# Online sales model:
Internet book vendors benefit from a simplified book sales model as compared to traditional brick-and-mortar book stores. By storing books remotely at a warehouse location and shipping books directly to a consumer, significant transportation needs are eliminated both on the part of the book vendor (shipping books to stores) any by the consumer (travelling to stores). Additionally, near universal access to the Internet means that a relatively few warehouse locations can compete with a market without having to deal with amounts of real-estate.
# Shipping and Fees:
The simplified business model provides potentially lower costs or higher profit margins for remote book vendors. The 'up front pricing' model attracts customers with low up-front prices reflecting the lower cost of books to the vendor with less overhead. The book vendor would then add the cost of shipping, and any other applicable fees to the order before processing. Since the book vendor typically makes the shipping arrangements, it is entirely possible that the cost of shipping passed on to the consumer will not be the same as the cost of shipping borne by the book vendor. Some online book vendors use this as a source of revenue, further increasing profits or allowing the book vendor to advertise even lower up-front prices. (The classic joke here is the "free car" worth Rs.2,00,000 that has a Rs.3,00,000 shipping and handling fee).
# Free Shipping Day:
"Free Shipping Day" was created and has run since 2008. One day in the holiday season (in 2010, this day was December 17th), companies such as Toys "R" Us and J. C. Penney participate by offering free shipping. These merchants are featured on the official Free Shipping Day website. There were 1,750 participating merchants in 2010. ComScore estimates that shoppers spent more than 942 million dollars on Free Shipping Day, 2010, a 61% increase over the previous year.
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