While the government established, in October 2023, a minimum delivery rate for book orders, Amazon has decided to circumvent this regulation by offering a new offer.
Three euros. This is the price that literature lovers have to pay to have their books delivered to their homes for over a year. A decree in force since October 7, 2023 and intended to protect independent bookstores against e-commerce behemoths has, in fact, established a minimum delivery rate for any order of new books below 35 euros.
The French subsidiary of the giant Amazon then denounced this measure, regretting its “impact on reading and on readers, particularly those living in rural areas and small towns”. More than a year after this regulation came into force, the company found a solution to get around it. “Two options are now available to help you save on delivery costs for your new book orders shipped by Amazon”she indicates in an email addressed to her customers.
To benefit from this free service, simply select an eligible collection point during checkout as the delivery location. “If there is a currently recommended pickup location that is eligible for free book delivery, you will see a button labeled FREE Pickup Available Nearby”specifies Amazon in the email.
An offer respecting the law?
Otherwise, it is necessary to open the pick-up point selector and choose an eligible one, highlighted with the label “Eligible for free book pick-up”. And for orders over 35 euros, home delivery at 0.01 euros is always available.
Does this new offer break the law? Questioned in the Senate on this subject, the Minister of Culture Rachida Dati, according to AFP, announced that she had contacted the book mediator to resolve the dispute.
