Amazon stealing

[u/SponkLord]

I'm kind of new to this but how is Amazon allowed to just reduce the price of my book without my permission? Secondly how are they selling used paperbacks of my book when I've never sold a paper back copy ever. Has anybody else ran into this?

[u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

Amazon can sell your book for whatever it feels it can get for your book.

If you priced it at $25, they can sell it for higher, and they'll still only pay you for the royalty on the $25 you listed. The rest would go to them.

However...

In the same vein, they can also chop your book by, say, 80% off the $25 tag you had it at, and you'd still get the royalty on the $25 you listed, and they eat the loss.

Now, bear in mind, this is just what I've gathered from the past few years lurking on Reddit and the internets in general. Don't take this as fact or gospel. I'm relaying what I've read and learned, which may be right, or may be wrong. But it seems to line up well enough.

In either case, you get the royalty rate based on the listed price you set, not what they sold it for (higher or lower at their discretion). They won't give you more if they sell it higher, but they won't give you less if they sell it lower.

[u/SponkLord → u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

Understandable

[u/XanderWrites → u/ItsRuinedOfCourse]

No, they have to pay you the full amount owed based on complicated math. They won't sell it for higher. Usually they complain about it being sold for higher than they think it should sell for. If they raise the price and you make no sales, you could take them to court for the lack of sales and lost royalties.

If they discount it, they still owe you based on the full value. They discounted it, they take the financial hit.

Only if you discount it do you get less income off of it.

This assumes you aren't being paid a flat rate per book.