Minimum book delivery fee set in anti-Amazon fight

The country’s crusade to protect independent booksellers was stepped up last Friday as the government proposed a €3 ($2.89) minimum delivery fee for online book orders of less than €35.

The fixed fee is part of a quest to support independent bookshops against the domination of big tech firms, such as Amazon. France is seeking to stop what ministers have called “distorted competition” against independent bookshops from online firms.

Legislation was passed at the end of last year to close a legal loophole that had allowed big online companies to charge a single cent for shipping a book, while independent bookshops had to charge higher post-office prices.