Could Amazon Create a Marketplace for Used eBooks? 1 comment
A few days ago at Slashgear, Chris Davies wrote an interesting article in which he ponders the possibility of Amazon creating a marketplace where readers could sell their used ebooks, with both Amazon and publishers taking a cut from such sales.
For readers, this would be an attractive idea. Some are hesitant to switch from pbooks to ebooks as when you purchase a digital book you do not get an actual physical copy which you can then freely loan out or sell as used when you are finished with it like you do with paper books.
When you buy an ebook with DRM you are basically purchasing a license to read it. When you are finished, you can of course keep the file on your ereader or other device, or your computer, or hopefully it will remain in your cloud library should you wish to download and read it again in the future. But how many of the books that you read will you actually want to read again, especially if the book in question is a novel? Most readers would probably be more than happy to trade in or sell titles that they have read already.
For publishers, many of whom are already nervous about ebooks, this concept would be sure to raise serious and probably legitimate questions about such reselling of used ebooks cannibalizing sales of new editions. For one thing, if you purchase a used pbook, you expect it to show some wear and tear. A “used” ebook on the other hand would be virtually indistinguishable from a new ebook. So why would anyone choose to buy a new ebook rather than a previously owned one?
Perhaps such a marketplace could be restricted to older titles. Also, if publishers were to receive a portion of used ebook sales that would at least be more than they receive from the sale of used paper books.
At any rate, it is an interesting concept, though not one that I would expect to see the light of day any time soon.
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One Response to 'Could Amazon Create a Marketplace for Used eBooks?'
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IMO this probably needs to happen. When talking about ebooks, sellers and publishers need to attract more readers. Avid readers like in my family do not have enough leisure money to buy as many books as we read purchasing new. Trading used books or just buying used is really the only way for those of us not in a wealthy bracket.
What the industry has to consider is that I can walk into a used book store, spend $3, walk out the door and begin reading my book instantly.
Ebooks require me to pay full price (usually the same or close to the pbook price) and then buy an ebook reader! It would be like you had to buy a $150 licence to read a pbook first!
I’d feel fine knowing that part of the used price would be going to the publisher, hopefully the writer, and the reseller.
I honestly think sales would increase tremendously.