kansasprairiegirls

Top Ten Mistakes Online Buyers Make

2009-10-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

Common pitfalls and how to avoid them.

The Internet can be a scary place to shop, but despite the rising number of complaints, people are doing more and more shopping online. Christmas is coming, and surveys show about forty percent of shoppers will make at least one purchase online this year. So what are common pitfalls of online shopping and how can you avoid them?

1.) Ignoring feedback. Feedback ratings for most sellers on Amazon, eBay, and similar venues are prominently displayed, and you ignore them at your peril. A score of 80% may sound good, but it means one in five buyers who left feedback was unhappy. You may need to spend a little more money, but go with a seller rated 95% or better and avoid the hassles of returns, claims, and slow or no refunds.

2.) Not reading the return policy or terms of service. No one reads policies, right? After all, they are more boring than reading the dictionary. So sellers count on this when they write the policies, which are often crafted to give the merchant all the advantages and the buyer none. Know if returns are permitted, and if so, who pays for shipping, you or the seller? Restocking fees of 20% are common; you might want to know how much the “100% satisfaction guarantee” will actually cost should you need to return a purchase.

3.) Not reading condition notes. Third party sellers usually offer lower prices on Amazon and elsewhere. Each item sold on Amazon, Half.com, and e-Bay includes a description that, when ignored, can cause you a nasty surprise. For example, there is the Amazon seller who sells his “new” books with this condition note, “Only a few ink marks on twenty or thirty pages, and underlining on less than 50 pages.”

4.) Choosing standard shipping. Need that gift next week? Must have that book when class starts on Tuesday? Select the “expedited shipping” option when you check out. Standard shipping takes up to twenty-one business days—that means twenty-one Monday through Friday days: when you add in Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, standard shipping can take six weeks.

5.) Using feedback to communicate with seller. If you are unhappy with your online purchase, tell the seller before posting any negative comments—send an e-mail explaining the problem. Reputable sellers, with good feedback, want to protect their feedback ratings. If you give a negative feedback before the seller fixes your issue, you take away a big incentive from the seller, who now has no reason to try to help you.

6.) Paying High Shipping Costs. It’s really easy to find things online which are cheaper but sometimes you’ll pay the difference in inflated shipping and handling fees. This is especially true when making a purchase from a small retailer or via an online auction sites. (Amazon always charges the same flat rates for the same items; one flat fee for books, another for DVDs, etc.)

7.) Wrong Shipping Destination. Many sites will remember previous locations where you had items shipped. Usually, they’ll remember the last location used so don’t be tempted by One-Click purchases. Your item will be shipped to the last person who received a present from you. (By the way, the “ZIP plus

8.) Buying from startups. Everyone has to start somewhere, but do you want to be the one to take a chance on an unknown? Amazon puts a “just launched” icon next to a new seller’s name when they are just starting out. That new seller could well be a responsible, serious person committed to making a business out of the online sales game—or they could be a totally unscrupulous thief, looking to scam you. With no track record, how can you tell? If you feel lucky, click on “buy.”

9.) Rushing the buy. Everything online is faster, right? Well, you do save time by not having to drive to the mall and stand around waiting for a surly cashier on in a long line, but rushing your purchase can be a big mistake. Spend some time with your online merchant; read product reviews and be sure you know what you are getting and from whom. Time invested before you click “buy now” will save time if it keeps you from making a bad purchase.

10.) Not leaving feedback. Got a bargain and happy about it? Or mad at being ripped off? Share with others by leaving appropriate feedback—see number one above.

Do You Not Like Money?

2009-10-21T21:54:00.000-07:00

Know the answer the next time you sell online.

Okay, so, I’m not usually that rude. Actually, mostly, I’m very polite. But, golly goodness, the provocation was extreme.

I’m standing in a young woman’s dining room last July, buying a stack of textbooks from her. She says, “I’ve tried selling them on Amazon, but they just aren’t selling.”

“Un-huh,” I say, concentrating on my PDA and the data it shows me on her books.

“I priced them $15 less than the lowest price,” she says. That got my attention.

“Why? Do you not like money?” Rude comment, I know, but really, what is wrong with people?

How about you? Do you sell online? Do you not like money?

Textbook Seasons

For starters, we’re talking textbooks here. People do not buy textbooks in July because they want some light reading for the beach. People buy textbooks because some professor or teacher expects them to read a chapter or two in order to pass their classes. And classes start in August, September, January, and sometimes in May or June, but almost never in July.

So, if you’re on the river, why are you cutting your textbook prices in July? And why, if you want to go low, why are you $15 under everyone else? If you undercut by $1, your listing will still be first, so why undercut by $15? Heck, lots of items show mere pennies separating sellers. And one penny under the next seller will still put you in front.

Seasonal Selling

Be clear on what you are doing; understand why and when people buy online. Keep in mind that retail is seasonal. Surveys show nearly forty percent of Christmas shoppers start their shopping by the end of October. Another near forty percent start in November. Internalize those facts, learn them, know them and make decisions based on them. Is mid-October the time to start cutting prices? Really?

