I think I'll stay away from used books...

I order used books from Barnes & Nobles and haven't had that experience. I generally choose the sellers (actual used book stores) with the four star or more ratings, where they've been voted on more than a few times. Often they sell "new" books and they come in wrapping, like, really new.

Ebay always spooked me. Asking someone to send me something from their home doesn't sit well with me. I mean, one man's "clean" is another man's pig pen. If someone says, "like new" it could just be code language for, "meh, I can still make out the letters. I need the money".

Speaking of terrifying used-book stories, I found a graying public hair in a library book the other day. THE HORROR.

I've bought off of Ebay, Amazon and in bookstores new and used. I've also sold books on Ebay though I tend to take excellent care of my books. I used to take them to the local used bookstore but without a vehicle handy, I don't get there as much as I used to. I also used to donate a lot to the library, but again, I don't have the means to get them there when they're open.

Generally, I tend to keep books I really enjoyed or that I think my friends or kids might like, then give them to them.

I spend hours, though, in Books-A-Million, Borders, Barnes & Noble and other bookstores when my husband will drop me off and go do something else like get the oil changed or new tires or pick up the kids.

Sorry you had this experience. I hardly use online purchasing, but recently had to use Amazon to get a copy of Hell House and I Am Legend (the double-copy my teacher wanted me to get was out of print...nice, right?). Both were used and cheap and in decent condition, but I'll admit it was the first time I've ordered used books online. I much prefer the personal experience of a bookstore, especially a gem of a mom and pop store. I've found at least one of those in each of the places I've lived. They're around if you look for them.

But this is something to consider about online purchasing. Buyer beware, I guess?

I think indiebound.com has most of said mom-and-pops in their database. My town's lucky in that everyone already prefers our various local bookstores to any of the big guys!

I buy most of my books on eBay and very rarely have a problem. Sellers who sell a lot of books and have good feedback generally know what they're doing in their listings. I can often get a hard cover of a popular title on eBay for $5.00 or less.

Library books, on the other hand, are often completely disgusting. I've lost track of how many times I've come across pages that look sneezed on in library books. Gross. I guess you get what you pay for.

I wouldn't be able to afford all the books I want to read if I had to pay full price for new copies.

I've bought a lot of out-of-print stuff from Amazon and eBay. Only ever had a bad experience once. Book was listed in great condition, but someone had taken a pen and made a mark all the way, top to bottom, on the front cover. Bleh. Left 'em a bad review for falsely advertising the condition.

Jamesaritchie said:

Why would anyone buy used books from a seller they've never met? Buy new books, or go to a used bookstore, or visit your local library and save a ton of money.

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I have to admit that I have a bit of a problem with germs, and I KNOW that alot of people read on teh toilet, and I like to read while I eat. So second hand books freak me out.

I get used books from Amazon all the time, easily have bought over 50 used books, and never had a problem.

Mel...

I have a family member who has an account and sells used books on Amazon...he has excellent taste and is very conscientious, using recycled materials to ship...also, extremely reasonable...I think he's had success with getting what people are looking for and is honest about the condition of the book

It truly saddens me how many aspiring writers are doing their part to destroy publishing.

Every book you buy used is an invisible number to both publisher and author. I've watched many one-time successful authors over the years quit writing because no publisher would have them even as they "enjoyed" a wildly successful career in the used book market.

The Internet, Amazon, and eBay have only compounded the problem.

If you can't afford new and there isn't a library nearby, buy used by all means. But understand what it means.

If the publishers aren't making money off at least some of us, then they have none to buy your latest opus.

Bear it in mind.

(I'm now prepared to receive the usual firestorm of protest.)

Or maybe I'll just go read a (new) book ...

No protest but what about the OOP books?

OOP books are more or less exempt from my argument. Though I would point out that reissues happen all the time, and that if you should buy used a book that is later reissued, offering a few coins to the author (especially if she or he is still living and writing) by buying a second copy is always appreciated.

I have books on my shelves like that. Cheap used copies I found because I couldn't order new, side-by-side with reissues (sometimes two or three versions if they were repackaged more than once).

I made a habit of that as soon as I became a writer myself and began to understand what buying used actually meant to the careers of my favorite authors.

CheshireCat--I agree. I would love to be able to always be the first one to crack open a brand new book. As a writer, I would love to be able to support all writers by buying new books. Or to go to a library and find a decent copy of the book I want.

