Mr. Lyon:

I've tried very hard to keep from replying to this thread, even when
you began to compare used booksellers to safecrackers. Thieves, in
other words.

I will say this, then no mo you have *no idea* what it takes in the
way of physical and financial resources to be able to operate a used
book service and make any kind of living at it. You don't. And, from
what I've seen of your posts, you're unlikely to ever understand it.
Whether this is because you're unable to, or are simply unwilling to
do so because paying a higher price is inconvenient to you, I neither
know nor care.

I know of not one single wealthy bookseller who got that way solely
from selling used books, no matter what their mark-up is. Not ONE. I
know many who, after decades of hard work and study, can support
themselves and their families, but they'd all be better off
financially if they'd gone into IT twenty-five years ago.

Quite the contrary, I know of hundreds and hundreds of booksellers who
could NOT make a living at it, either in brick-and-mortar shops or
on-line, because competition is so tough that they were unable to get
prices that would cover their expenses, and subsequently closed down
and sold off their stock. At thrift-store prices, I might add.

You know *nothing,* Mr. Lyon, about what it takes to be a bookseller.