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Amazon dumping reviews and changing prices

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Justin Swanton
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Amazon dumping reviews and changing prices

Post by Justin Swanton » Thu October 25th, 2012, 11:15 am

Has anyone else picked up on this? I have lost half the reviews of Centurion's Daughter but cannot find out by what criteria Amazon decides to remove reviews. Their official line - exclusion of reviewers with financial interest in the product - is arbitrary. How do they know?

Book prices: Amazon dropped the price of my novel from $17 to $7. I contacted my publisher and he said he had nothing to do with it - apparently the Wise Ones of Amazon decide to do 'sales' every now and then, whether the publisher/author wants it or not.

My question: is the there any way of giving the Great Khan a kick where it hurts and might even make him pay attention? This arbitrariness is really putting me off.
Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus.

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Misfit
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Post by Misfit » Thu October 25th, 2012, 2:39 pm

There's a fairly long thread on Amazon here. I've been following it sporadically so have little opinion to offer. I think I recall hearing some mention of this over at Dear Author, but I'm at work and don't have time to go hunting. They had links to other sites that have mentioned this.
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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Thu October 25th, 2012, 3:58 pm

[quote=""Justin Swanton""]Has anyone else picked up on this? I have lost half the reviews of Centurion's Daughter but cannot find out by what criteria Amazon decides to remove reviews. Their official line - exclusion of reviewers with financial interest in the product - is arbitrary. How do they know?[/quote]

I think they are, at least in part, using IP addresses. But there are pitfalls to this.
Book prices: Amazon dropped the price of my novel from $17 to $7. I contacted my publisher and he said he had nothing to do with it - apparently the Wise Ones of Amazon decide to do 'sales' every now and then, whether the publisher/author wants it or not.
You mean the ebook or the paperback? With the paperback especially, I don't think it's any different to a brick and mortar store putting a sale on certain books. Retailers can sell for whatever price they want.

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Justin Swanton
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Post by Justin Swanton » Fri October 26th, 2012, 5:16 am

[quote=""Mythica""]You mean the ebook or the paperback? With the paperback especially, I don't think it's any different to a brick and mortar store putting a sale on certain books. Retailers can sell for whatever price they want.[/quote]

The paperback. I was under the impression that Amazon was a marketplace rather than a retailer - i.e. they just give you 'shelf space' and take a percentage for the service.

Do they pay the publisher/author his original price even with discounts like this?
Nunquam minus solus quam cum solus.

Author of Centurion's Daughter

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Mythica
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Post by Mythica » Fri October 26th, 2012, 10:09 am

Amazon have a marketplace where third parties can sell but Amazon sells many products itself too. Note that on your book's page at Amazon it says "Ships from and sold by Amazon.com." In cases were they are merely the marketplace, it will not say this, it will specify something like "Ships from and sold by Adorama Camera." Example: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Digital-18- ... C6HOH9AVE6 - I used a photography retailer as an example because I don't know of any printed book retailers who sell through Amazon.

You may be able to set the list price for whatever you want but if it's by sold Amazon, which your book is, they are the retailer and can sell it for whatever they'd like. I imagine with print books Amazon pays a wholesale price, just like all retailers do, and then the stock is theirs to sell for whatever they'd like. The publisher has already been paid and probably doesn't care what the retailer sells it for... if the retailer wants to sell a portion of their stock for a loss, it's no skin off their back.

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Justin Swanton
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Post by Justin Swanton » Fri October 26th, 2012, 3:12 pm

Oh, right. Ta for the clarification.
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LoveHistory
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Post by LoveHistory » Mon October 29th, 2012, 11:22 pm

You're not the only one, Justin. They've removed valid reviews on other books, at times claiming that they were removed at the request of or withdrawn by the reviewer when that is not the case.

Helen_Davis

Post by Helen_Davis » Tue February 5th, 2013, 4:22 pm

Pardon my ignorance, but my novel is self published. Would they still do this to me?

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Post by DanielAWillis » Wed February 6th, 2013, 1:37 am

[quote=""Helen_Davis""]Pardon my ignorance, but my novel is self published. Would they still do this to me?[/quote]

I am self-published too and have been through this.

When Amazon has sold one of books in a sale, they have eaten the price difference. I still got the same amount.

I suppose they consider it a marketing expense becuase it encourages shoppers to buy from them rather than a competitor.
Daniel A. Willis
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Post by DanielAWillis » Wed February 6th, 2013, 1:41 am

[quote=""Justin Swanton""]Has anyone else picked up on this? I have lost half the reviews of Centurion's Daughter but cannot find out by what criteria Amazon decides to remove reviews. Their official line - exclusion of reviewers with financial interest in the product - is arbitrary. How do they know?
[/quote]


They only reviews I have seen pulled from my books were negative ones that were written by a guy I threatened to sue for plagarizing my work (litigation was unnecessary, his publisher voluntarily pulled the title in question).
Daniel A. Willis
Author: Chronicle of the Mages series
www.DanielAWillis.com

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