Ummm . . . at $3.99 per book for the first 8 copies, that's still around $32.00 shipping. I run a mail-order business and I plugged in some mythical orders of 40 books. Shipping to the farthest reaches of the country came to a dead bang max of $29.00 for a 70-pound order and $17.00 for a more typical 40-pound order (since the typical PA book is less than 100-pages). So, PA ain't hurting on its "free" shipping deal.
So, using the typical PA price of $24.99 per book, with shipping, those 48 books cost the PAer $231.84 or $4.83 each. That is assuming all 48 arrive in sellable condition, PA is notorious for bad packing, bad packing materials and damaged merch.
Now, that may seem like a good deal, but they have to pay the entire $231.84 up front and then try and recoup it with sales. Since the average PA book sells 75 copies over its lifetime, how long will it take to get rid of 48. Of course, the writer could sell them for $6.99 and make a whomping $100 off the deal and pay all of their expenses for the sale.
However, how many PA non-cluebies do you think are taking advantage of this fer-special offer AND chiding themselves for complaining and thus making Mother-PA discontinue the "so-called" (odd choice of words) fer-special offers.
The mind. It boggles.
I know - that's what boggles my mind as well. I've told outsiders about these things and they're like, "Why can't those authors SEE how ridiculous these things are?!" My answer: "I have no idea."