Amazon Kindle pricing

looksee

I just checked Amazon.com for the third book in a series (Robin Hobb City of Dragons) - I recently got the first two for Kindle. The book came up at $17.09 which seemed expensive. The paperback is apparently only available this month, but the Kindle version is there, also book 4.

So I logged into my husbands user page and checked the price, and it came up at $11.04. Since he doesn't have a kindle I figured I couldn't download from there, so I signed in on his page in my name. $17.09. Then realised I could download through my computer onto my kindle, so signed in again in his Amazon account, price says $11.04, set up kindle and computer and go to purchase. It does some sort of double shuffle and offers to sell it to me for $17.09.

So is this some sort of scam, or is it just a mistake? Odd that it shows one price in my account and another in his, even before logging in. Has anyone else come across this? Would someone like to check the price on a different computer and see what you get?

Thanks.

Polar101

Seems to be the same for me. $17.09 if I'm logged in with my account, $11.04 if I'm logged out.

I have a Kindle tied to my account.

Difference Engine

Might be different pricing because you are buying it from Ireland rather than the US.

I haven't come across this before but I have found certain books I couldn't download because I was not in the US.

It might because different publishers own the rights in different countries but I'm not sure.

Amazon were caught out a few years ago charging customers different prices when they logged in, I think that was based on purchase history.

This is happening to other people as well so I doubt it's that. More likely due to location.

looksee

Difference Engine wrote: »

Might be different pricing because you are buying it from Ireland rather than the US.

I haven't come across this before but I have found certain books I couldn't download because I was not in the US.

It might because different publishers own the rights in different countries but I'm not sure.

Amazon were caught out a few years ago charging customers different prices when they logged in, I think that was based on purchase history.

This is happening to other people as well so I doubt it's that. More likely due to location.

But you would be buying it here from either account, that doesn't explain the difference. I think the fact that I have read books 1 and 2 on kindle is significant.

Edit, sorry, I see what you mean about purchase history, that's true. Hmm

dudara

Exact same issue for me, and I haven't read any of the previous Robin Hobb books.

I think the best explanation is because we're based in Europe. At first the Amazon site will think you're in the US, but once you log in, it knows you're in the EU/Ireland.

Difference Engine

looksee wrote: »

But you would be buying it here from either account, that doesn't explain the difference. I think the fact that I have read books 1 and 2 on kindle is significant.

Edit, sorry, I see what you mean about purchase history, that's true. Hmm

When you register your Kindle you have to put down the country you're in iirc. Since you have a Kindle linked to your account but your OH doesn't maybe that's what's causing the difference.

looksee

I bought the first two books in the series onto my kindle, one was around $6 and the other around $8, and got them at the price advertised.

I have emailed Amazon.com, I'll let you know what they say

looksee

Got a reply, yes its the regional thing. Going to have to wait to read it, I am not paying $17 for a kindle book!

hdowney

I don't blame you that is a complete joke. How can a kindle book be DEARER in some cases than a hard back of the book?!?

nompere

hdowney wrote: »

I don't blame you that is a complete joke. How can a kindle book be DEARER in some cases than a hard back of the book?!?

There's no VAT on a physical book. There is on a download.

ThisRegard

Difference Engine wrote: »

Might be different pricing because you are buying it from Ireland rather than the US.

I haven't come across this before but I have found certain books I couldn't download because I was not in the US.

It might because different publishers own the rights in different countries but I'm not sure.

Amazon were caught out a few years ago charging customers different prices when they logged in, I think that was based on purchase history.

This is happening to other people as well so I doubt it's that. More likely due to location.

This is what it's down to. Had the same issue a while back and had an online chat with a rep. I figured that was the reason but was chancing my arm I'd get it at the cheaper price but the difference in pricing is due to geographical reasons, local taxes, rights issues and all that sort of stuff.

And the reason for what seems to be very expensive ebooks compared to the physical copies is a publisher thing.

hdowney

nompere wrote: »

There's no VAT on a physical book. There is on a download.

But VAT isn't the amount that some of the books come to. Like the difference in price in some cases between the book and the download is massive, far more than the VAT on the book

mossie

Sorry for resurrecting this thread but I have had a similar issue with amazon.co.uk. It shows one price (£5.50) in the search and another in the product details (£7.12) for a particular book and I'm logged in at all times, and VAT doesn't explain the difference. The Customer rep says it's due to "digital rights differences" between the UK and Ireland but when I asked why they can't show the Irish price for Irish searches she said she would have to refer to their technical team. At the very least they should state "UK price - international prices may differ" or something to that effect. Looking through other kindle books and other products it seems to crop up here and there, sometime the charges are actually less, usually more. Not too happy with Amazon right now.