Just weeks after a one-would-think humiliating onslaught of bad press for pulling the buy buttons from all books published by Macmillan, Amazon.com has pulled the buy buttons from “ANY books that are distributed via Diamond Book Distributors,” according to this report from Comics Beat. “No Marvel. No Image. No Dark Horse, IDW, Archaia, Dynamite, Top Shelf…the list goes on and on.”

The move comes after a weekend snafu wherein Amazon sold thousands of expensive collectors editions of graphic novels and comics at rock bottom prices. (See the earlier MobyLives report.)

Meanwhile, the company has finally spoken up about the incident … sort of. Comics beat reports customers have been getting this email explanation for cancelled orders:

Hello,

We wanted to follow up on a recent message we sent about the cancellation of your recent order.

To recap: Due to a pricing error, we sold many more graphic novels than expected. In fact, we completely sold out — we don’t have any in stock right now, and we’re not sure when we’ll be able to get more.

We’re sorry for any frustration the issue may have caused, and have applied a $25 promotional certificate to your account.

You can use it the next time you order an item shipped and sold by Amazon.com. You’ll see your available promotional balance at checkout—this amount will be applied to your next order automatically without entering a claim code.

I hope this helps. We look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely,

Comic Beat says “publishers remain perplexed” about the tactic by Amazon but assume it’s temporary while Amazon fixes its database.

Meanwhile, as Jason Boog points out in a Galley Cat report on the incident, that makes this “the perfect time to visit your local brick and mortar comic bookstore.”