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See Full StoryThe recent outcry over used book sales on Amazon, where a shopper can find a used book
for a fraction of the cover price on the same page as the new book, is the ultimate
tempest in a teapot. When Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos talks about the company's sale of used
books, he seems to truly believe what he's saying. The only problem is that he's wrong --
and so, for that matter, are the people he's arguing with.
Re: Bugging Over Bezos' Bargain Book Bin
Posted by: drneville 2002-04-19 13:31:58 In reply to: Keith Regan
I'm afraid Mr. Regan's logic is flawed. An excerpt from his article:
"Meanwhile, Bezos' argument in favor of used books is about as weak as they get. Sure, book buyers might be more inclined to return and buy books, but if they buy the used version of Author X's book the first time and return to buy another writer's work the next time, Author X is still out royalty money."
The idea is that there are MILLIONS of customers out there! Maybe Author X misses out with this one customer-- but there are a bunch of other people buying new copies of his/her book that wouldn't have otherwise. Mr. Regan ADMITS in the excerpt above that people are returning to buy more books-- the flaw is his focus on a single customer's behavior-- rather than looking at the net effect of all customers together. I, for one, believe that the goal is *not* to just re-slice the total book-sale pie between used & new, but rather to make a bigger pie! That way everyone wins. Books are accessible to a broader range of customers at various price points, and in turn, people purchase more books-- new & used. Quibbling over royalties in the short term misses the big, long-term opportunity.
Please, Mr. Regan, think this one through.
"Meanwhile, Bezos' argument in favor of used books is about as weak as they get. Sure, book buyers might be more inclined to return and buy books, but if they buy the used version of Author X's book the first time and return to buy another writer's work the next time, Author X is still out royalty money."
The idea is that there are MILLIONS of customers out there! Maybe Author X misses out with this one customer-- but there are a bunch of other people buying new copies of his/her book that wouldn't have otherwise. Mr. Regan ADMITS in the excerpt above that people are returning to buy more books-- the flaw is his focus on a single customer's behavior-- rather than looking at the net effect of all customers together. I, for one, believe that the goal is *not* to just re-slice the total book-sale pie between used & new, but rather to make a bigger pie! That way everyone wins. Books are accessible to a broader range of customers at various price points, and in turn, people purchase more books-- new & used. Quibbling over royalties in the short term misses the big, long-term opportunity.
Please, Mr. Regan, think this one through.
