Amazon is an extremely convenient resource that people often use when they need something quickly or for a good price. Most people can say that they, or a member of their family, have an Amazon Prime membership that allows them to get fast shipping and access to multiple forms of media. While Amazon is very convenient, it is detrimental to multiple industries, especially bookselling.
Bookstores have been around for hundreds of years and are a favorite location for many people, including myself. I love to go to a bookstore and browse for anything that might be new or interesting. They are often combined with cafés where you can grab coffee or tea and just relax. These happy places for booklovers run the risk of being shut down with Amazon’s growing popularity as a top bookseller.
Amazon employs books as loss leaders, “losing money on their sales so that customers will be drawn into buying higher margin items.” This sales tactic is highly lucrative, many people feel that if they are already buying something from Amazon, why not also add the book they have been meaning to read to their cart? This tactic is harmful because Amazon is “selling certain books (or Kindles) at a loss or no profit,” because they can afford it and because books are not where they make their money. Instead, they are actively taking business away from bookstores in order to draw people in and buy their other products.
Barnes & Noble, a large bookseller that has hundreds of retail stores across the U.S., has faced decreasing popularity due to Amazon’s attempt to take over the bookselling industry. In 2018, Amazon had “about half the market share for print books, and B&N only a fifth.” In 2021, Barnes & Noble’s Chief Executive James Daunt, made the decision to switch up the strategy for choosing the books that they sell, choosing to “empower individual store managers to curate their shelves based on local tastes.” This helped to give Barnes & Noble retail locations a more personal feel, adding to the appeal of in-person bookstores being cozier and more special. However, if the rate at which Amazon is selling books continues, it “will control nearly 80% of the consumer market by the end of 2025.” Amazon is trying to monopolize the book industry, making little to no profit on the books they sell, just to become the place where everyone buys everything.
This has become such a drastic problem that in 2020, three of the most important publishing organizations, Association of American Publishers, the Authors Guild, and the American Booksellers Association, united to write a letter to the House Antitrust Subcommittee regarding Amazon’s market power. In the letter, they explain how “Amazon no longer competes on a level playing field when it comes to book distribution” and that it uses “systematic below-cost pricing of books to squash competition in the book selling industry as a whole.” The publishing industry has become aware of Amazon’s attempt to monopolize the market and they are concerned.
Not only are Amazon’s actions harmful to the retail stores and publishing industry, but also to the individual people involved. The price and speed at which Amazon sells its products could lead to “unsafe working conditions for the men and women sorting, packing and shipping those innumerable boxes.” Amazon is widely known for its quick shipping and decent prices; however, these aspects often have consequences for the workers that must fulfill these orders. Additionally, a concern that was raised by the publishing organizations in the letter to the House Antitrust Subcommittee was how Amazon conducted business with suppliers so that those who sell their books on Amazon “pay more each year […] but receive less each year in return.” These economic terms from Amazon lead to publishers, authors, and booksellers not being properly compensated for the hard work that goes into creating a book.
While these may seem like economic problems that are out of the hands of college students, there are a few things that you can do to help stop Amazon’s monopolization of the bookselling industry. You can shop at local, independent bookstores like Tombolo Books, located in Downtown St. Petersburg, right near campus. For an extensive selection, you can shop at the local Barnes & Noble or in their online shop. If you need something within walking distance, I encourage you to check out the USF Bookstore that is on campus and has a wide selection of genres, as well as any required textbooks you may need for classes.
While Amazon is very convenient when you need a book fast or if it is not sold anywhere else, I highly recommend being mindful about where you purchase your books. Support booksellers that have a genuine love for books, not just a love for making money. If you find that you need or want a book immediately, make a day out of it and go to a local bookstore, it is much more enjoyable than just adding a book to your cart on Amazon.