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| THE CHEAPEST READ | |
 July 7, 1999 
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The battle to attract book buyers on the Web has forced sellers to streamline the e-commerce process and offer lower prices. The result is a profit margin that is constantly shrinking while competition grows. So what happens to the prices? The Online NewsHour compares them.
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Once companies establish a sales venue on the Internet, the battle then turns to pricing and cultivating a loyal customer base, which can be difficult since e-shoppers often follow the lowest price. The situation, though good for consumers, creates a difficult situation for online sellers to corner a market and perhaps turn a profit. So where's the cheapest place? And can buyers actually save money by
pointing a mouse rather than browsing shelves? The Online NewsHour surveyed
a handful of books to see what that answer might be. You can find those
selections below and compare their prices. An important note: online
prices do not include the $1.50 to $5.00 charged for shipping and handling.
Also, some stores will match online prices. |
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Prices and availability examined on July 7, 1999.
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| Little overall difference. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This comparison shows that little price difference exists between the various online sellers, as analysts have noted, and many megastores now offer certain deals within cents of the online price. Although independent retailers are more likely to offer the full retail price, they argue that after the cost of shipping an online purchase the prices are comparable. And, as Carla Cohen of Politics & Prose in Washington, DC, says, many customers go to smaller stores for the atmosphere and services that "a computer screen cannot provide." The other distinction lies in availability. Online sellers will have more than a million books available for sale, thanks to their arrangements with distributors. Although local stores can only provide what they have available in stock, they can special order books, often in the same time it takes online sellers to ship.
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| Comparison shopping. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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In the end, the best answer to the question of who has the cheapest book may also be found online. Pricescan scours the major Internet retailers and provides a comprehensive list of the best prices available including shipping costs. |
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