# So I apparently own a fairly rare and relatively expensive book...what now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531 "2012-11-09T23:12:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/1 "2012-11-09T23:12:56Z")
I’m currently doing a clearout of my book collection and I am giving a few WW2 related books to a friend. On a whim I decided to check how much these books are selling for on Amazon and to my surprise at least one is selling for a minimum of $140 dollars, with one seller asking for over $500! Similar prices are quoted on the UK Amazon site as well. While that’s nice to know how exactly could I go about possibly selling it for that sort of money? I’ve always just given my books away when I’ve finished with them but now I’m reconsidering that policy. Needless to say this is one book I would be handing to my friend. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/2 "2012-11-09T23:48:50Z")
Since this thread is about books as objects of commerce, and not as vehicles for knowledge or aesthetic experience, I’m moving to IMHO (from Cafe Society). ---
**Author:** ![Absolute](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b2d939/32.png) [@Absolute](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Absolute)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/3 "2012-11-10T00:02:30Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > While that’s nice to know how exactly could I go about possibly selling it for that sort of money? You can list your book for sale on Amazon yourself. > **[Amazon Trade-In: Get Paid for Your Used Items](https://www.amazon.com/l/9187220011)** > > Trade in Fire tablets, Kindle E-readers, streaming media players, and more for an Amazon.com Gift Card. Be warned - just because some people are listing _their_ copies on Amazon for $X doesn’t mean anyone is actually willing to pay $X. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/4 "2012-11-10T00:37:34Z")
> [@Absolute](#): > > Be warned - just because some people are listing _their_ copies on Amazon for $X doesn’t mean anyone is actually willing to pay $X. A significant number of listings can be a good guide, but only a few can be misleading. I could buy a copy of one of my books from a couple of Amazon sellers and a couple of ABEbooks seller for a mere 5-12 times what a new copy (still) costs… ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/5 "2012-11-10T02:22:02Z")
I sell a lot of stuff on eBay, but do not do books, however, from what I’ve seen of books they are a bit different from other merchandise in that you can often have a book or books that sold for “X” medium to low prices, and at the same time you will have identical (unsold) books listed for much, much more. There seems to be no logic to book asking prices. _Selling_ price is the standard in books, asking prices for books seems to be (IMO) a largely worthless indicator. ---
**Author:** ![74westy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/74westy/32/3950_2.png) [@74westy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/74westy)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/6 "2012-11-10T02:54:57Z")
Some sellers use algorithms that check competitors’ prices and markup/undersell by a small amount. [The interaction of two or more algorithms](http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=358) can quickly result in ridiculous prices. Don’t know if that’s what’s happening in your case. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/7 "2012-11-10T03:25:54Z")
Don’t go for maximum money, head to Vegas and see if you can get on TV selling it on [Pawn Stars](http://gspawn.com/)! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/8 "2012-11-10T03:38:51Z")
> [@74westy](#): > > Some sellers use algorithms that check competitors’ prices and markup/undersell by a small amount. [The interaction of two or more algorithms](http://www.michaeleisen.org/blog/?p=358) can quickly result in ridiculous prices. > > Don’t know if that’s what’s happening in your case. There are trillion dollar books on Amazon due to this. [http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr\_adv\_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&sort=-price](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&sort=-price) ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/9 "2012-11-10T03:50:45Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > There are trillion dollar books on Amazon due to this. > [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&sort=-price) (+$3.99 shipping and handling) ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/10 "2012-11-10T03:59:54Z")
Review for _Infant Mathematics_, > [@](#): > > I expected this book to be more than 24 pages based on the price. For this price, you can buy any university and have the entire staff teach your infant. Somebody could be tasked with making sure to teach the whole numbers not presented in the book. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/11 "2012-11-10T08:13:45Z")
Thanks everyone, I wasn’t really expecting to be able to sell it for that sort of money and thought shenanigans must be going on, but I didn’t want to just give it away if _was_ potentially worth something. ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [November 10, 2012, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/12 "2012-11-10T16:25:26Z")
A while back I purchased an art book, basically an illustrated catalogue of an artist’s entire body of work. It cost me £75 or there about. Unfortunately it was not the book I had hoped I was buying so it remained on the shelf largely unread. Some years later I saw several copies on Amazon for \> £400 as it had gone out of print. I sold mine through Amazon to a university library for £350 :). About 6 months later they reprinted the book to coincide with a major international exhibition. The asking price was £90 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/13 "2012-11-11T03:49:41Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > There are trillion dollar books on Amazon due to this. > [Amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/gp/search/ref=sr_adv_b/?search-alias=stripbooks&unfiltered=1&sort=-price) Pfft. What a ripoff! I wouldn’t pay a penny more than $562,437,600.48 for _Henry Morton Stanley (Junior World Explorers)_ by Charles Parlin Graves. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/14 "2012-11-11T22:55:01Z")
> [@Disposable Hero](#): > > . . . I’ve always just given my books away when I’ve finished with them but now I’m reconsidering that policy. Needless to say this is one book I would be handing to my friend. 😃 Would? Wouldn’t? And…why not? My uncle gave me a signed first edition Gray Lensman by E.E. “Doc” Smith. Worth a fair amount. (No dust-jacket, so value is reduced.) Now, me, I hate Smith! Can’t read the bastard. Tried; consider him totally worthless. But a pal o’ mine is a big Smith fan. So…WTF, I gave the book to him. It’s now one of his most prized possessions. (If he ever sells it, I’ll break his skull!) ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/15 "2012-11-11T23:23:42Z")
Amazon is way overpriced for “rare” books compared to abebooks and similar sites. I wouldn’t go by a price on Amazon for such an item as its market price. I was caught by that before. I thought I was sitting on a goldmine here. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-i-apparently-own-a-fairly-rare-and-relatively-expensive-book-what-now/640531/16 "2012-11-12T00:34:38Z")
I’ve bought and sold books on ebay, but you need to know the terminology: is there any foxing? Is the binding tight? Is there a dust cover (very important)? Is it a first edition? Is it an ex-lib? Also, you need to take several photos showing any and all problems with the book, and be very thorough in your description. I’ve usually gotten what I was asking, and sometimes more, if the bidding gets going. But if you don’t have solid feedback and a goodly number of sales, don’t even attempt it, as most people won’t bid on an unknown.