This is getting to be utterly hilarious.  Last week, we pointed out that Amazon had been highlighting their Marvel sales, but the had standard digital pricing on those sales instead of the real sale prices advertised (and running on Comixology).  A couple hours after the article ran, the Comixology sales prices started running on Amazon.  As the discount language promoting the Amazon sale suggested was always intended.

Guess what’s going on again?

Here’s the Comixology sale:

$2.99 – $4.99 per digital TPB.  Cheap, right?

Then there’s the Amazon sale:

Oh, sure… it’s *billed* as up to 65% off, but what are those prices?  $8.99 to $14.99?  Something is not right here.

Let’s look at the Amazon listing for Ultimate Spider-Man Vol 1: Power & Responsibility:

$12.99 Kindle Price.  35% off the print price… except it’s really just the digital list price.  Sold by Marvel Entertainment US.  Price set by seller.

OK, let’s look at the Comixology listing for the same book

It’s prices at $4.99, 62% off the $12.99 list price Amazon’s page is advertising as being discounted from print.  (Whether you consider comparing print price to digital to be a disingenuous way to advertise a discount is up to you.)

Given that the Amazon discounts were changed after the last article on this topic, it’s likely that will happen again.  That doesn’t change the problem or the question that springs from it.

It’s been noted that Marvel is now listed as the seller who sets the price.  This did not used to be how things were displayed and it’s likely this change has something to do with the blow up over discounted TPB sales during C2E2.  Amazon is obviously setting up sales promotions and sales pages to sync up with the Comixology sales.  As they have always done.  Is Marvel forgetting to change the prices on the Amazon site for the sales or is Amazon forgetting to activate the sales prices?

It seems like it has to be an error at either Amazon or Marvel.  It’s an continuing error and it is making both parties look silly.

 

*Update* 5:48PM ET

The ad for the 65% off sale is still displayed on the Comics Deals page at Amazon, but the page for the sale has been deleted.  So the sale notice now links to The Kindle Store.  Maybe they need to recreate the sale page, but right now, Amazon is promoting a phantom link.  Stranger and stranger.

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