Amazon AutoRip is crazy

[d000hg]

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.

[SimonMac]

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.

It's the same with most kindle versions of books, someone has told me why they are more expensive than the printed ones but for the life of me I still struggle with the concept!

[eek]

It's the same with most kindle versions of books, someone has told me why they are more expensive than the printed ones but for the life of me I still struggle with the concept!

kindle books are electronic media and therefore subject to VAT......

[TheFaQQer]

kindle books are electronic media and therefore subject to VAT......

Yep.

If you search the top freebies every so often you can get a bargain though. Publishers sell them at free or next to nothing, which then means that they can publish the paperback with the line "Number 1 Best Seller" at a higher price. Most of my Kindle books have been dirt cheap or free, but when I've looked for the same book again a few weeks later, the price has jumped.

[vetran]

kindle books are electronic media and therefore subject to VAT......

True but they don't incur the production & distribution costs normal books do.

I suspect the profit on eBooks is considerably higher than paper.

[d000hg]

eBooks also had the publisher setting pricing, unlike paper books where Amazon buy them and sell them for whatever they choose. I'm not sure if this has now been changed in the wake of the huge price-fixing row.

[d000hg]

True but they don't incur the production & distribution costs normal books do.

I suspect the profit on eBooks is considerably higher than paper.

I read somewhere the production costs are actually pretty minimal on a big run. But market forces are of course a factor - what will people pay.

[eek]

True but they don't incur the production & distribution costs normal books do.

I suspect the profit on eBooks is considerably higher than paper.

Not really I can point to a whole set of blog posts to prove the point if you insist.

Fixed production costs are the same whether it's electronic or paper. The only differences are:

Printing costs ( which are surprisingly little)
Distribution costs which are different.

But I don't think the profits are that different because amazon still pockets the majority of those

[vetran]

Not really I can point to a whole set of blog posts to prove the point if you insist.

Fixed production costs are the same whether it's electronic or paper. The only differences are:

Printing costs ( which are surprisingly little)
Distribution costs which are different.

But I don't think the profits are that different because amazon still pockets the majority of those

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.

[d000hg]

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.

Well firstly if I understood you that only adds up to £6 and paperbacks seem to often be £7-8 these days (which is shocking).

But since we already mentioned e-books attract VAT and paper books don't, doesn't this pretty much perfectly make up for the £1-1.50 saving you calculated?