France writes the "agency model" into national law

[elcreative]

Never said it was bad for the buyer but it killed off pools of expertise and did provide customers with a different complaint about retailers not knowing about books any more... save money but now do everything yourself... buyers have made their choice and now have to live with it...

Same for supermarkets and greengrocers/butchers - opening hours better but less reliance on local produce, more difficulties for those who don't drive and lots of complaints about dying town centres... from people who don't use them... people make their choices and have to live with them... what I object to, is the moans then about changes to the way we do things... price now seems to be the dominant factor in peoples' choices and that's fine but don't complain about what goes in the process...

Originally Posted by murraypaul

That's bad if you are running an independent bookstore, but not necessarily if you are buying books.
Supermarkets have almost killed off independent greengrocers/ butchers/ etc..., but have resulted in a broader selection of items, and shops that are actually open when I have time to shop.
Should there be a fixed price for cauliflower and bacon?

[rogue_librarian]

Originally Posted by murraypaul

How do book prices in France and Germany compare with those in UK ...

That's the wrong question to ask, if only because the merchandise is not the same. You could use average prices, I suppose, but a direct comparison is not possible. The questions I'd ask are a) how's the variety in book titles, and b) how's the retail landscape in general. Have the chains taken over yet? Is the sole proprietor bookshop dead? It's under constant attack in Germany, make no mistake, but so far alive and kicking, all things considered.

Originally Posted by murraypaul

That's bad if you are running an independent bookstore, but not necessarily if you are buying books.

I suppose that depends on the sort of books you're interested in, really. I for one really don't care for all the hyped junk food equivalent of literature, and obviously those are the only ones you'd find in a general super market.

[Fbone]

Originally Posted by rogue_librarian

That's the wrong question to ask, if only because the merchandise is not the same. You could use average prices, I suppose, but a direct comparison is not possible.

That's a good point. You'd have to find an English language book published in the UK and France without translation. Translation costs can be significant.

Perhaps, it may be easier to compare the same French language title published both in France and Canada, Switzerland, Belgium etc.

[Andrew H.]

Originally Posted by fjtorres

If the aim is to protect the profits of booksellers, come out and say it; let the citizenry decide if they care that much about them to sacrifice for them. By trying to obfuscate and hide the true intent the protectionists are admitting that, given an open choice, consumers would refuse to sacrifice for the booksellers. That, I would agree with.

It is very clear that this is the point, and it has been said, on many occasions. Booksellers and government officials are extremely clear that the point of the these laws is to support small booksellers, and that without these supports they would fail.

This is not hidden from anyone.

Propping up failing/uncompetitive booksellers only delays and magnifies the eventual collapse; instead of one or two or a few failing, thereby strengthing the survivors that adapt, protectionism ensures all remain isolated and uncompetitive and fail simultaneously.

These price controls have been in place in most of Continental Europe (most of Europe, actually) since the end of WWII, sometimes before.

It works fine. You (and I, for that matter) may prefer that matters be arranged differently, but that is a preference, not a requirement. For all I know, the European system may produce higher literacy rates or more readers - I wouldn't be surprised if it did, actually. But it clearly has not caused bookstores to remain isolated or uncompetitive or to fail.

[J. Strnad]

I think that protectionism of profits just turns more people to the darknet. If people want cheaper books, they'll get cheaper books one way or another, within the system or outside it.