It’s OK to Like Money

Now, if you know me, you know I’m a Christian. Here’s what the Bible actually says: “The excessive love of money is the root of all sorts of evil.” Not “the love of money,” or the “like of money,” but the excess.

So you can stop feeling guilty for liking money, and stop trying so hard to get less for your wares.

How to Open a New Book

2008-10-26T19:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, a new book can be damaged by improperly opening it. I thought everyone who cares about books knew this, but evidently not. I recently got a snotty e-mail from a man who bought my collectible fine condition copy of a book written by a famous political conservative.

"Nothing in this book identifies it as a first edition," he complained. "And it makes a horrible creaking kind of noise when I open it, there must be some kind of awful damage to the spine."

I wanted to yell at the man -- "Yes, the damage you inflicted on it!"

Let me explain.

A well made hardcover book has pages that are sewn together, a process call "binding." Wikipedia has a fine article on the process here. A brand new, never read book, will have relatively stiff thread holding the pages together. Glue may also be holding the boards to the text block. As the book ages, these parts may actually stiffen. Now, when a book is read, the threads stretch and the binding loosens. Usually, the reader is unaware of this relaxation in the binding. However, if the book was never read and is more than a few years old, the stretching of the threads makes a distinctive sound; a sound of cracking the spine, damaging the book in invisible ways that will shorten its life considerably.

Any new or previously unread book should be opened gently; lay the spine flat on a table and hold the text block up; working with a few pages at a time, from the outside in, open the book, alternating with the front and back. For a detailed description, check out this nice article at Tate Publishing.

As far as the "first edition" complaint, publishers use a variety of ways to identify firsts. The words "first edition" may not appear anywhere in a book that is, in fact, a true first. This information is hardly secret; in fact, a reference I carry with me all the time is a small book written to help book dealers identify first editions, Bill McBride's indispensable "A Pocket Guide to the Identification of First Editions." Numerous articles posted on the internet discuss identification of firsts, such as this one from Quill & Brush, or this from Empty Mirror Books, or this from BooksSeattle.

Well, I could not figure out how to yell at the man via e-mail. So I explained about how to open a previously unread book and how publishers confuse the issue on first editions. I only hope he opened the links I sent.

Folio Society Books

2008-02-08T21:45:00.000-08:00

Part of my "work" requires me to look at and appraise thousands of books offered up for sale at thrift shops, church sales, estate sales and other venues. I imagine it's like panning for gold, only with books. Sound dull? The rest of my family thinks it is, but it does not really feel like "work" to me.

Like any miner, I live for the moment when I discover the golden nugget hidden in the sludge. Last year, I felt like I'd found a rich vein of nuggets when I bought the entire library of a retired English teacher. Most of the books were published by the "Folio Society," a British enterprise I'd never heard of before. Many others were "Heritage Book Club" books, another outfit unknown to me.

The highest possible production values for mass-market books set these two publishers apart from the run of the mill. The paper is acid-free, very good quality bond. The printing is selected to match the subject, as are the illustrations. The publisher might use period illustrations for history, or woodcuts or other original art. The covers are usually fine cloth, with a handsome embossed design, often of original art, and gilt lettering when appropriate for cover titles and author's names. Instead of a dust jacket, these books are protected by slipcases. The slipcases are usually plain, although they can be adorned with eye-catching art. My copy of the Folio "Maltese Falcon" has a striking print pastedown on the slipcase.

The books themselves are classics of both historical and contemporary English literature and world literature in translation; fiction, biography, science, art and history.

Robin Smiley, editor of Firsts, the book collector's magazine, said she could not understand why a collector's market does not exist for these books. In particular, the first editions would be desirable.

I wonder that, myself.

Well, most of these books will stay in my private collection, for now. I am still regretting sale of my copy of William Blake's Songs of innocence and of experience, illustrated by the author.

Interestingly, a little research shows Folio Society has devotees writing on Library Thing. They even said some nice things about the William Blake book.

Of course, you can get these books directly from the Folio Society in the UK. Barnes & Noble are the US distributors. They have a nice PDF file touting the virtues of these books.

As for me, I expect to see more of them at estate sales. I am thinking, though, I might go back to Amazon or e-bay to pick up a nice copy. Because, for a book lover, a beautifully made edition of a great book is a double joy.

What Feedback Means to Me

2008-02-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

As an online customer and book dealer, feedback influences all my buying and selling.

I recently saw a feedback rating of 50% for a seller listing collectible books for a price much higher than the market rate. Why would anyone gamble on that seller? Not only do customers have a 50-50 chance of losing their money, they also have a high probablity of jaw clenching, tooth grinding frustration. Why, when so many highly rated sellers eagerly await your business?

The seller must be counting on people not paying attention to the feedback rating. And it must work, because he keeps on listing books.

As a book dealer, I am after the people who do pay attention. I want them to check my listings next time they go shopping. I want them to remember the good service, the accurate description, quick delivery, and other things I do to earn my feedback score.

