Books in Australia are Expensive
New books in Australia are expensive. Here is my tab from a recent Amazon.com [1] purchase and what if would have cost locally:
| Amazon | Local [2,3] | |
| Infinite Jest | $8.00 | $32.12 |
| Surely You’re Joking, Mr. … | $10.85 | $21.66 |
| Godel, Escher, Bach: An Et… | $15.61 | $39.07 |
| Shipping | $20.41 | $0.00 |
| Total | $54.87 | $92.85 |
I wasn’t in a hurry so needless to say I opted for the cheaper option from Amazon with a two week delivery estimate.
Our local book seller, Avenue Bookstore, has a great selection, the staff are smart and friendly, and the store itself is beautiful. It just drives me crazy that the prices are so high. But it’s not just them; they seem to be competitive with the other Melbourne bookstores I’ve visited. I don’t understand the book business at all so I can’t tell if it’s the publisher, the distributor or the retailer demanding the higher prices.
Another problem is the lack of used bookstores. I’ve browsed a few in the city but most are specialty stores focusing on a specific, non-fiction genre. I can’t find anyone with relatively recent, popular fiction. I miss Half Price Books!
1. There is no amazon.com.au!
2. All prices are in USD$.
3. These prices are from dymocks.com.au which is a bit cheaper than our local bookstore.
