General Collecting Question
 

In the last year or so I found myself purchasing large format art and photography books. Many of those purchases have been made online and I'm discovering games that online sellers play. Many of these sellers list items in the wrong condition hoping that the buyer won't complain.

Today I received a new book. It's a photography book that has recently been released and can be had at most any retailer for $50-60USD.

I bought it via eBay for $30 and asked the seller to not even bother sending it if it's anything less than perfect as I've received books with mashed up corners and torn dust jackets from other sellers.

Book arrived and looks to be in great overall condition. Some minor rubbing and curling to the ends of the DJ (from the way it was packaged)...

HOWEVER... What I noticed inside was a printed sticker just inside the cover saying "Happy Holidays from The _______ Company".

Now I'm annoyed. I'm assuming that if I were to hold on to this book where it might appreciate in value, this copy would be less desirable or of less value that copies without the sticker. Is that so?

General Collecting Question
 

On 2/6/2014 10:28 AM, SoulBrother wrote:

In the last year or so I found myself purchasing large format art and
photography books. Many of those purchases have been made online and I'm
discovering games that online sellers play. Many of these sellers list
items in the wrong condition hoping that the buyer won't complain.

Today I received a new book. It's a photography book that has recently
been released and can be had at most any retailer for $50-60USD.

I bought it via eBay for $30 and asked the seller to not even bother
sending it if it's anything less than perfect as I've received books
with mashed up corners and torn dust jackets from other sellers.

Book arrived and looks to be in great overall condition. Some minor
rubbing and curling to the ends of the DJ (from the way it was
packaged)...

HOWEVER... What I noticed inside was a printed sticker just inside the
cover saying "Happy Holidays from The _______ Company".

Now I'm annoyed. I'm assuming that if I were to hold on to this book
where it might appreciate in value, this copy would be less desirable or
of less value that copies without the sticker. Is that so?


The presence of marks, other than signatures or inscriptions by the
author or someone associated with the author or a famous person, does
detract from the value, as the book is no longer pristine. But if the
book is collectible and scarce, the reduction in value will not be
excessive.

If you look at listings on ABE, for instance, a significant number of
the books have owner inscriptions. It cannot be avoided.

I note that eBay has a customer satisfaction guarantee. You may wish to
discuss the issue with them.


Francis A. Miniter