I wish my rating were 100% positive, but even I make mistakes from time to time. I try to do what I can to make amends whenever I disappoint a customer. Besides, there is something "too good to be true" about a 100% positive rating. At least, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

My hope is that people will pay a tiny bit more to deal with me than my low end competition. A few bulk dealers routinely undercut my prices by pennies. Their positive feedback runs below 95%; mine runs at 98% or better, depending on the time period. They use automated programs to make sure they are always the cheapest; I do everything by hand. They are huge operations, with many employees, multiple locations and thousands of books; my operation is tiny and family run. I can't always stay ahead of their automated price cutting, but my feedback score is objective proof that I beat them on quality and service.

So feedback means success to me. As a customer, the feedback for the seller I buy from tells me how likely I am to be pleased or disappointed. As a dealer, the feedback I get tells me and everyone else how successful I've been in reaching my goal of quality products and the best possible service.

Bookride: Unique take on World's Most Wanted

2007-10-04T20:58:00.000-07:00

If you want to read a witty, well written blog with interesting book lore and stories, then Bookride is it.

I particularly enjoyed reading about celebrity book collectors.

A wealth of information, highly recommended.

Firsts Magazine

2007-06-17T20:29:00.000-07:00

A well written magazine all about collecting books, Firsts, supplies a wealth of information in every issue.

Book collectors want true first editions; but identifying a book as such requires significant knowledge. Sadly, most Internet book dealers who have gotten into the game over the last couple of years lack that knowledge. Many, many mistakes show up in listings on the Internet all the time, I believe honest errors by people who simply do not realize the different between a "first thus" and a "first state."

Not only does this magazine educate the collector and dealer on the nitty-gritty details of collecting, each issue focuses on a single author or small group of authors, listing the work of the author and giving key points on the identification of valuable editions.

I've been reading Firsts for a while, and ordered back issues as well. I use it to help make sure that when I say a book is a first edition, it really is. In this business, as in life, reputation is everything.

Highly recommended.

International Shipping Changes

2007-06-06T21:00:00.000-07:00

One of the best feedback comments I ever got was, "Thanks from Japan."

Alas, recent changes in postal rates and rules mean I can no longer offer international shipping on larger, heavier books.

Smaller books, which will fit inside a standard USPS flat rate priority envelope will still be offered internationally. Larger, heavier books can cost $25.oo U.S. or more to ship, depending on the size and shape. Since the amount provided by Amazon is not nearly enough to cover the cost of shipping a larger book, I will no longer be able to ship the big ones overseas.

Too bad.

It made me feel very good to ship Brazil, Australia, France, and so forth. I guess that little thrill will come less often now.

ebay fees too high

2007-02-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Last week I got hit with $83.00 e-bay sales fees. I did sell Darkness at Noon, Travels With My Aunt, and a few other books. Didn't sell my collectible poetry book, or my hundred year old copy of an opera libretto.

The fees are destroying my profit margin. It's great to sell a book for $19.99, but my costs and the time investment makes the payoff less than minimum wage.

I have to re-think my ebay strategy.

At least my Amazon and Half shops are doing well.

Sales

2007-01-08T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, Darkness at Noon did not sell. Looks like I priced it too high. I suppose I thought someone else who had read it would want a collectable copy.

And a number of other books I offered at Christmas didn't sell. Oh, well ... I guess I'll reduce the price and see if we get any takers.

Sold in the last few days: "Grumpy Old Men" on VHS for $0.86. Brand new in original shrink wrap. I didn't make any money on that one.

Also sold some books for $0.75. Loss leaders, people are generally pleased with them, but I can't stay in business with those.

I did sell a lot of nine hardbacks by John Grisham. The nice lady I shipped them to sent them back - they were a gift from her son, and she didn't know it. He sent me a little more for postage, so I sent them back out. I hope she likes them - they were all in really good condition, and a bargain to boot.

Featured Auction Classic

2006-11-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

The beautiful Folio society edition of “Darkness at Noon,” Arthur Koestler’s examination of the mechanics of the Stalinist purges of the 1930’s is now up for auction on e-bay.

The Folio Society produces collectible quality illustrated volumes at reasonable prices. My experience as a re-seller shows these books tend to keep their value pretty well.

This particular volume reprints one of the most widely read and influential novels of the 20^th Century. The story made a huge impression on me when I read it in the late 1960s; I found it to be a gripping novel of suspense. Contemporary readers looking for fast action, car chases and explosions are advised to pass this one by. But readers looking for compelling drama of high significance will enjoy this one. Incidentally, “Darkness” lists as number eight on the Modern Library top 100 novels of the 20^th Century.

The confessions of top men in Stalin’s government to crimes they could not have possibly committed puzzled Western intellectuals. The architects of the Russian revolution, men who had devoted their lives to and who had sacrificed others to the cause, claimed to have committed treason and high crimes against the state. Koestler was himself a Stalinist in the 1930’s, and he shows how the logic that led these men to justify their own brutality also led to their false admissions of guilt and then their execution. Stalin picked off all potential rivals to top party leadership, one by one. What was so puzzling was their cooperation in their own demise. Koestler melds the true stories of several men into the fictional account of one in a way that immediately engages and captivates the reader.

