Hey Mel, just an idea, man what if you changed the inside of the book a bit? The price match happens because Amazon sees it as the same public domain edition. But if you make your version unique like adding your own intro, personal notes, or even a section at the end with your thoughts or reflections it becomes your own edition.

That way Amazon can’t price-match it against all those other copies. You could even add a table of contents, better layout, or author’s notes to give it more value. That turns it into a “commentary edition,” and you can legally list it higher, like $9.99 or even $10.99, and still be good with KDP’s rules.

Also, you can report any of those cheap copies if they’re intentionally undercutting the market because they’re the ones triggering the match. It might take a bit for KDP to reply, but they usually explain what listing caused it.

You’ve got this, man. Just tweak the inside and it’s a whole new edition. Hope this helps my friend
Shawn

Good morning Mel,

This really is not clever!

I feel it's up to the producer/author to charge what they want for the book. It's good that Amazon can give you a guide price, but ultimately it should be down to the author or the person producing the book, to set the price.

I like the efficiency of Amazon, when it comes to ordering things, but I do understand that they don't treat their sellers very well, it's all about the customer. I believe it should be about the customer and the seller. Otherwise, it's a bit unfair.

Due to Amazon's principles, I do like to try and find alternative places to purchase items, however, that is sometimes easier said than done.

I hope that you are able to get the issue sorted out.

Have a good weekend.

Roy

Wow — that's a proper rude awakening! Thanks for sharing this Mel, because it’s something many of us probably haven’t even checked on - I know I haven't. 😳

It’s annoying that they can undercut your chosen price and essentially wipe out any profit — especially since it was your work and your choice to start with. I hope they at least give you a clear explanation and a way to fix it moving forward, but don't hold your breath.

Please do let us know if you hear back — I’d love to know how they handle it or whether they just fob you off. Good luck!

Rick

Oh gosh...

Melting down must be an earning strategy...
Seeing that happen over and over again...

Perhaps you can sell your books on your website Mel
That's what I'd do


✨ Fleeky

Hmm...🤔 im thinking about how to get around that. Like putting up 1-3 chapters of the book on kindle. Price them as you see fit. Then allow the readers read it.

Afterwards tell them on the last chapter to purchase the full book on your personal website that is published by another company. That way you get full profit. 👀 not sure if Amazon has a rule for that.

Its just a thought. I would also personally remove my book from Amazon publishing anyway. But that's just me.