A New French Law Forbids Free Shipping For Books, So Amazon Is Charging People Just A Penny

Jillian D'Onfro

Updated 11 July 2014 at 8:39 am

Getty / Scott Olson

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

After a new French law went into effect forbidding booksellers from discounting their titles or offering free shipping, Amazon has started charging a penny for delivery.

The new law — often referred to as the “anti-Amazon” law — aims to protect local bookstores and has stopped the large U.S. retailer from offering a 5% discount on its selection of titles, The Wall Street Journal reports. A penny is the smallest amount Amazon is allowed to charge for shipping.

France has been regulating book prices since 1981, when it started preventing book sellers from offering a discount of more than 5% off the cover price on any title.

Amazon doesn’t have the best rep in Europe right now: A beloved British children’s book author just turned down a lifetime achievement award after he found out Amazon sponsored it.

(Hat-tip to Engadget where we saw this story.)

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through his personal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

Read more stories on Business Insider, Malaysian edition of the world’s fastest-growing business and technology news website.

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