Further to my post earlier this week about Easy Food, I decided to check the Australian dollar pricing for some other overseas titles.  The pricing for Hornby Magazine represents the average.  £3.55 converts to A$11.95.  While high for a £ to A$ conversion, this is about the norm.  It makes me wonder, again, why Easy Food sells for A$3.99 when the UK price is £2.80.  Something doesn’t make sense here.  It makes me wonder if Easy Food is being dumped in Australia.

Click on the image to see the covers (and prices) in detail.

There is considerable talk among some magazine publishers about dumping of overseas magazines in Australia.  People I have spoken with fell it is happening but have no evidence.  I wonder if looking at cover price could provide some evidence when considered along with an assessment of a title and whether consumer interest in the segment is already well satisfied with existing titles.

I am concerned that newsagencies are being used as dumping grounds for some overseas titles and that this reducing sales of Australian magazines from publishers who are more likely to support our channel.

Magazine distributors are the key here.  When I have discussed it with them they say dumping is not happening.  For certainty I would like more than just a statement that it is not happening.  I’d like to see a through investigation so that we get to a provable truth.

I heard from several newsagents yesterday who reported that they received an increase in crossword titles from Gordon & Gotch.  On one case, titles were sent which had been explicitly cancelled by the newsagent some time ago as they did not sell.  All of the titles were from overseas.

Magazine distributors need to understand that newsagents have finite space. Sending new titles without discussion with the newsagent will often lead to the titles not being displayed and wasting newsagent time and money … and not helping the publisher.

Somebody or some system at Gordon & Gotch has decided we should start receiving Hustler magazine. The first issue arrived in-store yesterday. We returned it yesterday as well. This is not a title which could be sent. It’s not a title we want to have in our newsagency. We can understand others would. However, we feel that it does not reflect what we consider appropriate in this particular location.  It is appalling that Gotch would send the title without consultation. I recall years ago that a representative of Gotch told me that they would not send pornography without express permission of the newsagent.