French Senate Considers Banning Free Book Delivery

By Dianna Dilworth 

franceOne of Amazon’s many secrets to success is the ability to deliver books for free to customers that spend a minimum amount of money per order or to those that are members of Amazon Prime. The French government could take away this customer service perk.

The French Senate is considering legislation that would make it illegal to offer free book deliveries in France. The country already has strict rules limiting discounting on books, a law designed to protect publishers and small booksellers.

The Associated Press has more:

In essence, the Senate proposal would strip some of the convenience and financial advantage of home or office delivery of books ordered online. Ultimately, if approved, the legislation could weigh on the minds of customers when they decide whether to trek over to mom-and-pop bookshops instead of shopping online. The bill would allow online vendors like U.S.-based Amazon to cut the regular delivery price by up to 5 percent — but not provide free delivery. It differs slightly from a bill passed in the National Assembly, parliament’s lower house, in October, which said nothing about barring free delivery.