Additional reviews at Library Thing are available here.

Physical Description: The stark gray and black cover features an outline of the prisoner in his cell drawn in gilt; very dramatic. The thick black lines of the wood engravings complement the theme and tone of the novel.

This particular hardcover volume comes in a slipcase. This edition features 10 wood-engravings by George Buday and an introduction by Vladimir Bukovsky. Translated by Daphne Hardy. Cover design by Sue Bradbury.

Year published: 1980
ISBN: none
Condition: Very fine (see below)
Binding: Cloth (Shirting Improva and Scholco Dublina.)
Number of pages: 267
Number of illustrations: 10
Paper Quality: Smooth Cream Wove
Dust Jacket: N/A
Height: about 9 1/8 inches in slipcase
Width: about 5 7/8 inches in slipcase
Thickness: about 1 1/8 inch in slipcase
Weight: 1 lb, 5 oz in slipcase.

The bottom front of the slipcase is creased and the paper over the board eroded at that point. The slipcase is sunspotted.

The book itself is not marked in any way; no pencil marks, no hand writing, no underlining, no highlighting; no folds, no creases, no rips, no tears; the cover is pristine, no bumped corners, no erosion, no marks.

Nice People

2006-11-24T18:01:00.000-08:00

Imagine my surprise last week when I found a check in the mail. The best part is knowing how wonderful and honest some people are.

My customer wrote to me to ask where her book was. Well, when I checked my records, I determined her order was way overdue, so I issued her a full refund. I also told her to keep the book, should it happen to show up.

It must have been in the next day's mail, because she wrote me a check right away.

It made my day, even though the amount of money involved was small - but who knows, it might not have been a small amount for her.

Beating the Competition

2006-08-17T15:24:00.000-07:00

Re-selling paperback novels for 75 cents, the price of 98% of my offerings, just barely allows me to break even. The stiff competition, with jillions of cheap books offered by every idle Mom with a keyboard and a broadband connection, is killing me.

So, to beat the competition, I gotta be smarter and faster.

The guys to beat carry cell phones with scanners attached. They go to the same sales I do, scanning the barcodes on the backs of books, and buying only books certain to make a profit for them. Anyone can subscribe to the service, which tells the user the market value of books with barcodes. These guys shove me and push me, agressively trying to beat me to the best buys. And usually they do.

But what about books without barcodes?

Well, there's where I can beat somebody who relies on scanners and cellphones and internet subscription services. Instead of having my knowledge and judgement in a mechanical device, I keep it between my ears. Instead of relying on historical data of what has worked in the past, I can try to think about what people might actually want and be willing to pay for.

So, the hunt is on. I'm looking for those rare and valuable books published before everything had barcodes and before there was such a thing as an internet.

Wish me luck.

Drop shipping

2006-08-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

Well, here I go again. Drop-shipping for someone more skilled than I am. Working at a very low rate of pay for someone else. It feels like someone is taking advantage of me, I just can't figure out the details of her business model.

I offer many very good books at rock-bottom prices. By cheap, I mean 75 cents. Somehow this woman has figured out how to market my product at a higher price.

I get a sales order thru Half.com, then an e-mail from her asking me not to enclose an invoice with the sale.

When I check her out by looking at her e-bay profile, I find she's been buying for about 4 months, averages over 800 transactions per month, and has a very positive feedback rating.

And I can't shake the feeling this is the same person I've dealt with a few times before.

She's on to something. I wish I knew programming. I'd like to have a money machine like the one she's built.

Back from Vacation

2006-08-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, back from sunny Mexico. Time to get back to work.

Even though we were at least a thousand miles south of Kansas, temperatures were actually 10 degrees cooler there than here.

We flew in late Tuesday night, dragged into the warm house about 10:30 p.m. My husband reset the air conditioner and then he and the kids unloaded our luggage - 7 big bags and 8 carry-ons. We got home without the wheelchair, so that was a big hassle. I started a load of laundry and then went to bed.

The next morning, retrieved the poodles from the boarding house - they seemed pretty happy - took them home and went off to work my usual 8 hours.

After dinner, got on the computers and re-opened the online stores. Also uploaded a gazillion photos to the laptop.

Oh, and I'm so behind on my laundry. I left the luggage with the dirty duds in the living room, so I can unload directly into the washer. Got started on that, of course.

My kids are killing me with their own love of books. We went to the bookstore after dinner last night and spent $175.00. They always have to have the latest Japanese import. I got a book about book collecting, too. Am learning, still.

Nice Words from an Unhappy Client

2006-07-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

Well, the lady who didn't like "At All Costs" is returning the book. She sent me a very lovely message saying she was pleased with my service.

I didn't really want that book back. Now I feel I owe her money to pay her shipping costs. I'll try to figure that out once the book gets here, after my vacation.

Vacation time - as of Sunday evening, I'll suspend all my offerings and Monday will be my last shipping day for over a week. I'm going with family and friends to sunny Playa del Carmen, to spend a week snorkeling, swimming and being lazy. We're headed to the Barcelo, which will be a new resort for us.

