More boot on the neck pressure...

[R. C.]

I'm not sure this has been covered. I requested a price match for a loss-leader freebie.  Here's the response:

-----

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out about price matching. I'm *** from KDP Senior Support, and I appreciate your interest in this matter.

While we understand the importance of competitive pricing, we currently maintain our own pricing strategy and no longer offer price matching with KoBoBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords. As part of our commitment to providing the best experience for both authors and readers, we independently determine our retail prices.

If you have any other questions about pricing or KDP services, please don't hesitate to ask. We're here to help!

Best regards, *** KDP Senior Support


Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.

-----

"...we independently determine our retail prices." Well, there's a smack in the chops.


R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

Does that apply to price matching free books as well?

[R. C.]

Does that apply to price matching free books as well?

I requested a $0.00 price for a loss-leader short.

R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

Does that apply to price matching free books as well?

I requested a $0.00 price for a loss-leader short.

Either whoever you got didn't understand the request, they're not doing it now for short term promotions, or the whole concept of free is being rethought.

My guess is the bot or person who replied didn't understand the request.

That appears to be normal now.

Respond straight back asking for the procedure for making a book free on KDP, given the price cannot be set that by the author.

See what they respond with.

[alhawke]

I'm not sure this has been covered. I requested a price match for a loss-leader freebie.  Here's the response:
While we understand the importance of competitive pricing, we currently maintain our own pricing strategy and no longer offer price matching with KoBoBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords.

No more freebie price matching on Amazon? I've never had that response before. They've always said it's up to them to price match, but they never wrote back to me stating they no longer offer it at all.

[TimothyEllis]

I think that was a typical bot misunderstanding.

The words "price match" was seized on, and the word 'free' was ignored.

I suspect what will com back after questioning how to set a book free now, will be the same procedure, regardless that it contradicts what was just said.

Asking questions of KDP now needs very precise wording.

Because if you use the wrong words, they give you the wrong answer.

But if they have decided to remove free as an option, that will be a huge change. Have to wait and see I guess.

[Lorri Moulton]

I just did one and got approved right away.  At the top, I wrote, "Please price match to FREE.  Thank you!"   

Hope this isn't a new KDP plan...yikes!

[R. C.]

I think that was a typical bot misunderstanding.

The words "price match" was seized on, and the word 'free' was ignored.

I suspect what will com back after questioning how to set a book free now, will be the same procedure, regardless that it contradicts what was just said.

Asking questions of KDP now needs very precise wording.

Because if you use the wrong words, they give you the wrong answer.

But if they have decided to remove free as an option, that will be a huge change. Have to wait and see I guess.

Not a BOT - there is a name in the email.  Unless BOTs now have names --- The uprising has begun.

R.C.

[R. C.]

UPDATE - EMPHASIS ADDED in the reply to my request for assistance.

I gave five links, including B&N but not Apple.  I indicated the Apple listing was in process.  I'll keep you posted.

-----

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out about price matching your book. I'm <real name> from KDP Senior Support, and I'm here to help you with this process.

I've reviewed the links you provided, but I'm unable to verify the free pricing at this time. Once your book is listed as free on Apple Books, please reply to this email, and I'll be happy to help initiate the price match for you right away.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask.

Best regards, <real name> KDP Senior Support


Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.

-----

R.C.

[Jeff Tanyard]

Here are a couple of tips for perma-free price-matching.  These are general tips for everyone, not R. C. in particular.

1.)  Request it on a weekday, not a weekend.  I don't know why this matters, but it historically has.

2.)  Follow the correct procedure; i.e., choose the "price matching" option from the menu and follow the email template they give you precisely.  Seriously, don't deviate from their template other than adding a greeting at the top and a thanks at the bottom. 

UPDATE - EMPHASIS ADDED in the reply to my request for assistance.

I gave five links, including B&N but not Apple.  I indicated the Apple listing was in process.  I'll keep you posted.

-----

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out about price matching your book. I'm <real name> from KDP Senior Support, and I'm here to help you with this process.

I've reviewed the links you provided, but I'm unable to verify the free pricing at this time. Once your book is listed as free on Apple Books, please reply to this email, and I'll be happy to help initiate the price match for you right away.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask.

Best regards, <real name> KDP Senior Support


Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.

-----

R.C.

Well, there you go.  Wait until you have a live Apple link next time.  Frankly, I'm not sure why didn't wait to begin with.   

