Amazon, an online retailer, now provides customers in France with complimentary delivery on book purchases if they retrieve them from one of the company’s containers.
Customers have the option to obtain a book and retrieve it for free from one of the more than 2,500 locker sites owned by Amazon, rather than having it delivered to their doorstep. These lockers are situated in public locations, shopping centers, supermarkets, and train stations.
The organization is of the opinion that this is a legal method of evading the prohibition on free book deliveries in France, which was implemented in 2021. This law stipulates that consumers are not entitled to free delivery of a book unless the book is collected from a book retailer or the order exceeds €35.
Conversely, a minimum delivery fee of €3 must be assessed.
The legislation was intended to promote the purchase of books at physical bookshops or at least their collection from them, as opposed to purchasing them through an e-commerce website.
Read more: About the Alahdeen B2B e-commerce business models that help facilitate the wholesaler or the retailer.
The European Court of Justice is currently reviewing the law, which Amazon has consistently campaigned against.
Although the court has not yet rendered its final decision, the European Commission issued a criticism of the law last year, asserting that it may not be effective and would result in a decline in the quality of publishing due to the increased costs.
Lockers are located throughout the nation. Amazon asserts that a portion of the 2,500 collection points to which the books can be delivered are situated in bookshops, rendering the process equivalent to purchasing a book from a retailer and collecting it for free.
Conversely, the organization asserts that “over 70% of these withdrawal points are situated in rural regions or small towns,” which enables individuals who lack access to bookshops in their vicinity to capitalize on the opportunity.
“We are thrilled to provide readers with this new, cost-effective, and convenient delivery option,” stated Géraldine Codron, Amazon’s director of books in France.
The French bookshop union (Syndicat de la librairie française) is uncertain as to whether Amazon is still adhering to the legal requirements.
“There are numerous inquiries that must be addressed.” Is a container considered a business? Is it sufficient to be within the confines of a hypermarket in order to comply with the law? stated Guillaume Husson, spokesperson for the union.
Also, he criticized Amazon for “attacking a text that was unanimously voted on by parliamentarians and supported by the government.”