I hate to brag, but we are also doing a very good thing for our good friend who has been very ill with cancer. She has stage IV kidney cancer. She works as a secretary in a large government agency, and could never afford a nice vacation like this. So we are taking her and her teen-aged son. She's never been to Mexico, much less the fabulous beaches along the east coast of the Yucatan.

She may never get a chance to travel; she might not be around this time next year.

But we still have hope. And, in the meanwhile, we will share and celebrate the time we have left.

At All Costs

2006-07-14T14:09:00.000-07:00

That's the title, "At All Costs." Very apt.

The buyer of this book wrote to me, saying "The item was not in the promised condition. Comment/ Question: Honest mistake I am sure. Item has tears and moderate erosion in dustjacket (not slight), the CDROM is missing and the binding is loose. I've sold on eBay for a couple of years now and would list this item in "acceptable" condition. I'm not upset, I will gladly accept a replacement item and shipping refund."

I think she means that I should send her money to return the book to me; or that I should send her another copy of the book, presumably in better shape, and refund her cost of shipping, so she could return the book.

Well, I guess I'm just out the full refund, including shipping, that I sent to her. I don't have another copy.

She's right, there was no CD-ROM in the copy I had. Honest people can and do disagree about the condition rating of a book; but if I realized a book contained a CD-ROM when new and didn't when it came into my possession, I'd make note of that in the description. Usually a book with a CD-ROM will have a sleeve or envelope glued inside the back. This one didn't. The descriptions of other sellers of this same book did not mention a CD either, at least, not that I noticed.

I first thought she didn't know what she was talking about.

In fact, it took quite some digging for me to find out that it did originally ship with a CD. Perhaps it was mentioned on the dust jacket and I overlooked it. Perhaps not. The Wikipedia article I found explains it.

The neat thing about the internet is that we can use it to build trust in each other.

With the full refund and the book, I would argue that my customer came out ahead. True, she did suffer the inconvenience of not getting what she paid for; but she got all her money back and she gets to keep the book. With the refund, she can try again to get the book and CD.

And I learned a couple of things. The most important being the value of trusting the customer.

Book Collecting in the 21st Century

2006-07-13T07:42:00.000-07:00

Over at Albris you can find a nice guide to book collecting. One of the suggestions I found very helpful was to look at collecting creatively. Just because many people center their collections on first editions of famous authors does not mean you have to follow in their footsteps. Other collectors pick categories meaningful to them, such as 1960's Science Fiction, or art exhibition or museum catalogs. By the way, I love the catalogs. Usually they are printed on very high quality slick paper, with outstanding reproductions of the artist's work, a short biography and a critical assessment of the importance of the artist. Highly collectible and nearly always undervalued, in my opinion.

Anyhow, I recommend taking a look at the guide compiled by Albris.

Guide to Shopping for Used Books Online

2006-07-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been sorely disappointed when the brand new book you ordered had someone else's name written inside? Did you ever order up a book to give as a gift, and change your mind when it finally arrived in the mail because it was not as nice as you expected?

Nowadays, anyone can open an online bookstore and sell books. That means a flood of amateur sellers, including me, now offer their wares to anyone with a credit card and a modem. Many amateurs overstate the quality of their offerings, which leads to buyer disappointment and frustration.

I'd like to think that most of us don't misrepresent our books on purpose. We just might not be reading all the fine print and conditions that our online outlets provide. After all, when did you ever read all the terms of service on your software or PayPal?

E-bay's affiliate, Half.com, does provide some narrow definitions for rating books, definitions that seem to be often ignored by sellers. But there are things you, the buyer, can do to lessen the chances you will end up disappointed.

Read the Seller Comments and Item Description

Quite often, the comments will show that a book listed as "brand new" was put in that category by mistake. The seller will be forthcoming about the flaws of the book, such as rips in the dust-jacket, name written inside, and so forth, that should have lowered the condition rating.

When I offer something still in its original shrink-wrap, I will post a comment to say so.

Check the Seller's Feedback

Amazon, Half.com and e-bay all offer up the seller's feedback for you to look at. This is an important resource, and we hope you leave appropriate feedback after you complete a purchase.

But realize that all transactions represent gambles. The feedback ratings help you to gauge just how big a chance you are taking. The risk of making a purchase from a seller with a 100% positive feedback of 5 exceeds the risk of trading with a 99% positive seller with 695 feedbacks. By the same token, you could be disappointed by a seller with a 93% rating on 57,000 feedbacks.

The seller's feedback rating is only one clue; the actual comments people left may be more informative. Even positive comments can reveal problems, such as "Not quite what I expected but acceptable" or "no real problems with transaction." Those comments reveal lack of enthusiasm, but could still be lumped in with positive feedback.

A comment such as "Better than described" or "Exceeded expectations" tells you that the seller rates items conservatively. If other's expectations were exceeded, then your chances of disappointment are reduced.

