Amazon stocks up on Australian titles e-commerce Sue Mitchell Dymocks' Steve Cox in his Sydney store. Photo: James Brickwood 'There are lots of up- and-comers who miss the opportunity for international sales.'
Chris McKee, Book Depository Online retailer Book Depository has predicted a boom in Australian book sales overseas after confirming plans to expand its range of Australian titles and use a third party logistics partner in Melbourne to speed up local delivery. 
BookDepository.com managing director Chris McKee said the retailer, a division of Amazon, was adding 25,000 Australian titles to its catalogue of 14 million books, making Australian books more accessible here and overseas.
"It's a win win for everybody," said Mr McKee.
"We see a lot of great books coming out of Australia but generally it takes them a long while to filter through to the international market if at all," he said.
"The big authors make it onto the market but there are lots of up- and-comers who miss the opportunity for international sales. We are creating more of a market for them - it's a win win situation."
However, not everyone is happy.
Book sellers have accused Australian publishers of hypocrisy for agreeing to sell books directly to the UK-based Book Depository while at the same time arguing against the removal of parallel importation restrictions.
These restrictions prevent book stores from importing books if local publishers stock them within 30 days of release overseas.
"This is another example of the fact that the market has abnormal restrictions - it's not supportive of a level playing field," said Dymocks managing director Steve Cox.
"An international player can buy directly here whereas Australian retailers can't source supply from overseas. Either you believe in a free and open market or you don't."
The Productivity Commission and the Harper competition law review have recommended that parallel import restrictions be removed, saying Australian books cost on average 35 per cent more than they do overseas.
But publishers and authors say removing import restrictions would decimate the Australian industry and lead to a flood of cheap books from overseas.
Book sellers also believe the Book Depository's Australian expansion could confuse consumers over the issue of GST.
Australian consumers pay GST on books bought locally online or in stores, but do not currently pay GST on overseas online purchases worth less than $1000.
Mr McKee said Book Depository would charge GST on books sourced directly from Australian publishers but not books sourced overseas, potentially leading to different prices for the same book.
Book Depository is currently selling two versions of Rosalie Ham's The Dressmaker, one at $13.20 and one at $18.98, compared with $15.95 at Australia's largest online book retailer Booktopia.
Australian Booksellers Association chief executive Joel Becker fears more Australian retailers will struggle to compete, saying Amazon and Book Depository sell books as 'loss leaders' to recruit new customers.
"They're either getting a better discount or they're pricing it as a loss leader to get market share," said Mr Becker. "They get people in with books and then they hopefully wind up buying other products from them which maybe they make a profit on."
"We appreciate that it's a competitive world and that discounting goes on, but when you discount at prices that other people would go out of business to match then it's problematic."
Mr McKee denied that Book Depository was selling books at a loss.
"That's not a situation I recognise," he said. "We price our books at the lowest price we can and shipping is included," he said.