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The next time you see a price for something used on the internet and think "Geez, I didn't know it was worth so much," remember this story before you assume that an asking price gives any indication of market value.  

  

A friend send me the llink below, to an "associate seller" on Amazon offering my 'Streets book, used, for $32 - more than twice its list price when new.  Most bizarrely, when you go to Amazon's site search for for my book by title, this used listing comes up right below Amazon's listing of new copies at $14.95.  That $32 used copy will probably sit on the shelf for a long time.  I surely hope so.  Stupidity and greed.  Wow. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Willis-S...auge+model+railroads

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Originally Posted by AMCDave:

Agreed that ASKING price and SOLD price can be drastically different. That's why I only search 'completed listings' on ebay when I want a 'value' for an item. 

As for the huy offering your book for $32??? More power to him.....if he gets it....it's all on the buyer. 

The bigger question is swindling the type of moral behavior, we want our society to gravitate to or would we prefer people dealing with honesty, integrity and a concern for humanity?

Originally Posted by Andrew B.:

A seller on there had the Carp book on dealer displays up for over a grand. I messaged him thinking it was a mistake... nope

Yep, which is exactly why I bought the DVD with all of the Lionel Display Layouts for something near 20 bucks. The Carp book has been overpriced on the secondary market (the Bay and other places) for years. Not the author's fault but I refused to pay the prices I was seeing. 

Last edited by johnstrains
Originally Posted by Dennis LaGrua:
 

The bigger question is swindling the type of moral behavior, we want our society to gravitate to or would we prefer people dealing with honesty, integrity and a concern for humanity?

WOW.....I have WAY to much to do rather than be the moral police for GIANT Amazon. Millions of transactions an hour......where would I begin????

 

The flip side of the 'protect all' coin is called being a responsible and EDUCATED adult that doesn't need constant hand holding. If ill will was aimed at children or the mentally handicapped I can see stepping in......otherwise BE AN ADULT. 

Back in January, people were trying to sell the annual Union Pacific calendar on eBay for significantly more than what it would cost to simply go to the UP website and buy it yourself.  It was "rare" the day it came out.  Or so some said.

 

Most of the "gougers" also had very high shipping costs associated with the item as well.

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

The next time you see a price for something used on the internet and think "Geez, I didn't know it was worth so much," remember this story before you assume that an asking price gives any indication of market value.  

  

A friend send me the llink below, to an "associate seller" on Amazon offering my 'Streets book, used, for $32 - more than twice its list price when new.  Most bizarrely, when you go to Amazon's site search for for my book by title, this used listing comes up right below Amazon's listing of new copies at $14.95.  That $32 used copy will probably sit on the shelf for a long time.  I surely hope so.  Stupidity and greed.  Wow. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Willis-S...auge+model+railroads

you think that's bad Lee, look at this link from the page with the correct price!

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...sed&sr=&qid=

 

Now, that's a MARKUP!

Hasn't this always been true?  You have to decide whether you want relatively free markets or not.

 

Personally, I want hobby sales to remain totally free market, and I want the SEC to watch out for our retirement accounts.  If you have a penchant for telling sellers their price is too high, you become an " officious intermeddler" - not a classy title.

 

Opinion.

Amazon has this kind of thing all the time.

My sister in law once sold rare books as a business and she said it was common for people to brag about how much they paid for a book, which explained why you see high end prices like that online. They're trying to reach the, "too much money - sucker" type of buyer.

I did a book of re-enactor cartoons back in the early 90s, self-pusblished, and someone alerted me to a copy of it on eBay a year ago. I followed that listing with great interest as the book went for a pretty high figure (over $70, I sold them for $10 each if memory serves but in all fairness it had been out of print since the mid 90s). I even contacted the seller, telling him I was the author and offering to sign it for the buyer if they wanted and asking to pass my info along to the winner of the book. He never replied.

Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
Originally Posted by Lee Willis:

The next time you see a price for something used on the internet and think "Geez, I didn't know it was worth so much," remember this story before you assume that an asking price gives any indication of market value.  

  

A friend send me the llink below, to an "associate seller" on Amazon offering my 'Streets book, used, for $32 - more than twice its list price when new.  Most bizarrely, when you go to Amazon's site search for for my book by title, this used listing comes up right below Amazon's listing of new copies at $14.95.  That $32 used copy will probably sit on the shelf for a long time.  I surely hope so.  Stupidity and greed.  Wow. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Willis-S...auge+model+railroads

you think that's bad Lee, look at this link from the page with the correct price!

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...sed&sr=&qid=

 

Now, that's a MARKUP!

Wow! That is crazy.  Is there something I am missing here?  Why would someone do this?

Originally Posted by Lee Willis:
Originally Posted by gunrunnerjohn:
you think that's bad Lee, look at this link from the page with the correct price!

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer...sed&sr=&qid=

 

Now, that's a MARKUP!

Wow! That is crazy.  Is there something I am missing here?  Why would someone do this?

I hope you get a percentage of selling price, you can pay for your train addiction that way!

 

Wow! That is crazy.  Is there something I am missing here?  Why would someone do this?

I don't know why I never put this together before, but I think this is what's going on:

  1. As he writes his ad, the seller does not own a copy of the book. Therefore, he is out $0 for his "inventory".
  2. The seller knows he can acquire a new copy of the book for $14.95.
  3. The seller places an ad on Amazon.  Unless I am missing something, this does not cost him any money.  His marketing expenses are therefore $0.  He only pays something if he sells something.
  4. The seller crafts an ad that he hopes will draw in some under-informed rube.
  5. Some rich and/or lazy and/or not particularly bright rube clicks the ad and buys the book for $32.
  6. The seller buys the book from any other source, fulfills the rube's order, and pockets $17 (i.e., > 100% markup).
  7. The seller pays a fee to Amazon.
  8. Amazon wins, the seller wins, and the rube probably never realizes he lost.

Somewhere, PT Barnum is laughing till he wets his pinstripe pants.

 

One has to wonder if the seller has an entire "bookstore" set up in this manner. 

 

Steven J. Serenska

Last edited by Serenska

And nobody mentions the Nigerian prince who needs an advance to get his million bucks out of some bank somewhere?  AARP has a whole series on how older folks are getting fleeced.  The kids take their credit cards, and the scammers get them to find an old receipt with the number on it.

 

We are practicing not answering the phone.  It is tough, because for 70 years the phone rings and we pick it up and say hello?  No longer, thanks.

Originally Posted by Forty Rod:

Phinias Taylor Barnum was right.  A sucker is born every minute.  (Us Taylors are seldom wrong.  )

I'm afraid you're wrong about this, however.   It's a common mistake to attribute this saying to PT Barnum. However, it is almost certain that he never said it. Many accounts indicate it was actually uttered by David Hannum, spoken in reference to Barnum's part in the Cardiff Giant hoax. Hannum, who was exhibiting the "original" giant and had unsuccessfully sued Barnum for exhibiting a copy and claiming it was the original, was referring to the crowds continuing to pay to see Barnum's exhibit even after both it and the original had been proven to be fakes.

 

I do, however, like one of Barnum's actual quotes: 

"The desire for wealth is nearly universal, and none can say it is not laudable, provided the possessor of it accepts its responsibilities, and uses it as a friend to humanity."

Last edited by breezinup

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