tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post113898452222649497..comments2024-03-28T13:18:28.238+00:00Comments on Grumpy Old Bookman: How the industry has changedMichael Allenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11338398159818400930noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6656468.post-1139244238283707502006-02-06T16:43:00.000+00:002006-02-06T16:43:00.000+00:00Amazon worldwide sold 1.6 million copies of the la...Amazon worldwide sold 1.6 million copies of the latest Harry Potter - surprise, surprise this did not return them a profit. <BR/><BR/>"Turnover is vanity : profit is sanity" <BR/><BR/>Without the advantage of listing and commission income from over a million 3rd party sellers Amazon would be unable to deliberately price point new books at a level which does not show them a profit. <BR/><BR/>In the short term their customers are the winners : however, retail history shows that such discounting will always have knock-on business failures, and often in the long-term a reduced catalogue selection. <BR/><BR/>As a rural independent bookshop owner I have made a submission to the Competition Commission re Waterstone's acquisition of Ottakar's. Me, I'm strongly for the takeover as without a vibrant retail bookshop backbone, via a resurgent Waterstone's, the supermarkets and Amazon are going to control the UK booktrade to suit their shareholder's interests. <BR/><BR/>Clive KeebleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com