Kris Baker wrote:

"xerlome" wrote in message
When a resaler picks up a used book for, say, a dollar, and then sells
it for the price of a new book or even higher, we are paying the dealer
a four (or even five) digit percent profit for buying and holding an
already available book after the original buyer has paid the legitimate
costs and later decided to donate it to a charity thrift store or
public library. Even $20.00 is a 2000% markup. I see this as a kind
of market theft.

You're assuming that the new book dealer and used book
dealer invest the same amount of time and effort into selling
a book.

You cut out the part where i mentioned the retailer as only one of many
on the chain of people paid for their part in creating the book and
making it available. I might better have left the distributor and
retailer out of the list and my point would have been clearer. Up to
that point, the cost of the book goes to those who actually create and
make the book. After that, it is primaily a matter of moving it
around. That can be pretty costly, but i'd like to see those costs
kept to a minimum.

If I sell new books, I have to:
1 - order them from the publisher
2 - open the box and put them on the shelf
3 - return them for credit if they don't sell

That's true. And it's probably done by an employee on a salary who
gets paid either way. Right ?

If I sell used books, I have to:
1 - know possible locations they can be found

I know how difficult that is. I generally look in the yellow pages to
find the locations of thrift stores (as well as used book stores). I
look in the paper for yard sales and other sales. Libraries post their
sales, etc.

2 - go search those places (time, fuel, effort)

All part of the added value. I understand. But if you have a store,
and i bring books to you and tell you i want extra money because i
added value when i invested my time, fuel, and effort finding the books
originally, and again bringing them to you, what would you say ?

a) That's fair. I'm always willing to pay for added value. Saves me
adding it myself.
b) Ha ! That's a good one ! - Hey Pat ! - Tell Pat what you just told
me.
c) I'll have to see your resaler's ID or i can't validate the added
value.
d) Would you be willing to sell me just the book and hold on to the
added value ?
e) Other (suggestions welcome).

or pay a scout

A scout ! That's an idea, i'll have to try that ! A boy scout or a
girl scout on vacation, maybe they'd work for peanuts !

3 - pay for them (the $1 you claim I pay)

.... or $2 or $3. Or 50 cents - but point taken. I can accept the
need to allow for thrift inflation.

4 - bring them back and research each of them

.... to determine what price the market will bear...

5 - inspect them fully and then grade for condition

I usually spend a few seconds doing that at the thrift store.

Oh, i see: You are an online seller. You write up data and
descriptions. (I just do it in my head.)

6 - in some cases, perform restoration/cleaning

I do that a bit, too. Usually it's just removing the price sticker or
erasing the penciled price.

7 - watch them sit on the shelf if they don't sell

I know i'm being peevish in my frustration, but it might have been on
*my* shelf if you hadn't taken it.

8 - donate them back to the thrift store if they don't sell

I'm glad you do that. I sometimes do it, too. It's a charity, after
all.

What it breaks down to is that you are my competition. I don't want
you to get it first because i usually can't pay your price. You don't
want me to get it first because you want to sell it to someone with
more disposable income than i have.

You claim that some booksellers dump them in the trash;
that's possible.

I talked to one who does. I've been told by others about the practice.

Many thrift stores have stopped accepting
common books as dictionaries, encyclopediae, Reader's
Digest anythings, National Geographics or the like.....
because no one will buy them.

I've noticed some of this, too: a new style of cleaned up thrift store
But in the case of dictionaries, in the last couple of years i'm seeing
some thrift stores treating them as if they are *hot stuff*. *Any*
dictionary, even some little home and office type that has no more than
three words in it that an educated adult doesn't know (try opening to
random pages and pointing blindly to words and you'll see what i mean
!)

I've seen so many ordinary or trashy dictionaries on eBay that it makes
me wonder if eBayers are buying these dictionaries (well, at least a
notch better than what i just described). Perhaps the thrift strores
have noticed them disappearing fast and are trying to get in on the
action. Maybe dictionaries *are* hot. I probably shouldn't be saying
that here, though. I'm my own worst enemy...

At such time as thrift stores start to do more than
flip a price on them and put them on the shelf, watch
their prices soar.

Oh, i hope they don't do that - i mean start putting a lot of added
value into them. I can never seem to find that added value.

In fact, here, many do attempt to
sell ungraded books that "look old" for $25 and up.

Yeah, but i leave those for the eBayers.

ER Lyon