Caveat Emptor: or some thoughts on ethics and online book buying
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Loading... - Simon Relter
- 07 Mar 2023
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You finally found it! That long sought after first edition or that great out of print novel. Photos of the book look great; the description good. You place your order, wait, and it shows up. Opening the box, you find nothing like the book described. After trying to contact the seller for weeks, you finally get a response, letting you know you can return the book at your own cost and they will issue a refund, eventually.
Welcome to the Internet, where books once hard to find can be located with a few clicks, and anyone can set themselves up to sell books online. This has introduced a host of problems ranging from misdescribed books, shipping issues, to a confusing range of prices, meaning that who you buy from matters.
Not everyone plays by the rules. According to Morgan Brynnan, Independent Online Booksellers’ Association Secretary, and rare book dealer at uncommon-works.com, some sellers copy descriptions from other sellers, or steal their copyrighted photos, placing them with their own (different) listing. There are "phantom listers" otherwise known as "bookjackers:” companies who harvest the listings of other sellers and sell them as their own. They use an algorithm to radically increase the price and list the books, despite having no stock themselves. They often supply vague, boilerplate descriptions of edition and condition, or steal the true seller’s thorough description. There is no guarantee the buyer will receive the exact book they purchased, and often there is little recourse for those buyers. Read More..
