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Confessions of a Used-Book Salesman

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Re: Confessions of a Used-Book Salesman

#101

Post by CWuestefeld »

angusgr wrote: post #43
asmithmd1 wrote: post #29

If the goal of sales that ban scanners is to get the book into the hands of someone who wants to read it they could do what the Baltimore Book Thing does when they give away free books -- stamp the title page as a free book, not for resale. Kind of like the viral effect of GPL. Once a book has been through the Baltimore Book thing's hands it is always free http://www.bookthing.org

This is an admirable idea, but I can't help but think of the number of CDs I've bought at used record stores with "Not For Resale" stickers still affixed. Label review samples that had gone into the second hand channel just fine. Also I know from experience that used book sellers will often quite happily clip or black out portions of the frontispiece or half-title page if they need/want to. Collectible book dealers a…

Last year I bought a used book through Amazon, that upon arrival turned out to be a galley proof. I was a little annoyed that it hadn't been marked as such, but I kind of thought that it might be collectible in some way.

Re: Confessions of a Used-Book Salesman

#102

Post by DLWormwood »

roel_v wrote: post #73
DLWormwood wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A big deal with this may be due to upbringing and what part of the country/world you come from. While part of me dreams of being able to do this kind of work (I’m the exploration type), I can’t, since I can’t drive, limiting my searching ability. Regardless, my background keeps a nagging sense of impropriety of arbitrage in my mind. To my parents and my childhood role models, it’s not “real work,” since it neither cr…

It does create something new, it creates value . I'm amazed at the 'arbitrage is bad' comments, I can't remember seeing it anywhere before. Someone who finds a buyer for a thing that couldn't be sold before (i.e., was worthless ) creates value by enabling the transaction.

To continue citing those from my background, “value” is an modern invention of “intellectuals,” and therefore, either of the devil or a liberal plot.
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