Amazon AutoRip is crazy

[TheFaQQer]

An album I wanted was £6 for MP3, or £4.50 on CD. The CD copy comes with a free MP3/online version thanks to autorip. On top of that, because Amazon are promoting electronic music, if you buy a CD you get £1 credit off your next MP3 purchase.

Amazon sent me an email this week telling me that my two CDs are now in my autorip section.

I bought these as presents, but now I have the MP3s available to me if I wanted to download them. It's only my honesty which prevents such a thing from happening

How quickly do they appear after purchase? For example, what's to stop you from ordering the CD, downloading the MP3s from Amazon for free, and then cancelling / returning the CD (apart from the legality)?

[eek]

If you could, I find it interesting.

I was sort of assuming that book costs were about 50p, distribution 50-£1. Author ~ £1 publisher £1.50 (including advertising) retailer ~ £2.50. with that eBooks are £1-£1.50 cheaper.

Try Common Misconceptions About Publishing: #1 - Charlie's Diary and go onward from there.

However remember book = paper -> no VAT
ebook = electronic media -> VAT (i.e. government takes 16.6% before you start working out figures)

[TheFaQQer]

Try Common Misconceptions About Publishing: #1 - Charlie's Diary and go onward from there.

However remember book = paper -> no VAT
ebook = electronic media -> VAT (i.e. government takes 16.6% before you start working out figures)

The government doesn't take 16.6%. Amazon charges you an additional 20% and then hands over 2-3% or whatever the VAT rate in Luxembourg is, and keeps the rest.

[eek]

The government doesn't take 16.6%. Amazon charges you an additional 20% and then hands over 2-3% or whatever the VAT rate in Luxembourg is, and keeps the rest.

True but I was trying to keep things as simple as possible. Multi country vat avoidance just adds more levels of complexity and confusion

[vetran]

Try Common Misconceptions About Publishing: #1 - Charlie's Diary and go onward from there.

However remember book = paper -> no VAT
ebook = electronic media -> VAT (i.e. government takes 16.6% before you start working out figures)

fascinating thanks.

I'm repped out otherwise you would have a positive.

[d000hg]

How quickly do they appear after purchase? For example, what's to stop you from ordering the CD, downloading the MP3s from Amazon for free, and then cancelling / returning the CD (apart from the legality)?

The moment you purchase, they are available in your cloud (online) player, which also offers you the opportunity to download instantly.

If you download it, you can't return the CD. I think you can stream it and still return, you'd have to check the T&Cs which definitely cover this but basically they have thought of it.