The French government is considering a law prohibiting the ``delivery fee for books purchased online'' to be substantially free so that Amazon and bookstores in the city can compete

In order to support independent bookstores that the French government is struggling to compete with Amazon, the largest e-commerce site, for online book orders of less than 35 euros (about 4900 yen), a minimum of 3 euros (about 420 yen) We are planning to impose a shipping fee of JPY).

France sets delivery fee for online book sales to help stores compete with Amazon | Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/france-impose-minimum-delivery-fee-three-euros-online-book-orders-2022-09-23/

France sets €3 book-delivery fees in jab at Amazon – POLITICO
https://www.politico.eu/article/france-sets-e3-book-delivery-fees-in-jab-at-amazon/

France announces minimum €3 book delivery fee to help booksellers compete with Amazon - The Verge
https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/23/23368219/france-minimum-book-delivery-fee-booksellers-amazon-competition

French Law to Help Small Bookshops Rival Amazon
https://www.pymnts.com/news/retail/2022/french-law-give-small-bookshops-edge-against-amazon/

A law that came into force in 2014 already prohibits free delivery of books in France. However, major e-commerce sites such as Amazon and Fnac circumvent laws prohibiting free shipping by imposing a near-free shipping fee of 1 cent (about 1.4 yen) for each delivery. However, it is not possible to set such a substantially free shipping fee at bookstores in the city, and it seems that they charge a maximum shipping fee of about 7 euros (about 970 yen).

Finally passed the so-called 'anti-Amazon law' to protect the city's bookstore by prohibiting free shipping of online bookstores - GIGAZINE

In December 2021, a law specifying a minimum shipping fee was passed as a law to deal with major EC sites with a minimum shipping fee of 1 cent. However, the law has not yet entered into force as it has not been determined what the minimum shipping charges will be. The French Ministry of Culture and Finance described the law as 'a balance between the large e-commerce platforms that deliver books virtually free of charge regardless of the size of the order, and the bookstores that cannot offer near-free delivery prices. will be able to recover, which will enable the book industry to adapt to the digital age,' said the joint statement.

A law will be passed to help brick-and-mortar bookstores compete with Amazon by setting ``minimum shipping charges for books''-GIGAZINE

The EU approved the law after the government notified the European Commission of detailed plans for a law specifying minimum shipping charges for online book orders, according to the French Ministry of Culture and Finance. After that, it seems that the law on the minimum shipping fee will be effective when 6 months have passed.

In addition, the French Ministry of Culture has specified a minimum shipping fee of 3 euros including tax, and this minimum shipping fee cannot be avoided by purchasing loyalty programs available to customers or by purchasing books and other products together. About. Additionally, you will still be able to offer a 1 cent shipping fee for orders over €35. Regarding minimum delivery charges, the Ministry of Culture said: ``A delivery charge of 3 euros will not deter book buyers, and a threshold of 35 euros will accelerate environmentally friendly bulk buying.''

In France, a law prohibiting the price reduction of new books was enforced in 1981, and Bloomberg pointed out that thanks to this law, bookstores in the city were able to survive even after the rise of EC sites such as Amazon. However, it has been pointed out that Amazon has still distorted the book market by lowering not only the selling price of books but also the shipping fee.

SLF, a French bookstore association, issued a statement on Friday, September 23, 2022, stating that ``a delivery fee of 3 euros is not enough''. In addition, SLF is asking the French government to ``reduce the fees charged by the French post office when bookstores deliver books.''

In France, 435 million books were sold in 2019, of which more than 20% were sold online. There are 3,300 independent bookstores in France, but their market share is slowly declining due to competition from online retailers such as Amazon and Fnac.