Amazon has changed its free delivery policy for new books in France, ending the practice of offering free delivery when customers pick up books from automated lockers. Instead, the company will now offer a 5% discount and free delivery only when books are picked up at store reception areas or counters. This adjustment comes after a legal and regulatory review, and a spokesperson for Amazon France confirmed the change to Le Figaro. The change is linked to the Darcos law, which came into effect in 2023. This law imposes a 3-euro shipping fee on any online order under 35 euros that includes new books. It is an extension of the Lang law from 1981, which established a uniform price for books in France to protect independent bookstores. The Darcos law allows for free delivery if the book is picked up at a retail store that sells books. Amazon had previously interpreted this to include automated lockers located in stores that also sell books, such as supermarkets. However, after pressure from the Ministry of Culture and the Book Retailers' Union, a book mediator ruled that Amazon’s use of automated lockers for free delivery was a "real challenge to the implementation of the law." In response, Amazon continued to offer free delivery and a 5% discount on new books through lockers, even as it faced criticism. In December 2025, Amazon’s France CEO at the time, Frédéric Duval, wrote an op-ed criticizing the mandatory shipping fees as a "tax on reading." In October 2026, Amazon reversed its approach, ending free delivery and the 5% discount for locker pickups. This decision followed a rejection of Amazon’s appeal to annul the Darcos law’s implementing decree by the Council of State. The Book Retailers' Union emphasized that the law, supported unanimously by Parliament, helps protect cultural diversity and supports the 4,700+ physical bookstores across France. Additionally, reports suggest that legal action by the French Book Retailers' Union, the Cultural Leisure Distributors' Union, and Fnac may have also influenced Amazon’s decision.