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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Book prices


yperman

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I like simple solutions. Posts 10 and 15 seem to make absolute sense to me.

And post 4!

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Maybe in some cases a bit of greed tossed in?

Heaven forfend.

Presumably the answer is, as always, "Buyer Beware"

Or even Caveat Emptor

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I did see my book on the Swansea Workhouse listed on the web at £70 (second-hand) when a pristine, brand new copy could be had from the West Glamorgan Archive Office for £17.50 (plus p&p)...now I know postage costs are rising but...

Bernard

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so do I buy a new copy, or the used one?

1znq2i8.jpg

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so do I buy a new copy, or the used one?

1znq2i8.jpg

Just seen something similar myself on a book I recently bought in a shop a little shop in the middle of nowhere but is a limited print run and has was published 2008. I got it at the lower price as a new book at £14.99 but online, new £14.99 or used £165 (not quite matching your mahoosive fee). Some time ago I was desperate to get hold of a Morayshire Roll and saw two copies on Amazon at £400 and £600 and well out of my reach. I waited and searched for quite some time and eventually managed to buy a copy on Gumtree for £60 and well worth every penny. I thought I would check Amazon again tonight, thinking along the lines that as it is now on archive.org any copies for sale must be at a much more realistic price - wrong. two at £500 and one at £800 - it's absolutely insane!

There also seems to be a little postal madness on Abe as I have occasionally seen books I would like but the postage is being charged at more than the book and that too is (I think) madness.

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Just seen something similar myself on a book I recently bought in a shop a little shop in the middle of nowhere but is a limited print run and has was published 2008. I got it at the lower price as a new book at £14.99 but online, new £14.99 or used £165 (not quite matching your mahoosive fee). Some time ago I was desperate to get hold of a Morayshire Roll and saw two copies on Amazon at £400 and £600 and well out of my reach. I waited and searched for quite some time and eventually managed to buy a copy on Gumtree for £60 and well worth every penny. I thought I would check Amazon again tonight, thinking along the lines that as it is now on archive.org any copies for sale must be at a much more realistic price - wrong. two at £500 and one at £800 - it's absolutely insane!

There also seems to be a little postal madness on Abe as I have occasionally seen books I would like but the postage is being charged at more than the book and that too is (I think) madness.

A discussed already just because its returned on a search at a vast price it does not mean the book actually exists for sale, its a way of avoiding re-listing fees.

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A discussed already just because its returned on a search at a vast price it does not mean the book actually exists for sale, its a way of avoiding re-listing fees.

Yes I did take all that in. It is still madness and insanity. As for charging £70 postage from the U.S. on a £35 book, that's lunacy too. I did actually email one of them to ask if it was a mistake, it wasn't, books are heavy objects I was told. Later, I did manage to get that particular book from a European source and the postage was 10 Euros and it arrived the following morning.

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Postage for the same book varies so vastly between different sellers even when they use the same delivery service that I smell a possible tax fiddle somewhere. Is there an advantage to underpricing the book and uplifting the postage? Happens mainly on 2nd hand books.

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Postage for the same book varies so vastly between different sellers even when they use the same delivery service that I smell a possible tax fiddle somewhere. Is there an advantage to underpricing the book and uplifting the postage? Happens mainly on 2nd hand books.

I suspect there is some reasoning behind it that involves a fiddle, otherwise, why do it? On the up side of things, I bought a book from Canada because I was struggling to get a copy anywhere else. It was published in 1989 and no longer in print but it was very reasonably priced, as was the postage. After the book had been despatched I received an email stating that it cost less than they had stated to post the book and were sending me a cheque to refund the difference which arrived shortly after the book.

There are excellent and honest booksellers out there who also deserve a mention. It's just that amongst the other scammers attracting negative attention, they are overlooked.

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I am a bit confused about re-listing fees - you certainly have to pay them on e bay, but as I understand it with Amazon there is no listing charge, just a fee when a book is sold. You can keep a book on offer for as long as you want so - If I am right- re-listing fees shouldn't have any effect on book prices at Amazon.

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I am a bit confused about re-listing fees - you certainly have to pay them on e bay, but as I understand it with Amazon there is no listing charge, just a fee when a book is sold. You can keep a book on offer for as long as you want so - If I am right- re-listing fees shouldn't have any effect on book prices at Amazon.

But if you don't have that book in stock you won't want people ordering it so either you have to unlist it (in which case when you do have it back in stock you have to to the trouble of relisting it) or you simply amend the price so that no one except a complete idiot would order it and when its back in stock it probably only takes a couple of keystrokes to lower the price again

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I wonder what excuse would emerge if a punter asked for a few photo images before buying. If I was spending those prices on a book, I would be keen to see what condition it was in visually rather than relying on a textual description...reminds me of Ronald Searle's book on book collecting 'Slightly Foxed but Still Desirable' :D

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'Slightly Foxed but Still Desirable' :D

Being a collector of original memoirs, that just about sums up most of my collection :whistle:

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Being a collector of original memoirs, that just about sums up most of my collection :whistle:

It's been a while since I've been into Searle's book but it is hilarious if you collect old books and I if I remember rightly was borne of his frustration with dealing with book descriptions when he enhanced his own collection of old books. I'll have a look tomorrow and dig out some quotes.

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On a more serious note, US dealers charges for postage are often foolishly high. Once it seemed standard to use a 'postal packet, which was amazingly cheap and fast. Now prices vary hugely. Not sure if postal regulations have changed but dealers will sometimes reduce postal costs if asked and if you deal 'off abe' which is now sadly owned by Amazon predatory corporation.

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I don't have the exact answer but I used to buy hard back copies of the Official History from a UK dealer who used to import them from the US. They ceased to be available as the US postal regulations changed and made shipping them to the UK uneconomical. I didn't go into it in any detail but I can only assume the US Postal service removed some special rate for printed material.

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I suspect that in some cases if a dealer "discounts" the book they can show it as making little profit or even a loss (which has tax advantages) and if they then make up the difference by charging extra for postage this can be shown on the account books as a business cost. It's the only reason that I can explain why the same bvook can cost different prices and have different shipping costs even though the same delivery service is used from similar locations

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Yes, that makes sense and as you said earlier part of a fiddle or legal loophole. I can see how changed in postal prices and policy would affect the prices they charge but some are just plain silly and must be part of a discount and recoup cost through postage strategy.

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Yes, that makes sense and as you said earlier part of a fiddle or legal loophole. I can see how changed in postal prices and policy would affect the prices they charge but some are just plain silly and must be part of a discount and recoup cost through postage strategy.

Maybe as part of their agreement to list books they have to agree to post to Europe, but put a huge price on to discourage it because its hassle.

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Just seen a copy of The War in the Air vol2 priced at £0.62 postage (US to UK) £6.20 got to be some sort of tax avoidance?

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