Stealing Books-A Bookscout's Guide To Book Collecting

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Sections
  Introduction
  Chapter 1
  Chapter 2
  Chapter 3
  Chapter 4
  Chapter 5
  Chapter 6
  Chapter 7
  Chapter 8
  Appendix 1
  Appendix 2
  Appendix 3
  Appendix 4

Chapter 7 - Selling Your Books (continued)

If I am shipping a book, and the cost of the book is $15 or more, I will use a deleivery confirmation. It is not worthwhile to buy a delivery confirmation for $2 book. The cost of a delivery confirmation is 65 cents, and so the cost of three of these add up to one $2 book. It is unlikey that you will have so mnay people claiming that the book never came that it would be worth while to spend 65 cents to insure the delivery of a $2 book. It is more effective to save the 65 cents, and maybe refund the cost of a $2 book every once in a while. But if the buyer says that a $50 book never came, thats a pretty big hit to the wallet. So I use the $15 threshold to judge whether I will buy a delivery confirmation. If the book is $100 or more, I mayu even buy insurance out of my own pocket, figureing that I made enough profit out of the $100 to make the cost of insurance negligable.

When you are listing a book, try to be honest as possible about the condition of the book. If it is an ex-library book, say that that it is an ex-library book. Don't just listed it as good or say book is in good shape because when the buyer gets the book, and it is an ex-library book, they might be a little annoyed and leave you a negative feedback. If it is an ex-library book, state that it is an ex-library book book. You don't need to go so far as to go page by page listing every single stamp and label in the book. If you describe it as "Ex-Library book with usual markings", that will cover most of it. If the front free end page, or the read free end pages have been cut, or ripped out, you will want to mention this. And you will still want to describe wear to the book such as heavy shelf wear, broken spine, underlining, hiliting, etc.
Generally ex-library books should not be described as 'very good' by the simple fact that having a cardpocket glued to a page in the book, and labels and the spine, and stamps throughout knock it out of the running to be described as such. You might be able to describe the book as "ex-library with usual markings, but otherwise in very good condition". Be honest about the condition of the book, and price it accordingly. If you make even a few of your buyers upset, those are the people that are going to leave you the feedbacks. I am guessing that only a quarter to half of your happy buyers will you a positive feedback, but most of your unhappy buyers will leave you a negative feedback. So try to keep all of your transactions positive. If you make a mistake then accept responisibility for it. Refund the persons part of the person's money, or all of it, or whatever it takes to rectify the situation. If there is any doubt, and the book is not expensive, it is better sacrifice, and make the customer happy. Give them their money back, and let them keep the book. If the book is an expensive book, then you might want to have them return the book, and then refund their money including return shipping, and then just resell the book to somebody else.

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