Is it morally wrong or a good business model . . . .

[mollykins]

. . . . . to buy books from charity shops at, between 10p and £2 and sell them at a profit at carboot sales and on ebay?

My mum does this, and I think i'd feel bad if i'd had bought a book for less than a pound then sold it for about £40, which has happened several times.

Also she once sold a book for £80, but she may have got that one from the auctions, which she no longer goes to. She used to go to the auctions and buy boxes of books for a few pound each then sell them at a profit but when the auctioneers starting selling more expensive things, she focused on the charity shops more.

[joggerjayne]

"it makes you feel better for doing it even though it makes no difference" ?

I think it makes a difference to the bookshop !

[cazzz1975]

amazon also have a marketplace where you can buy books from independent book sellers, so they are not all bad...

[cazzz1975]

you would have to buy a lot of books for it to make a significant difference, the odd book now and again is not going to keep him in pernod :)

[joggerjayne]

No, cazzz ... Amazon are not "all bad"

In fact, if you look at the bottom of the last page, you will see me describing them, in some circumstances, as "fab".

=0)

[joggerjayne]

cazzz ...

You could say the same about giving to charity, or giving blood.

You small contribution makes no discernible difference ... so why bother !

Well, if enough of us do bother, then it starts to make a difference.

[dothawkes31]

Publishers are just as culpable, they offer book retailers good deals on bulk purcahses with the proviso that their title(s) are placed in prominent positions in the book chart and so get maximum impact and sell in greater numbers, some new releases hit the book chart on day of release even though none have been available for sale, some have pre-sell, like the new Dan Brown, but most chart positions are 'bought' by the publishers, the book becomes a good seller because of product placement and prominent placement.

[joggerjayne]

I agree, Dot.

But publishers are, to some extent, victims of the supermarkets.

They will buy 10,000s of copies of Harry Potters, and then sell them at a loss !!!

Publishers can't stop that.

[boxtops]

Eddie, the only way you can cover the postage cost is to elevate the cost of the book, if the weight of the book means that it will cost more than the ceiling £2.75 to post. (It's the same with clothes now, max £4 even if you are selling something heavy like a coat.) Example: Good once-read thriller paperback, £2 + 2.75 postage. If it's a big hardback, the starting price takes into account the real postage price, and I comment on that in the item description. They do sell. The postage ceiling is the same rate as on Amazon, I sell occasional used books on both sites (prefer eBay but Amazon has a diferent audience).

[mollykins]

I was asking if you think it's morally wrong or not, I just said that i'd probably feel bad making a profit froma charity.

EErrrr with the being able to actually make a profit from the books, I don't know. Can you charge more than hoiwever much the maximum postage is, if you send it by courier?

[mollykins]

Eddie we never go out anywhere, apart from a meal out for a special occaision, that's why I get so bored in the holidays.

[jackthehat]

Obviously, the purchaser is content to pay whatever your Mum has asked them to, including the P&P.

[mollykins]

Oh and someone mentioned what the £40 and £80 books were, I think they were out of print, first edition books that are really old . . . .

[redman41]

mollykins ! Go and get yourself a Summer Holiday job and earn some money , not only will it relieve the boredom but it will give you some funds to buy yourself something nice plus you will have some savings as well.......

[mollykins]

I'm looking and i've applied for any suitable jobs, but haven't got one yet, that's why i asked about babysitting

[Mick-Talbot]

I just said that i'd probably feel bad making a profit froma charity.


molly, making a profit from charity has never bothered all the African despots, so don't let it worry you.

[Mctavish]

Molly does your mother ever read what you put on AB ?
If my daughter talked about me the way you refer to your mother i wouldn't be very pleased.

[mollykins]

Mctavish, I don't tell you lot the half of it, about either of them.

[boxtops]

With your question way up above about sending books by courier - the answer is no, you can send it how you like but the maximum the buyer can be asked to pay is the limit laid down by eBay or Amazon. That's in the UK - when/if I sell to overseas customers, the true cost of postage can be requested as part of the sale.