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Any stats to back that up?

greenie_beans 5y ago
I’m not the commentor and I’m skeptical of that claim too. Here is the place where you wanna go to get information about the industry: https://www.bookweb.org https://www.bookweb.org. You might could dig enough to find answers to all the claims in this thread.
jeremymcanally 5y ago
Even if everyone's prices were MSRP (which they aren't), why pay ~10% more for an item at a local store who has to pay sales tax when I can just order it and have it brought to my door for a lower price? A lot of Amazon's growth (and really any internet retailer) was because of inefficiencies they worked out of the merchandising process, but a lot of it was stuff like not paying sales tax if they didn't have a physical presence in the state which gave them an unfair advantage IMO. That benefit is disappearing as state's are starting to realize the damage to their tax base (FL amazingly being one of those even though we've paid Amazon sales tax for a while since they have a large presence here), but the damage has been done already in a lot of areas.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Amazon has collected sales tax since South Dakota v. Wayfair.
  - shuntress 5y ago
    This was in 2017-2018. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-494_j4el.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-494_j4el.pdf
    - ghaff 5y ago
      And in some states prior to that.
- dingaling 5y ago
  > but a lot of it was stuff like not paying sales tax if they didn't have a physical presence in the state Amazon collects sales tax in every jurisdiction outside the USA, yet still had incredible growth. It's not really about prices ( a new book I want is £7 cheaper on ebay ) but convenience.
pessimizer 5y ago
Which claim? The near-monopoly on all items was obvious hyperbole. The destruction of local bookstores by Books-A-Million, Borders, and Barnes and Noble is well-documented.
- ghaff 5y ago
  Big local stores that sold books at a discount hurt small indies. Those big local stores were driven out of business by the big chains. And those chains have largely been put out of business by Amazon.
  - pessimizer 5y ago
    I'm confident that you won't find any evidence to contradict that. https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/How-Amazon-factor-killed-retailers-like-6378619.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/How-Amazon-factor-ki...
- bennysomething 5y ago
  I don't think it is obvious hyperbole, most of the people I know seem to think Amazon is in control of most of retail. Even the US gov seems to think so too. I hate that my local book stores are dying. But they were way more expensive, it's only recently here in the UK that super markets could start discounting books (I think I read that right a few years back). Most of what Amazon gets accused of, is being anti competitive. I don't think they lack competition at all, I think their competitors just want protection from real competition and hence they lobby government.

I’m not the commentor and I’m skeptical of that claim too. Here is the place where you wanna go to get information about the industry: https://www.bookweb.org https://www.bookweb.org. You might could dig enough to find answers to all the claims in this thread.

jeremymcanally 5y ago

Even if everyone's prices were MSRP (which they aren't), why pay ~10% more for an item at a local store who has to pay sales tax when I can just order it and have it brought to my door for a lower price? A lot of Amazon's growth (and really any internet retailer) was because of inefficiencies they worked out of the merchandising process, but a lot of it was stuff like not paying sales tax if they didn't have a physical presence in the state which gave them an unfair advantage IMO. That benefit is disappearing as state's are starting to realize the damage to their tax base (FL amazingly being one of those even though we've paid Amazon sales tax for a while since they have a large presence here), but the damage has been done already in a lot of areas.

ghaff 5y ago
Amazon has collected sales tax since South Dakota v. Wayfair.
- shuntress 5y ago
  This was in 2017-2018. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-494_j4el.pdf https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/17-494_j4el.pdf
  - ghaff 5y ago
    And in some states prior to that.
dingaling 5y ago
> but a lot of it was stuff like not paying sales tax if they didn't have a physical presence in the state Amazon collects sales tax in every jurisdiction outside the USA, yet still had incredible growth. It's not really about prices ( a new book I want is £7 cheaper on ebay ) but convenience.

pessimizer 5y ago

Which claim? The near-monopoly on all items was obvious hyperbole. The destruction of local bookstores by Books-A-Million, Borders, and Barnes and Noble is well-documented.

ghaff 5y ago
Big local stores that sold books at a discount hurt small indies. Those big local stores were driven out of business by the big chains. And those chains have largely been put out of business by Amazon.
- pessimizer 5y ago
  I'm confident that you won't find any evidence to contradict that. https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/How-Amazon-factor-killed-retailers-like-6378619.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/How-Amazon-factor-ki...
bennysomething 5y ago
I don't think it is obvious hyperbole, most of the people I know seem to think Amazon is in control of most of retail. Even the US gov seems to think so too. I hate that my local book stores are dying. But they were way more expensive, it's only recently here in the UK that super markets could start discounting books (I think I read that right a few years back). Most of what Amazon gets accused of, is being anti competitive. I don't think they lack competition at all, I think their competitors just want protection from real competition and hence they lobby government.