[R. C.]

Here are a couple of tips for perma-free price-matching.  These are general tips for everyone, not R. C. in particular.

1.)  Request it on a weekday, not a weekend.  I don't know why this matters, but it historically has.

2.)  Follow the correct procedure; i.e., choose the "price matching" option from the menu and follow the email template they give you precisely.  Seriously, don't deviate from their template other than adding a greeting at the top and a thanks at the bottom. 

UPDATE - EMPHASIS ADDED in the reply to my request for assistance.

I gave five links, including B&N but not Apple.  I indicated the Apple listing was in process.  I'll keep you posted.

-----

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out about price matching your book. I'm <real name> from KDP Senior Support, and I'm here to help you with this process.

I've reviewed the links you provided, but I'm unable to verify the free pricing at this time. Once your book is listed as free on Apple Books, please reply to this email, and I'll be happy to help initiate the price match for you right away.

If you have any questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask.

Best regards, <real name> KDP Senior Support


Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.

-----

R.C.

Well, there you go.  Wait until you have a live Apple link next time.  Frankly, I'm not sure why didn't wait to begin with.   

I followed the rules, this is not the first permafree I've requested.   Nowhere does it say Apple is required.  In the past, I've not waited for all the other sites to post.   Also, normally I would agree on the weekend/weekday concern. The fact they are responding quickly on the weekend negates the weekday concern.

R.C.

[Bill Hiatt]

It's curious that Amazon places more emphasis on Apple. Poking around on the internet, it appears that Apple may now be the #2 source for ebooks (after Amazon). But finding accurate figures for 2024 or the first part of 2025 is difficult.

I remember reading at one point that Barnes and Noble or Apple would be the best bets for a price match. Does this situation tell us something about Barnes and Noble's current position?

[Post-Doctorate D]

It's curious that Amazon places more emphasis on Apple.

Are they?  Or is it a semi-automated response that just picked up on the mention of Apple in R.C.'s eMail?

[R. C.]

It's curious that Amazon places more emphasis on Apple.

Are they?  Or is it a semi-automated response that just picked up on the mention of Apple in R.C.'s eMail?

I'm 98% certain the responses came from a person.

R.C.

[TimothyEllis]

I'm 98% certain the responses came from a person.

All of Amazon's emails have a person named on them. Even when they're bot generated.

The same is happening with chat bots. They all pretend to be a real person now.

[Post-Doctorate D]

I'm 98% certain the responses came from a person.

All of Amazon's emails have a person named on them. Even when they're bot generated.

The same is happening with chat bots. They all pretend to be a real person now.

And, even if it is a real person, the eMail could be auto-generated and the person just signs off on it.

AI-generated eMails are one of the purported "time-savers" hyped by AI companies so I would not be surprised if Amazon is utilizing that.  Before AI, they had generic responses or sometimes customizable form letters they used to respond to eMails.  On top of that, some of the people that handle interactions with customers or authors are not the sharpest crayons in the box.

[cecilia_writer]

Interesting... maybe this explains the sales I had recently on my longstanding (for at least 10 years!) freebie.
Also, my second-best retailer has usually been Kobo, though over the winter it was Apple for a few months, for no apparent reason.

[Bill Hiatt]

It's curious that Amazon places more emphasis on Apple.

Are they?  Or is it a semi-automated response that just picked up on the mention of Apple in R.C.'s eMail?

That's a reasonable question, but one thing inclines me to think that Apple is the preferred price match.

no longer offer price matching with KoBoBooks, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords

That's a surprisingly clear statement that Amazon doesn't price match with any of those. And if a reference in R. C.'s original query is what trigged the mention of Apple, why wouldn't references to other stores have gotten the same response instead of a diametrically opposed one?

It's also odd that the KDP support information regarding price matches refers only to third-party sites generally. I can't find a specific reference to Apple. Don't the bots usually start off by quoting the generic online information? (Of course, if it is actually Amazon's practice to match Apple only, it would be nice if the guidelines just said that.

[Post-Doctorate D]

(Of course, if it is actually Amazon's practice to match Apple only, it would be nice if the guidelines just said that.

It continues to kind of surprise me what a mess of a company Amazon really is.  It's like they are doing so many things that they don't even know what all they are doing.

It also seems to me that if someone halfway knew what they were doing, whether an upstart or an existing competitor, that someone could really give Amazon some serious competition if they were simply better organized and could maintain a better consistency.

