{"id":465,"date":"2009-01-14T10:30:53","date_gmt":"2009-01-14T15:30:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ebookrumors.com\/?p=465"},"modified":"2009-01-14T15:38:34","modified_gmt":"2009-01-14T20:38:34","slug":"an-interesting-truth-at-the-ebook-online-store","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ebookrumors.com\/?p=465","title":{"rendered":"An Interesting Truth at the Ebook Online Store"},"content":{"rendered":"

They answer to\u00c2\u00a0http:\/\/www.ebook-mega-store.com\/<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0or the syntactically challenged: The Ebook Online Store <\/a>– download ebooks for $10 and less.<\/p>\n

This is their reason for being: “More eBooks \u00e2\u20ac\u201d more DISCOUNTS! Every eBook costs $10.00<\/strong>. The more you buy, the more discounts you earn. 2 Ebooks cost $19<\/strong>, 3 Ebooks cost $28<\/strong>, 4 Ebooks – $36<\/strong>, 5 Ebooks – $44<\/strong>, 6 – $51<\/strong>, 7 – $58<\/strong>, 8 – $65<\/strong>… 30 eBooks – $199<\/strong>…These are updated every few weeks.” They offer fiction, comic books and technical manuals.<\/p>\n

Does anybody buy eBooks that way? Uh, I just wanted one maybe two eBooks because I’ve come all the way down here, I might buy three; but I see that if I buy 30 titles for $199.00, then I’ll drop the individual price to\u00c2\u00a0$6.63 per\u00c2\u00a0book.\u00c2\u00a0 Excellent deal, yah? Now, what\u00c2\u00a030 titles do I need…<\/p>\n

It’s a twist on\u00c2\u00a0an old sales model.\u00c2\u00a0You pay less because you want\u00c2\u00a0more. (That\u00c2\u00a0usually applies to multiples of the same<\/em>\u00c2\u00a0item, doesn’t it?)\u00c2\u00a0I’m not sure how they justify\u00c2\u00a0the discount.<\/p>\n

There might be some incentive from the consumer side if it\u00c2\u00a0took more than\u00c2\u00a0the click of a mouse to visit the online store, if there was some\u00c2\u00a0bother to get there, fight through crowds and if getting home required\u00c2\u00a0putting the kids in the van and driving through traffic.<\/p>\n

And from the store’s point of view individual\u00c2\u00a0eBooks take up very little space on a server which flies in the face of\u00c2\u00a0the traditional idea behind discounted merchandise\u00c2\u00a0that was\u00c2\u00a0usually linked to a store being “overstocked” or it was time\u00c2\u00a0to move old merchandise to make room for the new. You can’t overstock a single file from which multiple copies can be downloaded, can you?\u00c2\u00a0 Whuh, am I missing something?<\/p>\n

The truth is: if they can offer the book for $6.63 when you buy 30, there’s no reason they can’t offer the same price for one. Is there some kind of voodoo they’re working to influence these prices? There isn’t some virtual clerk walking around there, packing stuff, stocking shelves…\u00c2\u00a0Strange…<\/p>\n

Unless they and other eBook sellers, are forced into no-win sales scenarios with the traditional publishing houses, and have to sell high for the right to offer the books… hmmm. That wouldn’t surprise me at all.\u00c2\u00a0So what kind of margin are they making that they can offer these items for ten or<\/em> six dollars?<\/p>\n

That’s something someone could please clear up for me. Anyone out there know what kind of deals these sellers have to work with?<\/p>\n

So, my test items, all of them from New Moon to Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth would cost you the same $10 for the one item, or $6.63 if you’ve got 28 other books you’d like to read. When<\/em> they get them. I see they don’t list those particular books as of Jan. 14\/09. They do offer many of\u00c2\u00a0Stephen King’s <\/a>books (again King…), and you know what, that might be one author you could name 30 titles for. But would you want to pay $199 for his publisher’s backlist as digital files?<\/p>\n

Not to sound too negative, but if you look around you’ll see the site’s a little drab. Could it hurt them to post a few book covers? But I do like the way they acknowledge an interesting truth about eBooks.<\/p>\n

There is no fundamental difference book to book to book that warrants a difference in price. They’re digital files right? Other than maybe slapping a premium on\u00c2\u00a0new releases (which will unfortunately encourage piracy) eBooks really should be available at affordable and relative prices. That way you can enjoy the author you know and love on your Kindle or Sony, or take a chance and try a new author… at the same low, low price. I think $5.00 and under is the direction this should be taking.<\/p>\n

We should keep an eye on this site. It’s delivery may be somewhat austere and two-dimensional, and\u00c2\u00a0$10 is still too much to charge for eBooks and avoid piracy, but the one price for all<\/em><\/strong> is my kind of thinking.<\/p>\n