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Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

nytimes.com

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Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#3
post #2

With Amazon playing the game of undercutting the entire market until everyone else is dead, the only way to win is not to play. Every single purchase from Amazon — book or otherwise — is a vote for Bezos' monopoly over your culture.

In what world is pricing a digital version of a book slightly below its dead-tree variant "undercutting"?

This is not publishers shutting out Amazon, this is publishers shutting out digital books, and they have been doing so all along, consistently pricing ebooks at the same or higher price of print copies and colluding with Apple in a price fixing scheme.

Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#4
post #2

With Amazon playing the game of undercutting the entire market until everyone else is dead, the only way to win is not to play. Every single purchase from Amazon — book or otherwise — is a vote for Bezos' monopoly over your culture.

Amazon is creating value by reducing waste and streamlining distribution of goods. They operate in a fair market, and if they ever raise their prices later they'll be undercut by someone else, so they don't have a monopoly which you should fear. They do have some DRM in place with Kindles and such, but I believe you're overblowing this. What are you worried about in particular?

Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#5
post #2

With Amazon playing the game of undercutting the entire market until everyone else is dead, the only way to win is not to play. Every single purchase from Amazon — book or otherwise — is a vote for Bezos' monopoly over your culture.

Amazon is creating value by reducing waste and streamlining distribution of goods. They operate in a fair market, and if they ever raise their prices later they'll be undercut by someone else, so they don't have a monopoly which you should fear. They do have some DRM in place with Kindles and such, but I believe you're overblowing this. What are you worried about in particular?

I buy a lot of books, mainly used, mainly physical. In most cases, I find that I can get as good or better price vie Abebooks as through Amazon.

Amazon, like Walmart, while it saves money for consumers, takes a lot of that money out of producers' margins. Selling through Amazon is a low-margin business.

Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#6
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon is creating value by reducing waste and streamlining distribution of goods. They operate in a fair market, and if they ever raise their prices later they'll be undercut by someone else, so they don't have a monopoly which you should fear. They do have some DRM in place with Kindles and such, but I believe you're overblowing this. What are you worried about in particular?

I buy a lot of books, mainly used, mainly physical. In most cases, I find that I can get as good or better price vie Abebooks as through Amazon. Amazon, like Walmart, while it saves money for consumers, takes a lot of that money out of producers' margins. Selling through Amazon is a low-margin business.

a) It's not clearly wrong to reduce producer margins. b) Buying used is the ultimate way to take money out of producers margins!

Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#7
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon is creating value by reducing waste and streamlining distribution of goods. They operate in a fair market, and if they ever raise their prices later they'll be undercut by someone else, so they don't have a monopoly which you should fear. They do have some DRM in place with Kindles and such, but I believe you're overblowing this. What are you worried about in particular?

I buy a lot of books, mainly used, mainly physical. In most cases, I find that I can get as good or better price vie Abebooks as through Amazon. Amazon, like Walmart, while it saves money for consumers, takes a lot of that money out of producers' margins. Selling through Amazon is a low-margin business.

You are aware that Amazon owns Abebooks?

Re: Shunning Amazon, Booksellers Resist a Transformation

#10
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon is creating value by reducing waste and streamlining distribution of goods. They operate in a fair market, and if they ever raise their prices later they'll be undercut by someone else, so they don't have a monopoly which you should fear. They do have some DRM in place with Kindles and such, but I believe you're overblowing this. What are you worried about in particular?

I buy a lot of books, mainly used, mainly physical. In most cases, I find that I can get as good or better price vie Abebooks as through Amazon. Amazon, like Walmart, while it saves money for consumers, takes a lot of that money out of producers' margins. Selling through Amazon is a low-margin business.

Well like any other good company out there, Amazon has not interest to squeeze their producers too much, because they would be killing their own business in the process. The art is to squeeze them just enough so that they feel pressure but still can survive and make money - which is exactly what is happening. Of course, for producers who have not felt any pressure to change for the past xxxx years, ANY pressure feels like extortion. But it's just normal business negotiation like everywhere else. Now their business is catching up as well, that is all.
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