Comments on: Amazon Charges a Penny After France Bans Free Shipping

By: USAF

USAF — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 09:01:22 +0000

Ah, I see better now. Thanks Marquejaune for the clarification about ‘free.’ That also along with Cora’s note, puts a different persepctive on the 1 penny trope.

I raise a mug [old habit] of micro from across the ocean to you!

By: Cora Buhlert

Cora Buhlert — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 02:25:52 +0000

In Germany, shipping is also free for all books, regardless of price. For non-book items (including blank notebooks for some reason) shipping is only free for orders above 20 EUR. Prime members get free “priority” shipping in general, though I don’t know anybody who bothers with Prime, cause it’s just not worth it.

By: Cora Buhlert

Cora Buhlert — Tue, 15 Jul 2014 02:20:35 +0000

I’m anosmic, i.e. I have no sense of smell, and I still prefer print books. Which doesn’t mean that e-books aren’t “real books”, cause they absolutely are. However, for some people it’s simply not their preferred format.

By: Jim Self

Jim Self — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 23:39:10 +0000

What a great way to make a statement though, right? Now the question has been changed from “is free shipping unfair” to “exactly how much should shipping cost?”

Politicians LOVE making cheap, easy arguments like “fatcat companies throwing away money on free shipping is unfair.” They HATE having to actually take a stand on real-world particulars.

Is it just me, or is Amazon being pretty bold in showing some attitude lately? And don’t you love it?

By: Richard L.

Richard L. — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 20:49:19 +0000

In fact, so far as I know, US Amazon Prime members not only get two day shipping on books, they also get free shipping as well, with no minimum dollar limit.

By: Alan Spade

Alan Spade — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 19:53:23 +0000

Thanks for the link Marquejaune, I understand better. And yes, you guessed right for the price I set on the Createspace book.

I replied too quickly (without checking my own prices) and in fact, Createspace and Amazon don’t discount any Createspace book (on the contrary, they price Createspace’s book around €1 higher than my own price, so I have to lower myself the price of Createspace’s book to match the price of the retailers of my Lightning Source’s books, like La Fnac).

By: Marquejaune

Marquejaune — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 19:16:19 +0000

In France all book shipping was free before the new law, at whatever price (contrary to US where delivery is free only above 25$ of sales). PRIME members had only the advantage of being delivered more rapidly (and other non-book related advantages of course).

By: Marquejaune

Marquejaune — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 19:07:54 +0000

Thanks for these comments USAF.
My closest neighbour here is a US Army officer posted to Europe. He just brought me tonight three bottles of micro-brewery beer and I will drink them to eternal French-American friendship, despite… despite what ?
I think the one-cent-delivery is a t the same time a nah-nah from amazon AND the only business move they are allowed to stay as close as possible to the lowest prices possible.

By: USAF

USAF — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:57:31 +0000

Just the mouse holding the sign at the feet of the demonstrators. The sign says, Amazon shipping is not free. Only ‘prime members’ who pay around $79 to $99 dollars a year for the service get ‘free shipping.’ Free it seems, is seldom free at Amaz.

It would seem that $79-$99 annually x 3M+/- would add up … hugely. I wonder why that income/cost is not understood, rather than ‘free shipping’. Or was Amz cutting a different deal in France, as in no pre-pay annual prime membership fee, and shipping without any cost to buyer for reallies?

By: USAF

USAF — Mon, 14 Jul 2014 18:52:20 +0000

thank you Richard L and Marquejaune for answering.

I still dont get the ‘animus’ if there is one, behind the 1 penny, as it seems less a staple business choice and more a commentary somehow on France’s way of lawmaking. I could be wrong. [There's a long friendship between France and the US, including many many of our boys are buried in France, buried by French citizens in WWI and WWII, their graves to this day taken care of by French citizens] there are many reasons in my mind to never make this ‘France legislature vs USA megolith,’ some kind of global condemnation of nations. Just my .02