Re:Amazon establishes new Counterfeit Crimes Unit
by rootusrootus on Wednesday June 24, 2020 @02:01PM
(#23631525)
I can't imagine there's a lot of margin in counterfeit textbooks. The publishers themselves already offer lower quality copies with the same content. They just restrict it to the Indian subcontinent, and "used, excellent condition" copies start showing up quickly on Amazon. I have one right in front of me. Paper quality is definitely lower, printing quality much lower, but the content is identical and it cost me 25% of what the same book runs when produced for the US.
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Re:Amazon establishes new Counterfeit Crimes Unit
by perpetualpatzer on Wednesday June 24, 2020 @02:52PM
(#23632240)
There is actually a LOT of margin in counterfeiting textbooks.
Even in the US a textbook costs ~$10 to manufacture. The reason prices are so high is that there's a high fixed cost up front to write/edit/typeset/design/market the book, and a small, capped number of readers over which you can hope to amortize those costs.
If publishers need to sell for $200 to break even, you can sell your counterfeit copy as "used" for $50-100/u, and get a 4-900% gross margin because you don't have to waste money on things like developing or marketing the content or paying royalties.