 25% price increase between initially listed price and what it actually costs.

Worth noting at this point is that I'm in Sweden. And since there is no such thing as amazon.se I'm buying from amazon.com and see all the prices in USD. Which I've been doing for years without issues (except for the occasional 'this title is not available in your country' which makes me sad).

I've been trying to google about this issue and all I could find was that, yes, ebooks costs different in different countries. Which I knew. But I did not find anything about Amazon being this blatant about showing me a cheaper price which I am not actually allowed to buy books for!

Also, I've been trying to remember earlier books I've bought and I think I've mostly been paying the same amount for ebooks as everyone else just going on internet comments and so on. Not this 25% more for every book all the time. I'm pretty sure I would have noticed that earlier considering I usually look around before I buy a book.

Anyone have any idea what's going on?
fred_mouse: line drawing of sheep coloured in queer flag colours with dream bubble reading 'dreamwidth' (Default)

[personal profile] fred_mouse 2016-03-01 02:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Amazon has been doing two-tier pricing in Australia for quite some time. At least a year ago I was trying to get a Connie Willis book, and the prices I could get it in Australia (even allowing for currency conversion) were 4-5 times higher (and more expensive than I could have got a mass-market paperback for) than the initial advertised price.