Amazon price-matching

[Andy]

One of my books on Kindle is set-up to be priced at $2.99 (US 70%) and £2.99 (UK 70%) and yet Amazon is selling it at $0.99. I can only assume that Amazon is price matching it to somewhere on the web. I find this strange a) because I cannot find it at that price on the web b) I do not recall ever selling it for this value , and c) the only other place I have ever published it is Smashwords – who have then moved it on to other retailers such as B&N, Apple etc.
When enrolled this book for KDP, I UNPULISHED it with Smashwords, so surely it is up to them to unpublish it with their retailers?
By KDP T&C’s, this book should not be available anywhere on the web in e-form so if they have found it elsewhere, why haven’t they told me? I am at a loss as to where to start.
Anyone else got the same problem. Does Amazon KDP have a reliable helpdesk?

[Doc]

Actually, Amazon does reserve the right to lower the price for promotional reasons. You need to know if this is the case. If your book is elsewhere for $0.99, and they're price matching, then according to the KDP agreement, you're forfeiting all your royalties to copies sold on Amazon, and may even have to pay them a penalty because they are supposed to have your book exclusively. However, if Amazon chose to lower the price of the book for promotional purposes, then they still owe you the royalties for the book as it it had been sold at $2.99.

I hope you can sort this out soon.

Doc

[Andy]

Thanks Doc, this is helpfull. I have emailed them to ask what is going on. As I said, if they have found this book somewhere else on th web, wouldn't they let me know before confiscating my royalties?

[Doc]

Andy wrote: "Thanks Doc, this is helpfull. I have emailed them to ask what is going on. As I said, if they have found this book somewhere else on th web, wouldn't they let me know before confiscating my royalties?"

I don't know about that. You might want to re-assure them that they have exclusive distribution of your story and if someone has found it elsewhere, that is a pirated copy and you are not receiving royalties from it. That might help your position.

Good luck.

Doc

[Chrysoula]

Generally if the original price is posted and there's a slash through it and a discounted price is below it, Amazon is doing the discount on their own. Otherwise... price matching. Although God knows I can't ever get them to price match on my own stuff. But it does take months sometimes to get stuff unpublished via Smashwords.