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Re-selling library books: unethical?
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Smallish town in Ohio
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My local library is having a used book sale tomorrow and I plan on going there. Books will be 50 cents or $1 each. I plan on using the Amazon.com iPhone app to quickly scan ISBN numbers and see if any of the books are ridiculously expensive online used (out of print hardcovers, textbooks etc) and will sell them on Amazon Marketplace. Is it unethical for me to take advantage of the library in this way and make potentially obscene profits based on this work? Should I be donating the money back to the library fund or something?
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Last edited by macintologist; Dec 13, 2010 at 05:17 PM.
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Senior User
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: petting the refrigerator.
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If they were happy with selling the books for ยข50-$1 in the first place, then I find no moral dilemma in it.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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Go for it. The library could do the same thing.
-t
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Iowa, how long can this be? Does it really ruin the left column spacing?
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I wouldn't worry about it. Do you have a plan for picking out potentially good books or do you plan on scanning all of them?
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Washington, DC
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Agreed. I doubt you're going to find much though.
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"One ticket to Washington, please. I have a date with destiny."
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Smallish town in Ohio
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Originally Posted by Laminar
I wouldn't worry about it. Do you have a plan for picking out potentially good books or do you plan on scanning all of them?
Hardcover textbooks usually are expensive online so I'll be targeting those. I only plan on spending 30 minutes tops scanning books for prices.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Smallish town in Ohio
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Originally Posted by SpaceMonkey
Agreed. I doubt you're going to find much though.
When hardcover nonfiction books are out of print you'd be surprised how much they are worth online.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Baltimore, MD
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Get there early. There are people who do this for a living.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
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Not unethical. Probably also not worth your time.
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My sig is 1 pixel too big.
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Moderator
Join Date: May 2001
Location: Hilbert space
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No, I don't think it's unethical. My local libraries have also given away books that cost $$ or even $$$. It would be unethical if you suggest your library to sell the books to you at a discount so you can sell them with a high profit margin
If you want to do your library some good and increase your savings on your karma account, you can donate some of the proceeds back.
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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Colorado
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I think you're figuring that the books at that your library for sale will be books that people actually want.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2003
Location: Minnesota
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If you had to post here and ask this question, isn't your conscience telling you something? Instead of the couple of bucks you'd actually make doing this, find something more productive to do for society. Volunteer your time or create something artistic instead.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Smallish town in Ohio
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Originally Posted by alligator
If you had to post here and ask this question, isn't your conscience telling you something? Instead of the couple of bucks you'd actually make doing this, find something more productive to do for society. Volunteer your time or create something artistic instead.
Actually the last time I did this at another used book sale I sold some on Amazon for 50 each. But it was a private book sale not a big deal, whereas these are library books paid for by tax dollars thats why I'm having a dilemma.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Colorado
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Generally when libraries are selling books it's to make enough money to buy newer editions of the same book, or a better alternative. You're not hurting the library, you're helping.
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Seattle, WA
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Impulse Response
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Mac Elite
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Diego
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I go to a lot of library book sales, and thereโs always about 3 or 4 people with bar code scanning palm pilots furiously scanning books. So you probably wont be the only one.
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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Pam Pilots ? Seriously ?
-t
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
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Originally Posted by GSixZero
The classic arbitrage game, now at your local Goodwill store.
-t
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Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 46 & 2
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Not unethical, but probably not worth the trouble.
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"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
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Originally Posted by Shaddim
Not unethical, but probably not worth the trouble.
The library is likely selling titles that people have donated to them, and THEY have the opportunity to check the values of these books just like you do. So, no, there's nothing wrong with reselling library cut-outs. In fact, if you don't buy them, they will likely end up in Goodwill or a dumpster.
I've found some good titles at the Goodwill/Salvation Army stores before (including the original three-volume bound Mac guide, mint, for $4.99) but there's a lot to go through, and you have to keep up with what they have on a regular basis. And I've seen "gangs" of regulars there, but they were buying clothes that way, piling the carts with new stuff and then going through it. Whatever.
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Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Far above Cayuga's waters.
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If you really are having trouble with this, take a portion (~25%) of your proceeds (if you have any) and donate it to the library.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Baltimore, MD
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Originally Posted by turtle777
Pam Pilots ? Seriously ?
-t
Yep, the necessary software and hardware is very cheap and by using a locally stored database of books and prices (updated regularly) it's significantly faster to look up the prices of books than having to rely on a wireless internet connection. If you're trying to actually make a living doing this, the time saved is worth it.
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Louisiana
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Originally Posted by d4nth3m4n
If you really are having trouble with this, take a portion (~25%) of your proceeds (if you have any) and donate it to the library.
Seconded, but only if you have trouble getting over your moral dilemma.
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Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Smallish town in Ohio
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Originally Posted by nonhuman
Yep, the necessary software and hardware is very cheap and by using a locally stored database of books and prices (updated regularly) it's significantly faster to look up the prices of books than having to rely on a wireless internet connection. If you're trying to actually make a living doing this, the time saved is worth it.
Except a lot of books on Amazon retail at $25 but are literally worthless and being sold used for $0.01
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2000
Location: Garden of Paradise Motel, Suite 3D
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Originally Posted by turtle777
Pam Pilots ? Seriously ?
-t
One of our bookbuyers has an iPaq (or whatever the HP one is called), one has some proprietary thing (looks like a WalMart scanner) and one of them uses a Handspring with some kind of scanner in the Springboard slot. I used to have a bookbuyer in VA that was still using a Newton (in 2003).
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Grizzled Veteran
Join Date: Jan 2001
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Originally Posted by macintologist
Hardcover textbooks usually are expensive online so I'll be targeting those.
Are you kidding me? When the publisher releases a new edition, the value of the previous edition plummets overnight.
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Moderator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: inside 128, north of 90
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No worse than finding something nice at a yard sale. If you found a vintage baseball card or rare hummel figurine at a yard sale, and resold it, would you feel bad about stealing from the little old lady who was funding her retirement by selling her memories?
( )
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Posting Junkie
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Baltimore, MD
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Originally Posted by macintologist
Except a lot of books on Amazon retail at $25 but are literally worthless and being sold used for $0.01
Amazon's probably not the best way to do it.
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