eBook Pricing Settlement

[Rico]

Hopefully this will lead to more eBook pricing competition and lower pricing.  Because it still bugs me to pay close to the same price a hardcover book would cost me for just the digital version of it.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/judge-approves-e-book-pricing-settlement-between-government-and-publishers/

[Dangelus]

They should look at digital comic prices next. They are seriously overpriced. I use Comixology app for the iPad but I can hardly afford to buy anything at £3.99 a comic. What's even more annoying is that it seems that books that are $3.99 are sold for £3.99 so I'm getting ripped off twice! Lol

[KingIsaacLinksr]

They should look at digital comic prices next. They are seriously overpriced. I use Comixology app for the iPad but I can hardly afford to buy anything at £3.99 a comic. What's even more annoying is that it seems that books that are $3.99 are sold for £3.99 so I'm getting ripped off twice! Lol

Yeah, I quit bothering with comic books when they decided to price that high.

As for the above, I hope it brings sanity to e-book pricing again as well. It's been stupid here lately

[Rico]

They should look at digital comic prices next. They are seriously overpriced. I use Comixology app for the iPad but I can hardly afford to buy anything at £3.99 a comic. What's even more annoying is that it seems that books that are $3.99 are sold for £3.99 so I'm getting ripped off twice! Lol

If you wait a few weeks after a new comic release the prices drop A LOT on many of them.  Typically from 3.99 to 1.99.  For example, the current Trek/Doctor Who crossover series (which is really good) is priced at 3.99 when each new issue comes out.  At that point all the previous issues drop to 1.99.  Much better deals than eBooks have been.  Those prices take forever to drop - if they ever do.  So comics are doing much better on the digital pricing front - in my opinion.

[Dangelus]

That's true and I understand why they are priced this way. The most popular titles are getting sales in the 80,000s when 15-20 years ago the circulations were in the millions so they cost more. Such a shame.

I've seen some good deals, don't get me wrong, and yeah if you wait they drop down but it's difficult to wait :)

[X]

That's true and I understand why they are priced this way. The most popular titles are getting sales in the 80,000s when 15-20 years ago the circulations were in the millions so they cost more. Such a shame.

I've seen some good deals, don't get me wrong, and yeah if you wait they drop down but it's difficult to wait :)

It's also to keep from saying screw you to the mom and pop retailers that run comic shops. If everything was below cover, that would pretty much destroy the hand that has been feeding them for a long while. I think it's only fair that we don't shaft the comic retailers in this whole thing.

[KingIsaacLinksr]

That's true and I understand why they are priced this way. The most popular titles are getting sales in the 80,000s when 15-20 years ago the circulations were in the millions so they cost more. Such a shame.

I've seen some good deals, don't get me wrong, and yeah if you wait they drop down but it's difficult to wait :)

It's also to keep from saying screw you to the mom and pop retailers that run comic shops. If everything was below cover, that would pretty much destroy the hand that has been feeding them for a long while. I think it's only fair that we don't shaft the comic retailers in this whole thing.

I don't think that's the case as much. There was such a big worry that digital comic books would kill them off period, but then everyone realized, oh wait, people still collect comic books for the physical copies too. If I were a collector of comic books, I would certainly want physical, not digital copies.

[Dangelus]

From what I gather there have been major changes to the distribution of comics in the last twenty years including not being able to get sale it return?

I remember the day that American comic books were in every UK newsagent. These days only the specialists have them :(

[X]

That's true and I understand why they are priced this way. The most popular titles are getting sales in the 80,000s when 15-20 years ago the circulations were in the millions so they cost more. Such a shame.

I've seen some good deals, don't get me wrong, and yeah if you wait they drop down but it's difficult to wait :)

It's also to keep from saying screw you to the mom and pop retailers that run comic shops. If everything was below cover, that would pretty much destroy the hand that has been feeding them for a long while. I think it's only fair that we don't shaft the comic retailers in this whole thing.

I don't think that's the case as much. There was such a big worry that digital comic books would kill them off period, but then everyone realized, oh wait, people still collect comic books for the physical copies too. If I were a collector of comic books, I would certainly want physical, not digital copies.

I'm a comic collector and I prefer to read the stories like many of the people I know. If you price the digital cheaper than the physical, there is really no need for a comic shop and that's not a good plan. By having it at the same price, you create a choice for the consumer and allow the physical stores a chance because that means for the collector, physical is currently cheaper than digital for most subscribers. That's how they are getting collectors into the store.

[Rico]

A few years back I seriously considered opening a comic retail shop.  I read a very good book on the subject by a guy who has been in the business a long time and has multiple shops in California.  Basically, what you buy you must keep and try to sell.  So, the comic shops try very hard to only buy what they think they can sell.  Many shops will have 'pull lists' for their regular customers to save copies for them.  This helps a lot with determining the right amount to order.  I still see a day when it all goes digital.  These days I do maybe 70% physical copies and 30% digital.  I still very much like the feel of reading a physical comic in my hands.

[Dangelus]

By the way, my apologies for going off topic on this thread. Feel free to edit this conversation into a different heading mods. :)

A few years back I seriously considered opening a comic retail shop.  I read a very good book on the subject by a guy who has been in the business a long time and has multiple shops in California.  Basically, what you buy you must keep and try to sell.  So, the comic shops try very hard to only buy what they think they can sell.  Many shops will have 'pull lists' for their regular customers to save copies for them.  This helps a lot with determining the right amount to order.  I still see a day when it all goes digital.  These days I do maybe 70% physical copies and 30% digital.  I still very much like the feel of reading a physical comic in my hands.

Very cool. I love comic shops. Back in the day I practically lived in one at the weekends, helped out at conventions etc.

I guess what I'm saying is I don't think digital should be significantly cheaper than print copies for the very the reasons stated in this thread. Comic books in general are pretty expensive these days so I think they should be cheaper on general.

Look at it this way. When I was a kid I'd collect 20-30 titles every month but in those days I was paying 60-70p an issue. It was a big part of my childhood and I managed to keep up with the entire happenings of the Marvel Universe. How is a kid able to do that these days when issues are £3.99 each?
They are out pricing the younger readers, heck even me as a working adult can't afford all the titles I would like.