Greedy Booksellers

<KarenWorthin DeleteThis @aol.com> wrote in message
news:53a60010-f07f-4652-8d4f-196e00f28865@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and
> other web bookselling sites, prompts me to ask
> booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these
> outrageous prices. Some booksellers might be
> fair and want to have a turnover.

I think knitting machines cost too much, and lazy knitters
should do it by hand. But that's just me.

How MANY groups are you going to post this troll to?
All this because ONE book is priced at $89?
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

The old real estate definition of "fair market value" is as follows:

The sale price at which a property would change hands between a willing
buyer and willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell
and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.


Donna
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

<KarenWorthin.RemoveThis@aol.com> wrote in message
news:53a60010-f07f-4652-8d4f-196e00f28865@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> sites, prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices. Some
> booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.

What kind of books are you buying? In my experience, eBay prices, except for
a few overhyped and misrepresented books or real rarities are about 1/3 of
what a B&M seller would charge. Even the rarities are frequently
underpriced, since they tend to be scooped up by dealers, who need to
increase the prices when they resell them. I've heard many, many, dealers
say they buy, but won't sell, on eBay, because the prices are too depressed.

Remember, for every "greedy" seller, there's a seller even more greedy who
will undercut them by a nickel to make the sale if it can be done at all
profitably.

Alice
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

A book is worth what you can get for it, or conversely, what you are
prepared to pay for it...

Outrageous? To whom?

Not so long ago, a first/first of "Silence of the Lambs" was up to $175 or
so. That was based - or so I am told - on the false assumption that the
first printing had been small. In fact, they were all over. Prince has now
dropped accordingly, and one can easily be found for around $10 or less if
you browse in a thrift. (If you want one, I have four).

Sansom's 2003 DISSOLUTION sells for close to or even over $1000, but a brand
new copy can be had for standard retail if you want, or less if you accept
paperbacks. To read or to collect?

Written under a pen name, Follett's BIG BLACK as a paperback original has
only one copy listed, and they want $500 for that. What do you propose - no
more than ten times the cover price? Yet if you find one in a thrift, you
might get it for $.25. That's life. Demand to pay more at the thrift, as
it is for a good cause?

Willow






"RF" <fwdixon DeleteThis @hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:8ffcb15d-7818-4c01-bf89-7459902ba9dc@k39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
On Jan 9, 7:04 am, KarenWort... DeleteThis @aol.com wrote:
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> sites, prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices. Some
> booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.

The free marketplace is the ultimate oversight.
If you think the price of a book is too high, then don't buy it.
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

hey idiot, go buy books in Russia....maybe they have price control on books
there?

<KarenWorthin RemoveThis @aol.com> wrote in message
news:53a60010-f07f-4652-8d4f-196e00f28865@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> sites, prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices. Some
> booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

On Jan 9, 3:38 pm, "Texas Gen" <texas.... DeleteThis @gmail.com> wrote:
> The old real estate definition of "fair market value" is as follows:
>
> The sale price at which a property would change hands between a willing
> buyer and willing seller, neither being under any compulsion to buy or sell
> and both having reasonable knowledge of the relevant facts.
>
> Donna

That sure sounds fair to me.
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

On Jan 9, 7:04 am, KarenWort....RemoveThis@aol.com wrote:
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> sites, prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices.  Some
> booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.

If you want a cheap book, simply go buy the paperback version. I have
been a collector of fine leather bound books for many years, and I
have no problem paying a large sum on money for the right title. I
also run a website on the topic http://www.leatherboundtreasure.com/
and I have never received a message complaining about "Over/
hyperInflated"
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

On Jan 9, 4:04 am, KarenWort... DeleteThis @aol.com wrote:
> Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> sites,

Don't let the "fantasy prices" get to you. They only
have meaning for the gullible. In reality, all the big
net bookselling venues have great bargains for those
who will look for them.

prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices.  Some
> booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.

Silly notion. There is no better pricing system
for collectibles than the free market. As to the
fantasy prices, sometimes I wonder if at least
some of them are not put there by dealers as
a sales gimmick in their B&M stores. Sort of
like (to a naive customer): "Well, we have this
on the net for $175, but I can let you have it
for $100..." (when going by what reputable
dealers are listing it for, the book is worth
$30-$40). Other than that, one does have
to wonder why people list prices that are
far more fantasy than market reality.
(Unless there are are some rich idiots
out here who read listings in descending
price order and always order what is at the
top of the list!)

(Memo from the upstairs office.)
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

On Jan 9, 6:49 am, "my-wings" <my_wi....TakeThisOut@TAKEOUTatt.net> wrote:
> <KarenWort....TakeThisOut@aol.com> wrote in message
>
> news:53a60010-f07f-4652-8d4f-196e00f28865@e10g2000prf.googlegroups.com...
>
> > Over/hyperInflated prices for books on ebay and other web bookselling
> > sites, prompts me to ask booksellers if they would consider developing
> > an oversight agency that reigns in these outrageous prices.  Some
> > booksellers might be fair and want to have a turnover.
>
> What kind of books are you buying? In my experience, eBay prices, except for
> a few overhyped and misrepresented books or real rarities are about 1/3 of
> what a B&M seller would charge. Even the rarities are frequently
> underpriced, since they tend to be scooped up by dealers, who need to
> increase the prices when they resell them. I've heard many, many, dealers
> say they buy,

That is very difficult to do profitably, but I suppose
it can be done even though the place is full of amateurs
who don't know how to describe a book. I had a
dealer tell me that in one case he bought a book in
"good" condition and then found out when the book
arrived that the seller did not bother to tell him it
was an ex-library! Maybe the seller was a swindler,
or maybe he was too ignorant to understand the
importance of describing an "ex-library" as such.
Any dealer who is successful in regularly getting
stock that way must really know what he doing,
must spend a lot of time and effort
doing it, and must expect that he is going to
get annoyed -- and even cheated --
on all too many occasions. On the other
hand, so people with good collectibles
going to eBay (and who can blame them
for eliminating the middle man?) that this
may be only route some dealers can have
a chance of getting good collectible stock.


[Memo from the upstairs office.]

but won't sell, on eBay, because the prices are too depressed.
>
> Remember, for every "greedy" seller, there's a seller even more greedy who
> will undercut them by a nickel to make the sale if it can be done at all
> profitably.
>
> Alice
 >> Stay informed about: Greedy Booksellers 

On Jan 23, 1:54 pm, Bill <palmer.will... DeleteThis @sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> Other than that, one does have
> to wonder why people list prices that are
> far more fantasy than market reality.


Not sure either. Some folks use pricing software that has historic
values in the database, and it almost looks like listed price/sold
price gets interchanged. Sometimes I get a book in to sell and I have
no idea of the value, so I go internet shopping, and if there's just
one or two copies listed, I'm unsure if I am looking at a scarce title
or a couple of folks that are doing just what I am doing.

I'm pretty much on top of books in my area of specialty back to about
1929, but before that I need some help. I'd like to think I'm
"reputable" but admittedly ignorant in certain areas. I do know that
scalper prices will chase away my regulars so I really try to avoid
that.

Carl
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