Are Free And Low Cost Ebooks Worth Buying?

The vast majority of web pages are offering information in text and other formats on subjects as diverse as the structure of DNA and how to make a teddy bear. There are millions of web pages on tens of thousands of topics - and most of it available to read free of charge - so why would anyone want to pay for it?

Ebooks come in three categories - free, low cost and what I'm going to call premium (ebooks costing more than a few dollars or pounds)

Free ebooks are often little more than an advert for another product, either a paid for ebook, software, membership or physical product. They usually have some interesting information and offer the promise of far more if you purchase their product.

They are also used to encourage subscriptions to mailing lists. These ebooks are sometimes on the topic of the website, however they can be on any subject. Frequently, but not always, they have been available for some time, often years and are available free from many sources.

Low cost ebooks - those now selling for between $0.01 and $4.99 have often been for sale previously at much higher prices. Most sold well at a higher price but as they have become available from more sources the price has dropped. A few failed to sell at a higher price

The premium or high price ebooks do tend to be the newest and are promoted as having the latest information. They are usually sold via affiliates (agents) and a high price has to be charged to enable both the original author and the affiliate to share the price paid.

What subjects are covered?

Although a large number are related to Internet Marketing, if you can think of a subject someone will have written or is writing an ebook on it.

Are they worth buying?

This depends on both the quality of the ebook and the price paid.

At face value free ebooks offer the best deal. All you usually need to do is sign up for a newsletter and you qualify for one or many free ebooks. Sometimes this is just a one time offer however sometimes you can get multiple ebooks every month.

Are they worth it? This is really a no-brainer as if it is not what you expect you can just delete it. As for removing your details from a mailing list that is as simple as clicking on an email link to unsubscribe.

Low cost ebooks (from $0.01 to $4.99) are often ebooks that have been on sale for a few months. The information they contain is often relatively up-to-date and well worth the low price payable. Usually they come with a money back guarantee, anything from 7 days to maybe 30 days.

Premium or high cost ebooks (anything from $5.00 to $97.00 and more) are a more difficult choice. They often carry a 60 to 90 day money back guarantee and I have yet to find a publisher who fails to honor this type of guarantee - so you can get your money back.

I suspect however that many buyers fail to claim their money back even when they pay very high prices. Whether this is because of forgetfulness, embarrassment or indecision I am not sure, however I'm certain that it is something the more unscrupulous publisher relies upon.

I have purchased quite a few high priced ebooks and for the most part I have been happy with the content. Where I have been less than happy I have claimed and received a full refund.

Why should you buy?

Convenience is often the best reason to buy. Paying a couple of pounds or dollars or even $20 to $30 can save a great deal of time and effort and is often worth the payment. To pay more the ebook would have to be exceptional.

So is it worth buying ebooks? The answer is frequently yes, particularly free or low cost ebooks. But if you do buy and they don't turn out to be what you expect claim your money back.