Using coupon codes for ebooks?

[Snarlla]

Is this possible.  I took a survey from B&N and got a 15% off code as a reward.  I could have sworn it said I could use it for eBooks, but I can't figure out how to do that.

Thanks!

[pidgeon92]

Nope. Coupons cannot be used for ebook or for nook accessories.

[Ealisaid]

I think that is ridiculous. It is a purchase, just like anything else. I am now worried about the B&N Gift Card that is in transit to me... How will that work out? I am not planning on buying 'physical' books, only eBooks for my Nook.

[CyberSammy]

It's my  understanding  now that the all B&N gift cards work with your nook. We buy our son B&N gift cards all the time and they have been working for him.

[Wisdana]

You can put up to 3 gift cards on your account. I use one all the time, and just reload it when the amount gets low.

[SlaughterS]

Gift cards work fine for e-book purchases.  You enter the card # and a PIN that is on the back of the card and your account is credited for that amount.

I'm not sure how you received your coupon offer, but I recently received an email for a 15% off Coupon, and in the message it specifically stated,

"...you will receive a coupon for 15% off one item at BN.com. Please note this coupon is
not applicable to textbooks, digital books, nook, and third-party items."

[Snarlla]

Thanks for the info.  I thought it said it could be used for ebooks, but I guess I must have misread it.  For the record, I think it's stupid that they can't be used for ebooks as well.  I wonder what the reason is for that?  I had a book all picked out and ready to download.  Boo!

To the poster asking about gift cards, I've used gift cards before.  They work fine.  Wish I had some more.

[Ya_Ya]

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Snarlla wrote:

  For the record, I think it's stupid that they can't be used for ebooks as well.  I wonder what the reason is for that? 

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I have heard (but cannot confirm by firsthand knowledge) that the publisher's set the price for ebooks in a way they do not for hardcopies.  B&N isn't permitted to discount ebooks by some agreement with the publishers.

Again, that's secondhand.

[Itsjustb]

"I wonder what the reason is for that?"

I emailed nook support asking this very question. Their answer was that (I'm paraphrasing because I deleted the email), since eBooks are already so discounted compared to paper they don't allow coupons for eBook purchases.

2 points:

• I read a Newsweek story a few months back showing the margins publishers (and, by extension, retailers like B&N) make on eBooks versus paper. The difference is astounding. Yet B&N can't spare a discount?

• One of B&N's selling points is that they offer such large discounts compared to non-chain bookstores...and even Amazon.com. If that's true then they shouldn't be able to afford discount coupons on paper books either, right? I mean, do you see Amazon sending out coupons?

[Ealisaid]

If you want coupon codes for eBooks, the only place that I have seen give them out is eBooks.com. You can get compatible eBooks for the Nooks there, as well. However, some of their titles are more expensive than B&N, so it all must work out in the wash. Still, it is always worth a look to compare...

No solicitation. Please do not use these forums to submit or publish any marketing communication, or to advertise or solicit for any business or enterprise. Such postings will be removed, and will result in the suspension of your access to these services. Direct links to other commercial websites are, in the main, inappropriate for our Book Club conversations.

http://bookclubs.barnesandnoble.com/t5/Help-Book-Clubs-My-B-N/Book-Clubs-User-Guidelines/td-p/5

Michael-V

[SlaughterS]

"...showing the margins publishers (and, by extension, retailers like B&N)..."

Whoa - hold on right there.  What do you mean, "by extensions" B&N ?  How is a retailer a publisher ?

I agree that publishers still do not grasp the new ebook model and charge way too much for ebooks, but B&N has very little say (as in close to zero) on what prices publishers set.

[Doug_Pardee Distinguished Bibliophile]

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Ya_Ya wrote:

I have heard (but cannot confirm by firsthand knowledge) that the publisher's set the price for ebooks in a way they do not for hardcopies.  B&N isn't permitted to discount ebooks by some agreement with the publishers.

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This applies to e-books published by the following five of the 'Big 6' American trade publishers:

• Hachette
• HarperCollins
• Macmillan
• Penguin
• Simon & Schuster

If you want first-hand confirmation, simply look at the "Sold by" line on the e-book version.

