Amazon is testing free delivery of Books, which the law should have prohibited

The French subsidiary of online commerce giant Amazon announced Tuesday that it was setting up a free book delivery solution, which a law sought to prohibit, thanks to its automated lockers. Since October 2023, Amazon.fr must charge a minimum of 3 euros for book delivery, for any order less than 35 euros. The law of December 30, 2021 on the book economy provides that the delivery of new Books “cannot under any circumstances” be free, “unless the book is collected from a book retail store”.

This law is intended to encourage French people to buy their books in a bookstore or other point of sale. It was contested by Amazon before the administrative courts, which requested the opinion of the Court of Justice of the European Union. Without waiting for this opinion, Amazon found a solution that it believes complies with the texts in force. “For their book orders, customers can now choose free delivery from a vast network of more than 2,500 collection points throughout France. This option is available for a selection of collection points located in businesses selling books in particular.he said in a press release.

These collection points are automated lockers sometimes located in the shopping mall of supermarkets. “We are excited to offer this new convenient and cost-effective delivery option to readers today”indicated the books manager of Amazon.fr, Géraldine Codron, quoted in a press release.