DS9 novels!!! WTH????

[seigezunt]

I just got my used copy of Stich in Time. It cost $13, but it is in good shape. The seller was kind (or odd) enough to wrap it in Saran Wrap. Tightly, like a tuna sandwich at a deli.

 

[Sci]

Wow, nice find. I still can't believe how much some people are charging for those books. I wonder if anyone is actually order at the big prices?

A rational seller will usually set his/her price to match the lowest prices seen on the marketplace that will still allow them to make a profit over the cost of shipping the book. That usually translates to setting it at a price that equals or is lower than the lowest price seen in the used catalogue. BUT. A rational seller will not set it at a lower price if there is sufficient demand that the book can be sold at a higher price.

So, yeah, if a given book consistently is set at $9 to $13 at minimum -- or even higher! -- that there is sufficient demand to support that price: Enough people want that book who are willing to pay that higher price that it warrants consistently setting the price that high.

Of course, that's the tightrope that sellers walk -- they try to set their prices low enough that their copy is the one that sells, not the other guy's, but not so low that the majority of other sellers set their prices lower and therefore cause the buyers to be unwilling to pay a higher price anymore, thereby removing value from the book.

But, yeah, anyway, if you keep seeing it at $13, that means that there are people out there willing to pay $13. So setting the price of that item at $13 ensures that the book will consistently go to the persons who most highly value the book.

 

[Kelso]

I recently got all four Mission: Gamma books, both Avatar books, A Stitch in Time, and 9 other Trek books for $13. You have to keep an eye out.

 

[Paris]

I recently got all four Mission: Gamma books, both Avatar books, A Stitch in Time, and 9 other Trek books for $13. You have to keep an eye out.

Amazing pull! I'm still looking for the four Mission Gamma books in good condition and at a good price. Where did you get it for that? Online or brick & mortar store?

 

[seigezunt]

still finding better prices on amazon than ebay, other than group sets.

 

[JD]

Wow, nice find. I still can't believe how much some people are charging for those books. I wonder if anyone is actually order at the big prices?

A rational seller will usually set his/her price to match the lowest prices seen on the marketplace that will still allow them to make a profit over the cost of shipping the book. That usually translates to setting it at a price that equals or is lower than the lowest price seen in the used catalogue. BUT. A rational seller will not set it at a lower price if there is sufficient demand that the book can be sold at a higher price.

So, yeah, if a given book consistently is set at $9 to $13 at minimum -- or even higher! -- that there is sufficient demand to support that price: Enough people want that book who are willing to pay that higher price that it warrants consistently setting the price that high.

Of course, that's the tightrope that sellers walk -- they try to set their prices low enough that their copy is the one that sells, not the other guy's, but not so low that the majority of other sellers set their prices lower and therefore cause the buyers to be unwilling to pay a higher price anymore, thereby removing value from the book.

But, yeah, anyway, if you keep seeing it at $13, that means that there are people out there willing to pay $13. So setting the price of that item at $13 ensures that the book will consistently go to the persons who most highly value the book.

I was actually talking more about when people were setting it at like $50, or $80. If I wanted a book bad enough I could see spending $13 for a MMPB, but not the biggest amounts.

 

[Sci]

Wow, nice find. I still can't believe how much some people are charging for those books. I wonder if anyone is actually order at the big prices?

A rational seller will usually set his/her price to match the lowest prices seen on the marketplace that will still allow them to make a profit over the cost of shipping the book. That usually translates to setting it at a price that equals or is lower than the lowest price seen in the used catalogue. BUT. A rational seller will not set it at a lower price if there is sufficient demand that the book can be sold at a higher price.

So, yeah, if a given book consistently is set at $9 to $13 at minimum -- or even higher! -- that there is sufficient demand to support that price: Enough people want that book who are willing to pay that higher price that it warrants consistently setting the price that high.

Of course, that's the tightrope that sellers walk -- they try to set their prices low enough that their copy is the one that sells, not the other guy's, but not so low that the majority of other sellers set their prices lower and therefore cause the buyers to be unwilling to pay a higher price anymore, thereby removing value from the book.

But, yeah, anyway, if you keep seeing it at $13, that means that there are people out there willing to pay $13. So setting the price of that item at $13 ensures that the book will consistently go to the persons who most highly value the book.

I was actually talking more about when people were setting it at like $50, or $80. If I wanted a book bad enough I could see spending $13 for a MMPB, but not the biggest amounts.

*shrugs* If I'm a seller and I determine that there's enough demand for a Trek book that I can charge $80 and someone will actually buy it for that amount? Hell yeah, I'm setting it at $80. That buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else, and I see no reason to sell it to someone else who does not value it as much. For instance, I recently bought a textbook for a class that I thought I'd need for $75; then it turned out they'd published the wrong textbook list and I didn't need it -- so I managed to sell it online... for $125. In another instance, I was able to sell a textbook I'd bought my freshman year, of which there were literally no other copies available on Amazon. It was long since outdated, but I thought, what the hell, I'll just give it a high price anyway... and I made $50 off the thing.

 

[seigezunt]

I dunno, that just seems greedy. But they certainly have the right.

 

[Cicero]

That buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else, and I see no reason to sell it to someone else who does not value it as much.

Whether the buyer values it more depends not only on what price they are willing to pay in dollars, but on how valuable a dollar is in their life. $80 is much less to a prosperous executive than it is to a struggling student.

 

[Sci]

That buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else, and I see no reason to sell it to someone else who does not value it as much.

