# Amazon.com Ordering Question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 21, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877 "2010-01-21T18:55:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/1 "2010-01-21T18:55:46Z")
My book is available on [amazon.com](http://amazon.com). Just for shits & giggles, I checked on it today just to see how it looks. Interestingly, it’s been offered used… for twice the price of a new copy. First of all, how is amazon offering a “used” copy of my book? I know for a fact that there is exactly **one** used copy of my book, and it’s sitting on my bookshelf. Second, why would they offer it used at twice the price of a new one? ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/2 "2010-01-21T19:07:36Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Second, why would they offer it used at twice the price of a new one? You see that all the time on Amazon. I just assume someone considers the book a “collector’s item”. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/3 "2010-01-21T19:16:49Z")
It almost certainly isn’t Amazon offering the “used” copy, but one of the many booksellers who sell via the Amazon website. So they can price the book above or below what Amazon offers. However, I’ve only seen used copies offered at a big mark-up from the retail price when the book is out of print. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/4 "2010-01-21T19:20:47Z")
I always assumes there was software that helps booksellers finds books that don’t have any used copies offered below a certain threshold. ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/5 "2010-01-21T19:56:16Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > First of all, how is amazon offering a “used” copy of my book? I know for a fact that there is exactly **one** used copy of my book, and it’s sitting on my bookshelf. Are you saying that you are the only person who bought your book? If someone else bought a copy and then wanted to sell it through Amazon, it would be a used copy. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/6 "2010-01-21T21:18:25Z")
> [@FatBaldGuy](#): > > Are you saying that you are the only person who bought your book? No, I’m the only person who has a copy-- it just went on sale on amazon today, and on the publisher’s website last week (and no one has bought any copies). ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/7 "2010-01-21T21:21:52Z")
Perhaps the person offering a used copy at a higher price intends to buy a copy only after they get an order for one – and make 50% profit on the deal! ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2010, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amazon-com-ordering-question/525877/8 "2010-01-21T21:50:12Z")
Exactly. A person who sets up a drop-shipping store will list every book in the catalog art a substantial markup. If a Buyer chooses that copy, the drop-shipper will purchase at the “normal” price and send it to the Buyer. They can have thousands of items listed whcih they really do not own. This business model requires no capital to purchase stock, or storage space, as they are purchasing at time of sale.