Playing up our weakness...

I just got an email from half.com playing up that their prices beat Amazon.com on new hot titles. They have the same add on their front page.'

Now, I love half.com. I've probably bought close to 50 books, cd's, and dvd's from them. I was crushed when eBay said they were going to get rid of them, and I (true story) went Yes! out loud when I got an email from them that they were not dropping them, which made my co-workers look at me funny (or funnier than usual). The beauty of half.com is for older items - books and stuff that are out of print, or have been out for a couple years. These are the things people will let go cheap, and you can get a good but couple year old book for under a buck, or easily find a hard to find book at a decent price.

For new items, though, half.com doesn't make as much sense. Most of the prices in their email were only a buck or two below Amazon's - and with half, you pay shipping on every item. Amazon has free super saver shipping for most orders over $25, so if you are buying that much, and factor in shipping, Amazon is probably cheaper overall. Add in the fact that Amazon is a fairly trustworthy seller, while half means buying from individuals, some of whom are great and others who aren't, and it doesn't really seem worth it.

I understand that half is trying to get lots of holday sales, and that they make more money in commissions on higher-priced items - but I don't think this is going to help them, and I wonder if a campaign focusing on unusual or hard to find items may be more sucessful.