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Curious Revisited
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♥Meagan♥
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Aug 06, 2011 07:17AM
I don't know if people actually buy those books. The sellers list them at whatever price they want.
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Yeah. I'm not sure about that. I guess people are just trying to make a profit.
People are greedy. that's the end of it. if I sell a used book, i price it at 4.00 or less.
Maybe because people who look up the new and used column forget the regular price, or just aren't paying attention. I guess in the free market system, we can charge whatever we want....it is up to the buyer to be vigilant and aware so as not to be snookered into spending more than retail.
I can't imagine anyone buying a used book at double the price unless it was an out of print book etc. It doesn't make sense!
Could it be signed? Would your signature be valuable?
I've had this a few times - I think the record was over $240. I'm pretty sure that these 'third party' sellers list all books - even at crazy prices - to get their name out there and recognized. It basically gives a free link to their website.I put up my own copy at a more sensible 'used' price and since then, the third party prices have become a lot more sensible.
For what this is worth, my wife self-published a book several years ago concerning employment opportunities in global health. Eventually she allowed the book to go out of print. Some Amazon used-book sellers then assumed that the book was suddenly worth more than $100. In this instance I think the price was due to some insane notion of supply and demand, based on the book being out of print.
I wrote a blog on this topic. You can read it here on my page, of on my website www.TracyLDarity.com. The title "Is the POD Bubble About to Burst."Basically, these people do not have copies of your book but a connection to a distributor who can get the book if someone actually tries to purchase from them. The downside, you may never be compensated for that sale.
I've had the same experience. In some cases, it was a signed book (including one that had been personalized but clearly then sold by that person to a repurchase/resale bookstore).Mostly, I think it's because a book is out of print, and some store that has copies is taking advantage of the lack of a current printing. It purchases the books on the cheap from some source, even libraries, and it resells them at an overstated price. That's the point Helen and Anthony raise.
The thing is, most of those stores likely don't even consider the fact that their prices will be shown next to other, lower prices. Amazon, because of its size and capabilities and relationships, posts other vendors' prices. Which means that a $0.99 book might be listed right next to a $45 copy.
Back in the day, when bookstores still roamed the Earth, if as an author you went to a bookstore for a reading, the owner would bring over a stack of books and ask you to sign them. The theory being, I think, that this added value to the book. Not that anyone would pay more for this scribbling, but they would at least be happier paying the cover price. Quaint.
