Publishing Perspectives reports that later this year, Amazon is going to introduce its Kindle into the Brazilian market at a price of R$199 (US$115)—significantly cheaper than any other e-reader on the market. Anonymous sources “familiar with the negotiations” suggest Amazon may even go as low as R$149 (US$87) to gain market share.
(Of course, those prices are on par with what the device sells for in the US, but I suspect Brazil may have a higher salary and cost of living base than the US, thus making it remarkably cheap for there.)
Not only is this well below the R$799 (US$466) charged for Brazil’s native Positivo Alfa e-reader, it’s also below the US$255 it currently costs a Brazilian to get the cheapest US Kindle after import duties. It would give Amazon the cheapest e-reader available in the Brazilian market.
Currently, the number of e-books available in Brazil’s native Portugese is a relatively low11,000 e-book titles. However, if Amazon brings a cheap e-reader to the market, it could stimulate publishers to put more effort into converting backlist titles to digital and give a boost to the overall e-book market in the country.
If that’s the case, then Amazon’s raw commercialism might just have some benefits for Brazillian readers.
Uh, the pricing of electronics in Brazil is primarily determined by high import duties, not the cost of living.
http://www.ehow.com/list_6529981_import-duties-brazil.html
Amazon might have found a loophole or they might be eating the duties.
It’s not cheap for Brasil either – only in Brasil all goods made in other countries are subject to very high taxes — thus Nike shoes, Apple products, etc. are EXTREMELY expensive for the average Brasilian. — It’s not that Brasilians make more money or spend more money on other things, just that foreign goods are more of a luxury,