Don't Blink  (e-book)

Sold By: HACHETTE BOOK GROUP USA

Hachette sets the price and sells you the e-book. B&N is just an agent, and collects a 30% commission. (The 30% is the reported number and I've never seen it refuted.)

Compare that with an e-book from one of the other publishers, such as Random House (the only one of the 'Big 6' not using the 'Agency Model'):

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest (Millennium Trilogy Series #3) (e-book)

Sold By: Barnes & Noble

  

For these e-books, Barnes & Noble pays the publisher the wholesale price (typically 50% of cover list price) and re-sells the e-book for however much they want.

[lkmiller]

B&N should give an eGift Card as the reward for completing the ebooks survey.  The fact that they give a coupon code which can't be used for ebooks shows how very much they need to learn from that survey!

[natasha13100]

I must say that ebooks are not very discounted. The ones I want to buy such as Inheritance, Destined, Son of Neptune are either the same price as or within a dollar of the price for a hardcover copy. That is ridiculous considering the fact that the publisher does not have to pay for paper, binding, etc.

[bklvr896]

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natasha13100 wrote:

I must say that ebooks are not very discounted. The ones I want to buy such as Inheritance, Destined, Son of Neptune are either the same price as or within a dollar of the price for a hardcover copy. That is ridiculous considering the fact that the publisher does not have to pay for paper, binding, etc.

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For most eBooks, the publisher sets the price, not B&N so they can't offer discounts on the books.  As for the paper/binding thing, I'm not going into that again, it's been discussed thousands of times here.  Just say you could search eBook pricing or read this article about how much of the cost of a book is attributed to actually printing the book.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/17/weekinreview/17rich.html

[RHWright]

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natasha13100 wrote:

I must say that ebooks are not very discounted. The ones I want to buy such as Inheritance, Destined, Son of Neptune are either the same price as or within a dollar of the price for a hardcover copy. That is ridiculous considering the fact that the publisher does not have to pay for paper, binding, etc.

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1) This has been discussed time & again, but it can be instructive to revisit again for the newcomers and veterans can shrug and ignore it if they want. Except for:

2) Why are you using your necromantic powers to revive the subject in a thread that is long dead and, at best, is only tangentially related to the topic? There are plenty of relevant zombie threads to piggyback on if you want to.

Or here's a trick: try starting a new thread. Maybe one that starts, "I'm new here, but it seems that ebooks are not very discounted." Hopefully you can continue from that straightforward prompt.

And before anyone asks, no, I'm not being cranky today. I had my nap.

[KingAl]

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natasha13100 wrote:

I must say that ebooks are not very discounted. The ones I want to buy such as Inheritance, Destined, Son of Neptune are either the same price as or within a dollar of the price for a hardcover copy. That is ridiculous considering the fact that the publisher does not have to pay for paper, binding, etc.

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That is not ridiculous. There is no reason why the sales price should be based on the production cost. It should be set at a point where the publisher will maximize its profit.

[jaquellae]

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KingAl wrote:

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natasha13100 wrote:

I must say that ebooks are not very discounted. The ones I want to buy such as Inheritance, Destined, Son of Neptune are either the same price as or within a dollar of the price for a hardcover copy. That is ridiculous considering the fact that the publisher does not have to pay for paper, binding, etc.

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That is not ridiculous. There is no reason why the sales price should be based on the production cost. It should be set at a point where the publisher will maximize its profit.

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It also assumes paper, binding, shipping, etc are the main cost factors in a book - not, say, the work the author put in writing it, or the editing that it went through. Also, just because there are no printing costs, it doen't mean there are *no* associated costs with the ebook version - like tech support, server costs, etc. Those might be less, but they still exist.

[Byteguy]

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jaquellae wrote:

It also assumes paper, binding, shipping, etc are the main cost factors in a book - not, say, the work the author put in writing it, or the editing that it went through. Also, just because there are no printing costs, it doen't mean there are *no* associated costs with the ebook version - like tech support, server costs, etc. Those might be less, but they still exist.

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Don't forget... professional development, marketing, legal (lots and lots of legal), vendor relations..

Paper is cheap.  eBooks have quickly become a "lost printed book sale" so they have to cover all those other costs just like their physical brothers.

[irenek123]

Well, poop!