7 ms·

They used to, but then the publishers forced them to accept the agency model of e-book pricing.

• shoota 15y ago
  Actually, I believe it was Apple who promoted the agency model on the iPad which forced Amazon to convert to the agency model as well.
  • jonknee 15y ago
    It was still the publishers, Apple just made themselves into a poker chip the publishers could use to play against Amazon.
    • shoota 15y ago
      Sure ultimately it was the publisher's decision to go to the agency model but if Apple and Amazon held firm it would have been a win for the consumer. Apple decided to take a swipe at one of its competitors which in the end hurt consumers by allowing for ebooks to be priced artificially.
      • culturestate 15y ago
        eBook prices were artificial to begin with. Amazon was known to take a loss when necessary to set the price ceiling at $9.99, which (as you can imagine) would hurt competitors who couldn't absorb losses like that.