[alhawke]

It's curious that Amazon places more emphasis on Apple. Poking around on the internet, it appears that Apple may now be the #2 source for ebooks (after Amazon). But finding accurate figures for 2024 or the first part of 2025 is difficult.

That's really weird. For my books, Apple sells the least # this year--I mean super low sales on Apple for me in 2025. I get far more B&N and Kobo sales. Even GooglePlay is landing better sales than Apple these days.

I think Amazon has some sort of corporate connection with Apple over writing things. I know Apple works with Audible on audiobook review and approvals.

RC, did you get the book price matched?

[R. C.]

UPDATE - Apple is the key!

This feels like a BOT:

-----

Hello,

Thank you for reaching out with these details. I've added this price match and this should reflect on the detail pages within 24 hours.

I hope this helps.


Thanks for using Amazon KDP,

Your feedback helps us improve our service.
-----

Check out my latest loss-leader:  Carin Trimble

R.C.

[Bill Hiatt]

It also seems to me that if someone halfway knew what they were doing, whether an upstart or an existing competitor, that someone could really give Amazon some serious competition if they were simply better organized and could maintain a better consistency.

I've often thought this, but it's apparent by now that no one wants to spend the time and effort on it. The big players (Google, Apple, Kobo--which is owned by multinational Rakuten) like Amazon, are doing a whole bunch of things simultaneously, As for Barnes and Noble, finding current information is tough. A supposedly 2025 report cites all kinds of 2019 data. Google's AI (whose conclusions always get thrust in my face) says that BN has 26.6% of the US market, which sounds oddly high--but it also goes on to say that it has 20% of the print and 9% of the digital market. There's really no way to get 26.6% out of print and digital sales like that. Does it include non-book sales? Who knows? But to be fair, this particular estimate is so far off because the data AI is getting is inconsistent.

I think we all had high hopes when BN changed ownership, but I'm not seeing any recent evidence of a big surge. If that's the case, BN may still just be struggling to survive. At one point, their profit margin was resting almost entirely on their management of college bookstores--a lucrative and steady source of income.

Maybe, there's some David that could take on the Amazon Goliath, but it hasn't yet emerged.

[KinkyCat]

I'm currently having a frustrating experience with price-matching, as well.  The book is a pre-order, and the bots are trying to use that as an excuse not to change it to $0.00.  They're stating it's always been the policy not to price-match pre-orders, but I just had a price-match to free for a pre-order in May of this year, so yeah, no.

I'm going to try the call option and see what I can do.

EDIT: well, that was frustrating.  They couldn't provide any written policy and refused to acknowledge they'd allowed the policy for YEARS.  Now I'm stuck trying to figure out what to do with a pre-order book, but I most certainly won't be doing any more pre-orders for Amazon if I can't set the book to free prior to the publishing date 

[Bill Hiatt]

We will keep our collective fingers crossed for you and anyone else in this situation.

[alhawke]

I'm currently having a frustrating experience with price-matching, as well.  The book is a pre-order, and the bots are trying to use that as an excuse not to change it to $0.00.  They're stating it's always been the policy not to price-match pre-orders, but I just had a price-match to free for a pre-order in May of this year, so yeah, no.

I've never even thought of running a free preorder... you could still run it as a preorder outside of Amazon and then publish it after on Zon at a later publishing date (KU Or wide). Has free preorders helped with sales? I don't understand your marketing strategy. Are you garnering more reviews or getting co-series sales by giving away a future book?

[KinkyCat]

I'm currently having a frustrating experience with price-matching, as well.  The book is a pre-order, and the bots are trying to use that as an excuse not to change it to $0.00.  They're stating it's always been the policy not to price-match pre-orders, but I just had a price-match to free for a pre-order in May of this year, so yeah, no.

I've never even thought of running a free preorder... you could still run it as a preorder outside of Amazon and then publish it after on Zon at a later publishing date (KU Or wide). Has free preorders helped with sales? I don't understand your marketing strategy. Are you garnering more reviews or getting co-series sales by giving away a future book?

It (was) a great way to have people slide into the second (paid) book in the series because I always have that available for pre-order when the permafree is published.  It definitely helps other series when the upcoming book ranks in the Free store, and I get reviews almost immediately on the permafree once it's live.

This whole thing will blow up that strategy now, so I'll probably have to pay for marketing sites to make up for all those pre-orders I won't have, assuming they'll even let the book go free.