I ordered a book off of Amazon’s Marketplace/thing that people sell used books on, and the copy I received is labeled “Adance Uncorrected Proofs – Not for Sale” in big red letters at the top. I bought it for a class and I’m going to have to buy a new copy regardless of what I do next, since this version doesn’t have the interviews in the back that I need for class and the pagination is off.
I’m not sure what to do. Is it illegal to sell used copies of proofs? Should I report the seller to Amazon? How do I report the seller to Amazon? I have grounds for a return just because it isn’t the version described in the advertisement. But I don’t just want to return it if this guy is running around, merrily selling illegal copies of books.
So, what would you do? How do I contact Amazon? I’ve been scouring the website for the past half-hour, searching for a phone number to no avail. I need some more ideas. My professor suggests contacting Amazon, but the e-mail box on the help pages seems an awfully informal way to do it. I want a phone number!
I’ve seen these sold at SF cons all the time. No one really bothers to do anything about it and I doubt resale is truly illegal. Some people even specialize in selling and collecting uncorrected proofs of well-known authors.
The person who’s really breaking the agreement is the reviewer himself, and prosecuting someone who’s reviewing your books is a tad counterproductive.
You can ask Amazon for a refund because it’s not what it was represented, but there’s no real crime here.
Don’t worry about it. No on cares if someone sells a proof now and then. They just don’t want wholesale turnarounds. Keep it, if for nothing else to see the changes.
Thanks, guys. I’ll stop imagining jackbooted editors in green eyevisors descending on my dorm room and ripping My Year of Meats from the bookshelf and shooting me dirty looks, then. I’m glad to know I’m not in possession of an illegal copy. I guess I’ll just have to hi-ho myself to the library and hope they have the right version on the shelves, since I don’t want to pay the mark-up at the university bookstore.
What is a problem, in my opinion, is that you were not told that you were buying a proof before you made the purchase. I mean, you’ve now paid money for this book, and you didn’t get what you thought you were buying. If i were you, i’d contact Amazon and report the seller.