Unfortunately, I go through books quickly. I don't have the money to support my habit. And the library my taxes go into is adorable and cozy but that's where the love stops. The librarian and her aides haven't heard of several of my favorite authors. The non-fiction section is on the verge of non-existent.

So the only thing I can do is go to the neighboring library's book sales, four times a year, and stock up.

I'd love to not have to feel like I need a dose of antibiotics every time I open a book.

Maybe if someday I win the lottery....

Most of the books I buy are new. That's just my preference but I have a thing for vintage books, especially ones with unusual covers that grab my attention.

CheshireCat said:

It truly saddens me how many aspiring writers are doing their part to destroy publishing.

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I bought a used car last year, so I'm also doing my part to destroy car manufacturing.

I hate to think of the destruction I have wrought amongst furniture makers when I bought some old bookshelves for my basement.

Hollywood, too, is reeling from the used DVDs I purchase.

In each case, the original maker lost nothing, because I would not have bought the product new. The choice was not between buying new and buying used, it's between buying used and not buying.

At any rate, publishing cannot be 'destroyed' because people will always want books, in some form or fashion. Publishing might be changed, but it cannot be destroyed.

**Hollywood, too, is reeling from the used DVDs I purchase.**


This is the only valid comparison you made, since it involves intellectual property in a package rather than real property.

Yes, the law currently regards both as the same, to the detriment of those of us trying desperately to protect our intellectual property.

I don't buy used DVDs, either.

Or used CDs.

I want the people who produce my entertainment, at every level, to be fairly compensated. And I want my support of them to be counted, not ignored because I buy used and am therefore invisible.

Why is buying used so much worse than using the library?

CheshireCat said:

*

I don't buy used DVDs, either.

Or used CDs.

I want the people who produce my entertainment, at every level, to be fairly compensated. And I want my support of them to be counted, not ignored because I buy used and am therefore invisible.

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Well, we're poor. If we didn't buy used, we'd own nothing.

When I buy used I

a) buy from a charity shop or the hospital ( they have loads and they're always looking for more, so I donate too)

b) either buy books that are out of print or ones I'd never normally buy new - you know, the ones you take a chance on. Because they're 10p.

I could name you several writers who'd I'd never have got into ( and bought new books from the book shop later) if I hadn't taken a chance on that tatty old second hand job in Oxfam. It's almost like advertising with a free read on your website. It can get you new fans


( plus i got a load of old Michael Moorcock first editions for almost nothing!)

I worked for many record labels & distributors, and even a book distributor. You'd think I'd be on CC's side, but actually I have mixed feelings about used goods.

When it comes to entertainment products (books, CDs, DVDs, games, etc - and yes, I know they're not ALL for entertainment purposes) what most folks don't realize is that the bulk of the retail price is to cover the marketing. That's right, YOU are paying for them selling a book (or whatever) to YOU.

Oh, and back on topic (sorta):

I was going thru my books today to see what I could sell, and came across this big Readers Digest book about animals that I've had since I was a little kid. I was flipping through it, reminiscing, and came across a page where I had written "Julie Dixon is a fox"

Miss T said:

Why is buying used so much worse than using the library?

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The difference is that when you buy used, somebody other than the author or publisher is making a profit on that "sale," or multiple "sales."

When you check a book out of the library, you're enjoying a benefit of being a taxpayer, but you are not enriching business people selling goods purely for their own profit.

I happen to believe it's a distinction that matters.

IdiotsRUs said:

I could name you several writers who'd I'd never have got into ( and bought new books from the book shop later) if I hadn't taken a chance on that tatty old second hand job in Oxfam. It's almost like advertising with a free read on your website. It can get you new fans

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Interesting point of view from someone who does have a dawg in this particular hunt: http://www.janisian.com/article-internet_debacle.html

The same applies to books. Every contact with a reader, paid or not, is a valuable contact because it could lead to real sales. I bought my first Lee Child book (hardback) off a library sale table for a dollar. I met him a couple of nights later at a Sisters-in-Crime meeting, had him sign it, we had dinner with him, and the next day I started buying his books new wherever I could find them. In hardback, which is my prefered medium. Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching.

BTW, I've also dined with Janis, along with a different group than cited above that included Anne McCaffrey, and she's very bright, very intense, and very, very short. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Randy Newman was wrong.