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  • Tony Petroski: 
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  Now, I have no doubt that in the Age of Obama, the Eric Holder era, a pretense can be found to spread the wealth around and award damages from the insurers of Wal-Mart and Target (Amazon is iffy), but what is the legal justification?
  
  When did "predatory pricing" get a standing?
  
  It's been so in steelmaking, when pointing the finger at someone overseas, but domestic? Can we blame the Chinese?

  Oct 22 07:37 PM | Link | Reply
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  • tripleblack: 
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  • Stan Bruns Illustrations
  The only grounds I can see that would make sense was if a secret Cartel had been formed, and the big retailers were colluding with the goal of cornering the market and driving their competition out of business.
  
  If there is proof of this, this could be fun, otherwise, its not for real.
  
  Is sad to see the little guys become a dying breed, and there's no confusing a WallMart magazine stand with a good book store, but there's also probably no beating the big boxes.

  Oct 22 08:25 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Beach Bubba: 
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  • tourtuxtlas.com
  All I know is this, I shop the used book values on Amazon and then look to Ebay for the same item. It is 50-50, sometimes Ebay Has the bargain...the next day it is Amazon. The quality of each book I have bought (many) has been excellent to new in all cases, Ebay or Amazon. I will never ever buy a New Book again. And how do the Borders and other big book stores stay in business...with prices at least double the on line stores. Are people really that ignorant.
  
  The news story above makes absolutely no sense at all. When is a price war "preditory pricing" and how, in heavens name, is it harmful to the consumer. Get these idiots off the page. Or is this something from Orwell's 1984.

  Oct 22 08:30 PM | Link | Reply
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  • bricki: 
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  Me too. Book publishers must hate us. I'm also on the warpath against e-books which I think is primarily a way for book publishers to choke off used book sales.
  
  On Oct 22 08:30 PM Beach Bubba wrote:
  
  > All I know is this, I shop the used book values on Amazon and then
  > look to Ebay for the same item. It is 50-50, sometimes Ebay Has the
  > bargain...the next day it is Amazon. The quality of each book I have
  > bought (many) has been excellent to new in all cases, Ebay or Amazon.
  > I will never ever buy a New Book again. And how do the Borders and
  > other big book stores stay in business...with prices at least double
  > the on line stores. Are people really that ignorant.
  >
  > The news story above makes absolutely no sense at all. When is a
  > price war "preditory pricing" and how, in heavens name, is it harmful
  > to the consumer. Get these idiots off the page. Or is this something
  > from Orwell's 1984.

  Oct 22 09:07 PM | Link | Reply
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  • Tom Armistead: 
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  • investorplaceblogs.c...
  Predatory pricing is illegal under US antitrust laws.
  
  
  On Oct 22 07:37 PM Tony Petroski wrote:
  
  > Now, I have no doubt that in the Age of Obama, the Eric Holder era,
  > a pretense can be found to spread the wealth around and award damages
  > from the insurers of Wal-Mart and Target (Amazon is iffy), but what
  > is the legal justification?
  >
  > When did "predatory pricing" get a standing?
  >
  > It's been so in steelmaking, when pointing the finger at someone
  > overseas, but domestic? Can we blame the Chinese?

  Oct 22 10:29 PM | Link | Reply
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  • just.a.guy: 
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  Next stop: American Booksellers Association pushes for "Anti-dog-eat-dog Rule"
  
  This all sounds familiar...

  Oct 23 01:01 AM | Link | Reply
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  • Michael Clark: 
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  • Clark's Gate Timing System ©
  It really 'hurts' the consumer. Book prices coming down. Come on: it hurts the publishers who've been making a killing raising prices nonstop for 20 years. Their idea is that prices go up for ever: that's progress. That's an idea that needs to be re-thought. Inflation is what KILLS empires.

  Oct 23 02:11 AM | Link | Reply
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  • Michael Clark: 
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  Does this mean the era of 'price-fixing' is over? Where all businesses conspire to raise prices together?
  
  I guess that's what recession is all about: not everyone gets to survive, gets to thrive by 'skinning' the consumer. The less the consumer spends, the more impetus for companies to really compete, and drive down prices. That is how capitalism is supposed to work, in fact.

  Oct 23 02:15 AM | Link | Reply