Back in the 90's I bought several audiobooks on tape for long car journeys; the retail prices listed on Audible seem similar to the price I actually paid back in the day. A lot of the titles are also available on iTunes as well, and the prices were comparable to the retail price listed on Audible. Audible really is a good deal.
Interesting, thanks! I guess both perspectives can be right: the prices are in some sense real, but at Audible they function mostly to tell you what a good deal you are getting (in return to committing to a subscription).
Yes, also because then it feels less like you're committing to buying N books per month from a particular vendor.