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Amazon buisness practices

For discussion about particular book sellers (brick-and-mortar bookstores, online book sellers, auction sites, swap sites, etc.)
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Michy
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Post by Michy » Mon January 10th, 2011, 4:14 pm

[quote=""Divia""]Yeah I told my mom to buy used stuff from Amazon and she said what's the point when they are only a dollar or two of and then the shipping jacks up the price so much.[/quote] I almost never have to pay shipping when I order things from Amazon. For instance, I just ordered 3 items and, because my order was over $25, I had the option of choosing free shipping (the only trade-off is that it takes a couple of days longer to receive the items). So, between the lower prices to begin with, no shipping and no sales tax, the cost of acquiring books from Amazon is pretty tough for a bricks-and-mortar store to beat. The obvious advantage to buying from a bricks-and-mortar store is that you get the books instantly and don't have to wait for them. Of course, my shopping at Amazon is limited to books and CDs, so it may be different with other types of merchandise.....

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Mon January 10th, 2011, 10:44 pm

I almost never have to pay shipping when I order things from Amazon.
That's true if you order books that Amazon stocks. If you order a book from a third-party seller, you have to pay shipping on each book ordered from a different seller (and there's no way, so far as I know, to scan one seller's offerings so as to order from just one third-party seller and get a consolidated shipping price). That's not necessarily a bad deal, even though it can seem outrageous to pay $3.99 shipping on a book that costs a penny - you're still getting a book for $4.00. However, I always make a point of making my purchase decision on the price of the book plus the shipping cost - otherwise, it can be kind of shocking when I get to the check-out cart. There are times when, even with Amazon's twist-the-seller's-arm low pricing policies, ordering from Powell's or another online store is actually less expensive once the shipping costs are added in.
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

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Michy
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Post by Michy » Mon January 10th, 2011, 11:12 pm

[quote=""Margaret""](and there's no way, so far as I know, to scan one seller's offerings so as to order from just one third-party seller and get a consolidated shipping price). [/quote] There is a way to do this. If you click on an item from a third-party seller, and then click on the seller, it will bring up their profile. Then you will see a button that says "view seller's storefront"; if you click on that, it will show you all of the items they have listed for sale.

And what you say about considering the total cost is true. I once ordered a hardback from a seller that was $2, and shipping was $4. I didn't get upset about the shipping, because I thought "$6 for a hardback isn't bad."

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Margaret
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Post by Margaret » Tue January 11th, 2011, 5:12 am

Thanks for the tip, Michy! I'll be making use of it in the future.
Browse over 5000 historical novel listings (probably well over 5000 by now, but I haven't re-counted lately) and over 700 reviews at www.HistoricalNovels.info

writerinthenorth
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Well worth reading

Post by writerinthenorth » Tue January 11th, 2011, 10:21 am

Great article, Faith. Thanks for sharing it. I couldn't find the comments you refer to, though.

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fljustice
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Post by fljustice » Wed January 12th, 2011, 3:07 am

[quote=""writerinthenorth""]Great article, Faith. Thanks for sharing it. I couldn't find the comments you refer to, though.[/quote]

I double checked the link and (on my browser) the comments are at the end of the article...60 at last count!

And Michy, I heard an NPR business program, shortly after this article came out, discuss discriminatory pricing by online retailers, and the reporter said it was perfectly legal. It certainly put me off. Sorry I don't remember which show or I would point you to the podcast.
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sweetpotatoboy
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Post by sweetpotatoboy » Wed January 12th, 2011, 5:37 pm

Very interesting and kind of scary. It doesn't strike me that Amazon is doing anything illegal. But when one entity has such a dominant market share, their ability to dictate terms is worrying and potentially bullying. Charging different customers different prices happens all the time in other sectors; we're just not used to it in bookstores.
I don't think we should forget what a boon to booklovers Amazon has been in many respects. (For me, apart from cheap prices, it's the access to low-volume sellers, out-of-print and overseas (mainly US) publications that you can't get affordably in physical stores.) The fact that it has done so for commercial rather than cultural interests doesn't make it any less of a boon.
I recognise its tactics and think a bit less of the company for them. But I don't intend to cut off my nose to spite my face if it makes sense for me to buy from Amazon. At the same time, I spread my custom across other stores where the price or availability is better.
One of the best things Amazon has gone is create a model that others have followed and there are certainly other online stores that deserve a higher profile.

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Michy
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Post by Michy » Wed January 12th, 2011, 7:24 pm

[quote=""fljustice""]And Michy, I heard an NPR business program, shortly after this article came out, discuss discriminatory pricing by online retailers, and the reporter said it was perfectly legal. It certainly put me off. [/quote]
Most definitely! If I were purchasing something at a bricks-and-mortar store and knew that the customer next to me in line was paying a different price for the same product -- coupons aside -- I would be pretty upset! And in addition it seems to give online retailers yet another unfair advantage over bricks-and-mortar retailers.
[quote=""sweetpotatoboy""]Charging different customers different prices happens all the time in other sectors; we're just not used to it in bookstores. [/quote]I was not aware of this; what other types of business charge different customers different prices for the same items (forget things like insurance companies; I mean retailers who sell physical merchandise)
But I don't intend to cut off my nose to spite my face if it makes sense for me to buy from Amazon.
Me neither! I will continue to buy from Amazon. For me, anyway, their huge advantage is the availability to find almost any title, no matter how obscure.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Wed January 12th, 2011, 8:15 pm

[quote=""Margaret""]That's true if you order books that Amazon stocks. If you order a book from a third-party seller, you have to pay shipping on each book ordered from a different seller (and there's no way, so far as I know, to scan one seller's offerings so as to order from just one third-party seller and get a consolidated shipping price). That's not necessarily a bad deal, even though it can seem outrageous to pay $3.99 shipping on a book that costs a penny - you're still getting a book for $4.00. However, I always make a point of making my purchase decision on the price of the book plus the shipping cost - otherwise, it can be kind of shocking when I get to the check-out cart. There are times when, even with Amazon's twist-the-seller's-arm low pricing policies, ordering from Powell's or another online store is actually less expensive once the shipping costs are added in.[/quote]

I know I've mentioned this on another thread, but some of the used booksellers on Amazon are signing on to the Super Saver route. I.e. if you've a book you're considering, click on the seller options. If there's one of those you'll see Fulfilment by Amazon. I've seen some in the $2-$3 range, well under the $4 norm with S&H. Just another option to pad your order to $25 without adding another $20 book.

One added bonus, the ones I've received so far from these shippers go first class instead of Media Mail, and the added bonus of a tracking #.
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