Something else to look for in seller feedback is multiple feedbacks from the same buyer. This tells you that the seller is getting repeat business. Of course, repeat business means a satisfied customer.

Don't be scared away by one or two negatives in an overwhelmingly positive feedback picture. No one can please everyone all the time; and everyone (including me) makes mistakes. Actually, a perfect 100% score is just a little bit suspicious. A perfect record (like mine, as of this writing) could result from great service and good products. Or, it could be faked.

Check the Seller's Refund Policy

On e-bay, a reputable seller will usually address refunds in the terms of service portion of his auction listing. If the seller doesn't explicitly state a refund policy, you can always e-mail them and ask.

If trading through Amazon or Half.com, a 100% money back policy is already in place.

Contact the Seller With Questions

A seller who is serious about getting and keeping your business will respond to e-mails from you. Some sellers list a phone number you can call.

I recently got an e-mail from a woman who wanted to know if a book I was selling was from a smoke-free home. Well, we don't smoke, but I didn't know about the book's previous owners. When I examined the book, I didn't notice any odor, but my daughter did, so I wrote back to the customer that she should pass on that purchase from me.

Yeah, I lost a sale, but I figure that was better than having an angry, frustrated, disappointed customer.

Know the Correct Way to Rate a Book

Professional traders in collectible and antique books use a very specific system for rating books. If you are shopping in that area, you should not need any advice you can get for free by reading this. Just expect to get what you pay for. And know the risk you take is inverse to the reputation of your dealer.

Half.com and other online sellers use a different system geared towards the mass market; textbooks fall into a third category with somewhat lower expectations.

Condition rating requires some degree of judgment. But too many sellers substitute wishful thinking for actual knowledge and examination of the books they offer up for sale. I'm sorry, but no amount of judgment will erase someone's name inked inside the front cover, or unfold a creased page, or magically repair a ripped dust jacket. These flaws may be minor in the eyes of the seller, but even the most myopic seller should be able to spot them and rate the condition of the book accordingly. To succeed in the long term, even the mass market needs accurate condition ratings.

Pay Attention to Shipping

On one recent trip to the post office, I observed a woman holding a large empty envelope. "It was supposed to contain a book," she was saying. Apparently, the thin paper tore open in transit, the book fell out, and only the wrapper with the address got delivered. The clerk could do nothing to help.

Reading comments from other buyers shows that not all sellers appropriately package their books for shipment. I use only boxes or bubble-wrapped lined, heavy duty mailers and have started mentioning that in my listings. Even a book that sells for a mere $0.75 deserves to reach the buyer undamaged. Buyers should take note if the seller tells you how an item will be packed; when choosing between 2 sellers of the same item at the same price, pick the one who promises to pack it properly.

Know Your Tolerance for Risk

If you can't afford to lose $3.92 on a bad book purchase, then don't bid on the book in the first place. The same rule applies to a $99.00 book.

How I Rate Mass Market Books

After selling books online for only a few months, and seeing how others describe their wares, I'm really tempted to grade books as much better than their actual condition. I can't count the number of listings where the condition of the book is shown as "brand new" and the comments say someone wrote their name inside, or that it was read only once.

Misleading inflation of book grading undermines all online sales, and the practice must be stamped out immediately. Well, maybe we can't stamp it out, but we can make it clear why it's a bad thing and what the right thing is.

Most people, when their choice of restaurant disappoints them, will simply never return. How many first-time customers become one-time customers because they bought a "brand new" book that had someone's name written in it? My guess is quite a few. Only by doing our best to consistently rate books as accurately as possible will we be able to get the repeat business that will lead to greater profits.

People will post comments on their listings that contradict the stated rating, as in the example above. The problem with putting important information in the fine print, information which says the book does not really deserve the rating assigned to it by seller, is that most people do not read the fine print. When they get the package, they look forward to seeing their purchase for the first time. When they open it, I want them to congratulate themselves on making a wise purchase. I want them to come back and buy again. I don't want them to say, "I'll never make that mistake again."

In other words, the right thing to do is also the profitable thing to do.

I base my rating system on Half.Com's; but what do the categories really mean? And, more importantly, why would a book not fit into a higher category?

Brand New

Half.com says "Brand New - New, unread, unused and in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages."

"Brand new" means the book is the same as found on a shelf in the store. I use it for books I bought on clearance at the local outlet of a big chain. I also use it for books that I get which are wrapped in shrink wrap by the manufacturer. And books I bought direct from the manufacturer.

Only on very rare occasions do I use it on inventory picked up elsewhere. To qualify, the book must be absolutely clean, obviously never read even once, with no marks, folds, creases, edge wear, "shelf wear," bumps, stains, writing, underlining, highlighting, erosion, etc., etc. The cover must be shiny and new looking, the binding tight. A name written inside or a bookplate knocks the book out of this category.

For the most part, a book purchased at a library sale, garage sale, flea market, etc, can at best be described as "like new," almost never "brand new."

