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Greetings
I have been with eBay since 2004. It started out as a part time hobby and has evolved into a serious business. I have loved books since before I could walk and selling books on the net is the most rewarding and satisfying job I've every had. It is also the most difficult, but I do not mind.
Shipping and Handling
As noted in our eBay listings, all books and audiobooks which we sell on eBay are packed in boxes with lots of padding to reduce the risk of damage in the mail. Our eBay shipping charges are based on the cost of postage, the cost of packing supplies, and the labor involved in getting items ready to ship.
We use a combination of newly purchased and recycled packing materials. We use recycled items as much as possible, but with our sales volume, it just is not possible to rely solely on recycled materials. You may receive a book in a used box stuffed with plastic bags from the grocery store or you may receive a book in a new box with all new padding. The packaging will not always look pretty but we have never had a book get damaged in the mail.
Condition Descriptions
We try to describe all of the items we list as completely and accurately as possible. A certain amount of subjectivity is unavoidable. However, in order to avoid confusion we attempt to follow a modified version of the system recommended by the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IBOA). The IBOA system is derived from the long established standards of the used book trade. We felt that some of the language used by IBOA was overly technical and confusing for the average person. Thus, we have attempted to devise a system that will make sense to everyone and provide the information necessary for all buyers to make informed purchasing decisions.
New: This means just what it says. A brand new book, still in the original plastic wrap, purchased directly from a publisher, or purchased new at a library sale or book store.
Like New: The book is without any flaws and looks just like a book purchased new from a commercial book store. We often use this designation when a book appears to be new but we cannot be sure if it was read before we acquired it.
Very Good: A book showing some signs of wear but without any substantial damage. All defects or flaws - such as creased pages, edge wear, or damage to the dust jacket - will be noted. Many of the books we sell are former public library books that we purchase from Friends of the Library (FOL) sales. We generally use the designation "very good" for ex-library books with standard library markings that are free of significant flaws.
Good: The average used book with some signs of wear. All defects - such as highlighting or damage to the cover - are noted.
Readable - Sometimes described as "Acceptable," a readable book is one that is still usable for reading purposes but with some substantial flaws such as loose boards or tears to the cover or pages.
Plus and Minus: In order to further clarify our descriptions we sometimes qualify the above terms with "plus" or "minus" (e.g. "very good minus") for books that are right on the line between two condition designations.
Despite our best efforts, sometimes we fail to notice a flaw when listing a book. If you purchase a book from us and you discover a flaw that was not stated in the listing, be sure to get in touch with us so we can get the matter resolved to your satisfaction. We do not claim to be perfect, but we try to provide adequate compensation when we mess up.
Advanced Reading Copies
Also known as review copies, or uncorrected proofs, these are essentially soft bound final drafts which are provided by publishers to reviewers prior to the final publication of a book. A review copy may contain some tying errors or may be missing pictures, indexes, tables, or illustrations. Illustrations which will appear in full color in the final version may appear in black and white. Some text revisions may occur before final publication. Generally, the text is substantially the same as the final version.
Many people like to buy review copies for reading purposes because they can generally be obtained a bit cheaper than the final published version. Under the doctrine of first sale it is legal to buy and sell review copies after the final version of the book has been released for sale. The doctrine of first sale allows a purchaser to transfer (sell or give away) a lawfully made copy of a copyrighted item without permission once it has been obtained. This means that the distribution rights of a copyright holder end on a particular copy once that copy is sold. [Wikipedia] Most of the review copies that we sell are purchased at our local FOL.
ISBN
Have you ever wondered what the ten or thirteen digit International Standard Book Number (ISBN) actually means? The ISBN was created in the United Kingdom in 1966 by the W.H. Smith company. A similar numeric identifier, called the International Standard Serial Number (ISBN) is used for periodical publications, such as magazines.
The ISBN came into use in the 1970's. However, many books published in the 1970's and early 1980's do not have an ISBN.
As of January 1, 2007, all ISBN are 13 digits. Each edition or variation, except for reprints, of a book is assigned an ISBN. Each ISBN consists of 4 or 5 parts:
1. For a 13 digit ISBN - a GSI prefix: 978 or 979
2. The group identifier code, grouping countries sharing the same language
3. The publisher code
4. The item number
5. A checksum character or check digit.
The parts may be of different lengths and are usually separated by hyphens or spaces. The group identifier for English speaking countries is 0 or 1. The publisher number is assigned by the national ISBN agency. For example the publisher number for the Oxford University Press is 19. An item number is assigned to an individual book by the publisher. The check digit is determined by the International ISBN Agency using a mathematical formula based on the first 9 or 12 digits. [From Wikipedia]
Many Internet book selling sites allow you to search for books using the ISBN. This system is helpful and convenient but it does have some limitations. First, books published before 1970 will not have ISBN (unless they are reprints) and books published between 1970 and the mid to late 1980's are often lacking ISBN. A few more recently published books will not have ISBN. These are generally self published or published by smaller publishers.
Secondly, even for books that have ISBN, some sellers do not list by ISBN. Therefore, if you search solely by ISBN, you may not find all available copies of a given book. Finally, some of the ISBN in the Internet databases are simply wrong. You may type in an ISBN for a book you want and find a listing for a completely different book. Likewise, we have occasionally run across books where the ISBN printed on the back of the book and the one printed inside are different. Generally, the one printed inside the book proves to be the correct one.
Audiobooks:
We sell a lot of second hand audiobooks. Some are on compact discs. Some are on cassette tapes. The format will be specified in the listing. We cannot possibly listen to all of the audiobooks that we sell. We do visually inspect all discs and tapes. We also rewind the tapes to the beginning which often helps us discover damage and defects. If you discover a sound quality problem with an audiobook after purchase, please let me know, and we will do a return or an exchange.
Because they are second hand, some of the cases for the audiobooks we sell have some damage. I try not to sell any audiobooks in cases that have substantial damage which prevents them from serving the purpose of protecting the discs or tapes. If a case is damaged but still capable of serving its purpose, I try to note the damage in the listing. As with books, if you purchase an audiobook and the case or the tapes or discs are not acceptable or not as described, we will try to resolve the matter to your satisfaction.
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