Also, keeping in mind that online book sales account for only 15.5% of all books sold (at least in Germany), it's not the end of the printed book by a longshot.
Germany's online booksellers have ridiculous prices. I don't know what the marketshare figures look like in the rest of the world, but I would be very surprised if they were comparable to Germany.
Good point. My mind skimmed the hardcover element completely.
Do you pay more for postage when purchasing a hardcover book?
Amazon offers free 2-day shipping after $25 in purchases for most of their items. For the price of a hardcover book you might already qualify for free shipping, or just add another item to get to $25 and get free shipping.