Like New

Half.com says, "Shiny, undamaged cover, dust jacket included for hard covers, no missing pages, all pages undamaged (no creases or tears), no underlining/highlighting of text, no damage to binding, no writing in margins (Could easily be mistaken for brand new)"

To qualify, the book must not have any visible signs of wear or obvious signs of use. I would never rate a book with a name written in it as "like new" or a one with a book-plate.

Many of the books I get at library sales qualify for this rating. But even a tiny rip in the dust jacket drops the book to a lower level, as would a single dog-earned page or the name of the previous owner written lightly inside the front cover.

Very Good

Judging by the comments on the listings, many books for sale that are listed as "Brand New" and "Like New" on e-bay, Amazon and Half.com belong in this category.

Half says, "Doesn't look brand new but has no easily noticeable damage to the cover, dust jacket included for hard covers, no missing pages, all pages undamaged (no creases or tears), no underlining/highlighting of text, no writing in margins, very minimal identifying marks inside cover, very minimal wear and tear (You would give it to a good friend as a gift)"

If a name were written inside the front cover of an otherwise perfect book, this is the rating it would get from me. If the pages were damaged in any way, the book would drop to a lower category. For example, if one or more pages were dog-eared; or there was writing in the margins, the book would at most be "good." I tend to tolerate a little wear on the edges of the covers, because brand-new books from the store often show the same type of wear.

The paper used for mass market books usually contains acids. These acids cause the paper to turn yellow or brown with age, and to become brittle. A book with pages yellowed from age could still be rated as "very good" so long as it met all the requirements above.

Good

According to Half, books in this category show "Very minimal damage to the cover (no holes or tears, only minimal scuff marks), dust jacket not necessarily included, minimal wear to binding, majority of pages undamaged (minimal creases or tears), minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, no writing in margins, no missing pages (You would use it yourself, but wouldn't necessarily give it as a gift)"

For a hardcover, a rip in the dust jacket would not matter much, except the description should point out that flaw as well as any other significant flaws. Some dog-eared or turned down pages would be allowed. A name written inside, a dedication or a personal message would not matter much.

Note that a textbook with highlighting would be allowed into this category, even though non-text books would not.

Books with rips in the actual cover, cracks in the binding, and so forth, should never be rated "good."

Acceptable

Half says, "Some damage to the cover but integrity still intact, binding slightly damaged but integrity still intact, possible writing in margins, possible underlining and highlighting of text, no missing pages (Item beaten up a bit but it works)."

I translate that to mean if I'm still comfortable reading the book, despite its many flaws, the book is acceptable. Obviously, if it smells bad, or pages fall out every time I open it, I won't be comfortable reading it.

Some people have to have a copy of every known edition of a particular book, even that highly obscure French translation published forty years ago and retired from the library. Condition may not be as important to a collector who wants to round out his collection and hasn't found the very or like new item he is searching for. Such a customer would be my ideal buyer for an acceptable copy of an old book.

Unacceptable

A fair number of books in this category are rated as acceptable by their hopeful owners who offer them up for sale. Half.com says, "Major damage (holes and/or tears) to a significant number of pages and/or to cover, missing or stained pages, book cover is missing, book is not readable."

This is where that book that got ruined when the basement flooded belongs. Also, the book the Labrador retriever mistook for a chew toy. Those of us who love books hurt when we realize nothing can be done to save the copy we have in our hands. But we must be brave, face the pain, and discard those moldy stacks of ancient paperbacks we recovered from Mom's cellar.

Of course, an unacceptable book is a dead loss. Throw it away; don't try to palm it off on some unsuspecting buyer on the other side of the country for a measly $0.75.

Buyer Beware

If you buy very many used books online, you will get burned sooner or later. Tens of thousands of amateur sellers create an environment that guarantees problems. Even the most professional operators will inevitably make mistakes.

Most of these problems can be solved by contacting and working with the seller. Even a rank amateur would not ordinarily take advantage of you. As a conscientious seller, I personally welcome opportunities to improve my services.

As a last resort, if all efforts to resolve the problem fail, leave negative feedback and complain to e-bay, Half.com or Amazon if appropriate. The community is strengthened when we can identify the bad apples.

Then get over it. Life goes on.

*********************************************************************************
Visit my online shop.

Guide to Rare and Old Book Values

2006-07-10T10:06:00.000-07:00

Just because a book is old does not make it valuable. So what does? Exactly how much is an old book worth? Are there newer books that will become more valuable in the future?

Maybe all the answers are not over at Fadedgiant, but a lot of them are. This guide is recommended.

Book Collectors Term's Illustrated

2006-07-08T16:29:00.000-07:00

Over at Powell's is a useful guide for anyone interested in book collecting. The photos include one book with a painting revealed by slightly and carefully curling the edge.

Not the kind of books you can get at garage sales, but objects of beauty to enjoy.

Worth a look for anyone who loves books.

Refunds, Refunds, and More Refunds

2006-06-28T18:43:00.000-07:00

I must be the only person in the world who hates making mistakes. For the second time in a month, I'm having to refund money. I realized there's no way I could re-ship items I mailed to the wrong person in time to reach the right person. So, another expensive mistake. Oh well, live and learn.

