On Sep 15, 7:48 am, "Francis A. Miniter" <mini...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
wrote:
> Bill wrote:
> > On Sep 12, 7:01 am, Allan Adler <a...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
>
> >>Recently, I was at a library and noticed someone sitting by some books
> >>being sold by the library. This person was using a laptop to connect
> >>via wifi to Amazon. Apparently he/she was looking up the sale books
> >>at Amazon, but I couldn't see in greater detail what was being done.
>
> >>My guess is that he/she is listed at Amazon as a bookseller and was
> >>listing the library sale books as being available from him/her,
setting
> >>the price at a level that would be competitive with the ones already
> >>listed. Since the library typically sells the books for no more than
> >>$2 each, that could be quite profitable if the book is ever sold by
> >>that bookseller. Furthermore, the bookseller doesn't have to warehouse
> >>the books: the library does it for him/her. Even the wifi hotspot is
> >>provided by the library. True, an individual book might be sold by the
> >>library before it can be ordered online, but these things happen and,
> >>if the book is subsequently ordered, a bookseller can simply re****t
> >>that the book is no longer available. That might reflect badly on the
> >>bookseller, from Amazon's point of view. But a conscientious
bookseller
> >>engaged in this particular enterprise might regularly visit the
library
> >>book sale books and update the inventory to see which ones are still
> >>available, making the scenario less likely in which a book is ordered
> >>and found not to be available.
>
> >>In fact, that might be what this individual was really doing: updating
> >>the inventory and cancelling his/her listings of books that were no
longer
> >>available.
>
> >>I have to admit, that does sound pretty enterprising. And one does
often
> >>find good books on sale at libraries. I can't go to every library to
see
> >>what it has to offer and, in effect, this bookseller is offering the
> >>service of doing it for me.
>
> > Actually, the person sounds rather petty and stupid. In
> > the first place, the cheap nitwit is listing books that he
> > does not have in his possession.
>
> If you read the responses, I think you will see that most of us have
concluded
> that the person was not listing books for sale but checking out what he
could
> get selling them retail if he were to buy them and list them.
>
> Francis A. Miniter- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
You may be right, but I was using the "let's assume
the poster is correct -- then what?" approach.
|
