Seeing as I've already gone off on the price of comics in Australia I thought it would just do a quick post on the price of books. There's not too much to be said, but here's the example of why Australian physical bookshops could go the way of the dinosaur.
- Price of Charles Stross's short story collection Wireless on Book Depository: AUS $7.61 (inclusive of free shipping);
- Cheapest price of Wireless in Australia: $15.95 at Borders (inclusive of 'free' shipping)
Actually when I compared prices at www.booko.com I was surprised at the relative cheapness of the book at the Australian sellers, (between $10.95 ans 12.95) however these were primarily all online prices and when shipping was factored in all were raised to over $16.
Note: prices were as of 26 September 2010.
Note: prices were as of 26 September 2010.
Plus with statements such as the following on their sites-
- 'This title is not in stock and needs to be ordered from one of our suppliers.'
- 'This title is only available online and cannot be purchased through our retail stores.'
- 'This title is IN STOCK and will be shipped direct to you within 24 hours of you placing your order. You should expect to receive this within 10-12 working days after dispatch. Shipping from our overseas suppliers directly to you and sent via International Post'
I have seen Wireless retail in an independent bookstore on the shelf for $21.95.
I'm not saying that it can't be found cheaper in Australia somewhere, but there you go.
Well, there's not much choice to be made, and while the Aussie dollar continues to rise, it'll only get cheaper to buy books and comics from overseas.
No comments:
Post a Comment