@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@

The prospect of making a really good sale on e-bay has me excited. I bought a cool book, "Photographs of Mary Todd Lincoln" at a very good price, and now it looks like it may sell for a decent profit. There's some interest in it on e-bay, but no one has bid on it yet.

I'd guess someone bought the book 30 years ago at a museum; it sat on their shelf until they decided to clean out the house and get rid of stuff. It appears to have never been actually read. It's all the known photos of Mrs. Lincoln, known at the time of publication in 1969.

That's the kind of narrow, specialized interest e-bay is best equipped to handle.

Customer Finally Paid - Now What?

2006-06-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

That lady who was so slow to pay finally got her act together. The payment showed in my account Thursday. Naturally she wants priority mail.

I got a e-mail from the woman I shipped the clothes to by mistake. She got the right shipment and the mailer and sent the stuff back.

I guess if the stuff shows up in today's mail I can ship it on to the right person. If not, I'll make yet another refund. Darn!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Pretty tired today. Spent all night at the hospital Saturday; went back after church for an emergency baptism. The hospital fit about a dozen people into a big room that looked like and OR. The pastor performed a beautiful, simple ceremony that brought great comfort to the parents and everbody else. All the women and several of the men cried. My friend's baby has a very poor prognosis.

And, of course, back to my real job today. Life is sure fun.

A Tub of Comics

2006-06-24T19:14:00.000-07:00

My husband is so funny.

He bought a tub of comic books. Pawing through them, he got pretty excited. There were some nice books there, some 20 years old, and some first issues.

I saw a pile of ex library copies of comic books. Very doubtful we could break even on the tub. This became even more depressing when I checked e-Bay and found that lots of 100 were not getting any bids, even when the minimum bid is $5.99.

Imagine my excitement, though, when I found a couple of the comics listed on Amazon for a much higher price than hubby paid.

Now I just have to pry them out of his clutches.

What's Slower than Dead?

2006-06-22T18:57:00.000-07:00

Shipped zero books yesterday, had one order today. Looks like that negative feedback really hurt.

Listed a bunch of CDs. I bought a carton of about 50 or so for $15.00. The man selling them said his kids left them behind when they moved out. They were all artists I'd never heard of. Listing them all will keep me busy for a few days. Many of them will sell for $0.75, so I make the princely sum of $0.45 on any that sell. Mailers cost $0.18 each, but the shipping reimbursement usually covers that.

I'm beginning to think "learn by doing" might not have been the smartest business plan.

So Much for Perfect Feedback

2006-06-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Phew! What a day.

I spent the day and evening at the hospital, staying with a friend who's baby came very close to dying.

When I finally got home, had a bite to eat, cleaned my kitchen and visited with my kids; then I logged on, only to find a very angry e-mail.

Well, I deserved it. This guy bought a 2 CD set from me, and I only sent him one of the discs. I can understand his anger and frustration. So, ok, as soon as I read the e-mail, I issued a full refund and an apology.

Then when I logged on to Amazon, I noticed my previously perfect feedback score had been ruined. The guy left a very negative message.

I am disappointed that he didn't give me any opportunity to make my mistake up to him. He said the CD looked like a used hockey puck - well, I didn't see it that way, and I did play it once. Maybe it did look bad, but it played ok. But I very clearly remember only one CD in the jewel case. The description on Amazon says it's a 2 CD set. My mistake.

He gets to keep the CD and his money. Well, that's ok, too. It's just business. If I get upset over every $4.34 sale that goes bad, I'll never move ahead.

What I would like to do, though, is find a way to block him as a customer from dealing with me. I would like to deal with people who give sellers a chance to make good on mistakes before leaving bad feedback.

I know e-bay offers an option to block bidders. I just haven't been able to locate one on Amazon.

Oh, and today I found out my friend's baby is expected to survive. Poor thing was born without a heartbeat and still needs help with breathing. They think she might go home in a few weeks.

And now, it's back to work time!

Husband Messes Up

2006-06-20T18:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess I get the quality of help that I pay for. Since Mike works for free......

He shipped girls clothes to the wrong address. When I got the e-mail from the buyer, I checked my stock, and there, neatly wrapped in tissue paper, were the clothes I'd sold.

Ouch!

I immediately issued a full refund. The buyer was actually pretty nice about it; her e-mail described a lot I'd sold to someone else. That someone didn't pay me, so I guess it's working out okay. I don't have a fixed policy on how long to wait before I invoice someone, and just hadn't got to it.

Anyhow, I shipped the correct clothes to the buyer as soon as I could, and enclosed a pre-paid mailer asking her to ship the other stuff back to me.

My husband tells me all girls clothes are pink and yellow; he honestly doesn't know the difference between Gymboree and Old Navy. I told him to check the labels. This conversation is not finished.

I hope the buyer ships those clothes back. Just in case the other lady decides to pay me.

*********************************************************************************

Shipped nine books in the last 2 days. I guess that makes me still very small time. And I broke even on most of them; earned less than $10.00 on the highest priced book. This business is harder than it looked a few months ago.