Whether the buyer values it more depends not only on what price they are willing to pay in dollars, but on how valuable a dollar is in their life. $80 is much less to a prosperous executive than it is to a struggling student.

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I completely agree that when it comes to items a person needs to live, they ought to be available either for free or at easily affordable prices. (That's why I'm in favor of free single-payer health care a la Canada or France.) But we're not talking about that, we're talking about a Star Trek book. And if they're not willing to pay as much money as I want for the book, I'm not going to sell it to them, and I don't feel particularly bad about that.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Maybe I should start buying two of every book, for resell value. Hey if we all did that it would be great for Treklit sales!

 

[Sci]

Maybe I should start buying two of every book, for resell value. Hey if we all did that it would be great for Treklit sales!

Actually, it would end up driving prices down after a while; the market would be flooded with too many used copies of the books for anyone to be willing to pay all that much anymore.

I have a fair number of Trek and other novels that I sell over Amazon for only $0.01; I make my money through the $3.99 that is automatically added to the price for shipping. I'm able to ship mass market paperbacks with the cheapest possible option and then make maybe a dollar off the whole thing, and that's it, because of Amazon's commission charge and transaction fee and of the cost of shipping.

Used books gain value when there aren't as many of them available; customers who aren't willing to pay higher prices for them are weeded out, and the ones who remain drive the price up because of their willingness to shell out more.

 

[David R. George III]

For what it's worth--which, I suppose, is precisely nothing--I have been amazed at some of the prices I've seen for copies of Twilight. Even I only have a couple of copies left myself, otherwise I might be cajoled into letting a few go. Heck, I even only have a few copies of These Haunted Seas, the omnibus edition in which Twilight was collected.

 

[21Spike65]

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I agree with your sentiment--a Star Trek book is far from an essential--but I don't agree with the 'easily' obtainable at a public library part. My own public library has a crappy selection of Star Trek books, always have. For most of the books I'd be looking for, I'd have to buy them to read them.

Not a big deal, but I've always been envious of all you people who talk about taking all your books out from the library.

 

[seigezunt]

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I agree with your sentiment--a Star Trek book is far from an essential--but I don't agree with the 'easily' obtainable at a public library part. My own public library has a crappy selection of Star Trek books, always have. For most of the books I'd be looking for, I'd have to buy them to read them.

Not a big deal, but I've always been envious of all you people who talk about taking all your books out from the library.

I was just going to say that. My library has a handful of trek books that are at least 20 years old.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

Can you order books in from other libraries?

 

[Sci]

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I agree with your sentiment--a Star Trek book is far from an essential--but I don't agree with the 'easily' obtainable at a public library part. My own public library has a crappy selection of Star Trek books, always have. For most of the books I'd be looking for, I'd have to buy them to read them.

Not a big deal, but I've always been envious of all you people who talk about taking all your books out from the library.

I have never heard of a public library whose patrons could not order a book through an inter-library loan program or who would not purchase specific books requested by patrons.

ETA:

The exception to the above statement are those public libraries who are in dire financial trouble. And for those libraries, I absolutely favor increased funding; I've always been willing to pay higher taxes to make sure that the people of my community have access to quality public libraries and their free materials.

 

[Cicero]

That buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else, and I see no reason to sell it to someone else who does not value it as much.

Whether the buyer values it more depends not only on what price they are willing to pay in dollars, but on how valuable a dollar is in their life. $80 is much less to a prosperous executive than it is to a struggling student.

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I completely agree that when it comes to items a person needs to live, they ought to be available either for free or at easily affordable prices. (That's why I'm in favor of free single-payer health care a la Canada or France.) But we're not talking about that, we're talking about a Star Trek book. And if they're not willing to pay as much money as I want for the book, I'm not going to sell it to them, and I don't feel particularly bad about that.

I think you're missing my point. You claim that "that buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else," which isn't true. However - and why ever - you choose to set your prices, you cannot logically conclude that the person willing to pay the greatest number of dollars is the person who most values the book.

 

[Sci]

Whether the buyer values it more depends not only on what price they are willing to pay in dollars, but on how valuable a dollar is in their life. $80 is much less to a prosperous executive than it is to a struggling student.

And I'm very sorry about someone else's poverty, but I am neither responsible for it, nor am I refusing to sell to them an item they need to escape poverty. We are, after all, talking about a luxury item that can easily be obtained for free from a public library.

I completely agree that when it comes to items a person needs to live, they ought to be available either for free or at easily affordable prices. (That's why I'm in favor of free single-payer health care a la Canada or France.) But we're not talking about that, we're talking about a Star Trek book. And if they're not willing to pay as much money as I want for the book, I'm not going to sell it to them, and I don't feel particularly bad about that.

I think you're missing my point. You claim that "that buyer obviously values the book more than anyone else," which isn't true. However - and why ever - you choose to set your prices, you cannot logically conclude that the person willing to pay the greatest number of dollars is the person who most values the book.

Fair enough -- but we're talking about a business transaction. I can't measure sentimental valuation in an exchangeable medium; my only medium to objectively measure how much someone values something is monetary value. As such, I can only use the willingness to pay a higher price to measure how much a given buyer wants my book.

 

[Cap'n Crunch]

A few months ago I found Mission Gamma 1, 2, & 4 in a used book store. I don't remember the price but they were pretty cheap and in good shape, and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to get 3/4 of them. Shortly after, I found book 3 on Amazon for $3.50 (plus S&H), so I quickly ordered it before the price went up.