A lot of people sell a lot of books on Amazon that I wouldn't bother to list, but I can usually suss out their angle.
People listing pocket books for 1 cent, for example.
Assuming you get the book from a thrift store for a quarter, you can still turn a profit on Amazon's shipping reimbursement. Amazon kicks down $3.99, a small padded mailer will run you around a quarter, and postage is roughly $1.35. So you're clearing $2.15 on that 1 cent book.
Which doesn't sound bad, until you factor in labor. That book doesn't find itself, or list itself, or shelve itself, or pack itself, or drive itself to the post, or wait in that long ass line.
But if you're moving enough units, why not? If you're packing and mailing 20 books a day, that pocket book is just a note in the symphony.
It's nothing I'd bother with, but I can see why someone else might.
This particular book, though, I don't understand at all.
International shipping is a huge pain in the butt.
It's tremendously expensive, and Amazon's seller credit ($12.99) doesn't cover the cost of anything bigger than a trade paperback- the only titles I make available for international orders are pocket books. And if for any reason there's a problem, you're completely hosed. Let's say they don't like the book- you're on the hook for a refund, and if you want the book back you're on the hook for return shipping. Books shipped internationally also tend to go missing, whether due to post office mishaps or buyer malfeasance who knows. But again, you're on the hook for a refund and are expected to eat the postage (not only does the buyer get their $$$ back, Amazon also takes back their shipping credit).
So these guys confuse me.
I paid $1.49 for the book, which as noted above can make sense if you're operating on a large enough scale. But, even though it shipped airmail from the UK the bookstore only charged for domestic shipping, meaning they were reimbursed $3.99. I'm not up on currency exchange or the Royal Mail's shipping rates, but I don't see the financial logic of a UK store airmailing me a hardcover book for less than the cost of a decent hamburger.
And it's basically a new book- I've seen much rougher copies on the shelves of B&N.
I suppose I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth, but I don't see how books being this commodified & devalued is a good thing.
1 comment:
I've had similar experience with UK purchases. If I ship a 15 oz package to the UK the USPS charges $10.70 for AirMail, double for Priority. I've ordered from moo.com before they opened a site stateside, and the shipping from London to me was about $5.00. Now that they've opened on the east coast, the same item ships for $12.99. No bueno.
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