General

Amazon removes pre-order option from Warner DVDs

Florida residents seeking to buy certain books online, at Amazon.com, may have noticed a lag in the amount of time it takes to receive them. They may also have noticed that they are unable to preorder some titles. The titles affected are all published by Hachette Book Group. The root of the issue is a disagreement between Amazon and Hachette regarding how much e-books from the publisher can be sold for by the online retailer.

Recently, Amazon took similar actions related to Warner Home Videos. Films slated for release in the near future are also unavailable for preorder. Here again, pricing is at the heart of the issue. Thus far there does not appear to be a delay in the shipments of Warner DVDs that are ordered from the site.

How long these disputes will drag on remains to be seen. Currently it would appear that all parties involved—Amazon, Warner, Hachette and authors who work with the publishing company—are at risk of losing money. Buyers who have become dependent on online retailers like Amazon could become irritated with the business practice and in the future go elsewhere for purchases. Since making a profit is the object of most businesses, these tactics seem counterproductive.

While negotiations and disputes between vendors and retailers are a part of most business relationships, if left to go on for too long, it can be damaging for the parties involved. Accordingly, it may be in the best interest of all involved to resolve these matters sooner rather than later.

Source: The New York Times, “Amazon Stops Taking Advance Orders for ‘Lego’ and Other Warner Videos,” David Streit feld, June 11, 2014

Mon Aug 27, 1:34pm