Used -- Very Good: Know What It Means
Buying a used book online is a bit of a trick. You would like to survey the condition with your eyes, hands, and nose, but all you can do is read, and trust, the seller’s description.
Tips
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•Acquaint yourself with Amazon’s Condition Guidelines so that you have a good sense of what to expect when your book arrives in the mail.
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•Watch out for contradictory condition descriptions. For example, a book described as “Used -- Like New,” but then goes on to mention the book contains highlighting. Read the whole description, and ask the seller for clarification if necessary.
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•If you are not satisfied with the book you receive, double-check the description, and if appropriate, politely contact the seller.
Two basic levels of designation are required for each item.
The first level is a simple “type” designation, which must be New, Used, or Collectible.
A New book should be just that. Absolutely new.
Collectible is reserved for books that, for one reason or another, demand a higher price. A collectible book is often a first edition, or signed by the author. Amazon requires that books designated as Collectible be priced at or above List Price or $10, whichever is greater.
Most Marketplace offerings simply fall in the Used category.
Additionally, each book must be one of: Like New, Very Good, Good, or Acceptable. Amazon’s definition of each are stated below. (Please see Amazon’s Condition Guidelines for the most up to date information.)
Like New: An apparently unread copy in perfect condition. Dust cover is intact; pages are clean and are not marred by notes or folds of any kind. Suitable for presenting as a gift.
Very Good: A copy that has been read, but remains in excellent condition. Pages are intact and are not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged.
Good: A copy that has been read, but remains in clean condition. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (including dust cover, if applicable). The spine may show signs of wear. Pages can include limited notes and highlighting, and the copy can include "From the library of" labels.
Acceptable: A readable copy. All pages are intact, and the cover is intact (the dust cover may be missing). Pages can include considerable notes--in pen or highlighter--but the notes cannot obscure the text.
It is not easy nor particularly important to memorize these definitions. Besides, they fail to cover every possible situation, as they are only guidelines.
Keep in mind, for example, that by designating a book as Used -- Good, some sellers place the onus on you to know that the book might contain notes and highlighting. Most sellers would add additional comments pointing out such a significant flaw. Read the feedback previous customers have left for the seller to get an idea of whether the seller has good habits.
There is one more category which you will never actually see applied to an item: Unacceptable. You may, however, see books listed on Amazon that should not be.
Unacceptable: Moldy, badly stained, or unclean copies are not acceptable, nor are copies with missing pages or obscured text. Books that are distributed for promotional use only are prohibited. This includes advance reading copies (ARCs) and uncorrected proof copies.
Hopefully, you will never receive a book from an Amazon seller that is in unacceptable condition. If you do, it is worth bringing it to the attention of the seller. Just send them a polite message pointing out the flaw. The seller will most likely apologize for their mistake and scratch their head a bit wondering how the flawed book snuck through. You can almost always return a book for a full refund, even if there is nothing wrong with it at all.
It is generally not possible for a seller to look at every single page of a book when adding it to their inventory. So, if there is a smashed bug on page 203 try not to make a big deal of it. Page 302 might have a dollar bill, or an interesting post card! Used books are after all, used, and that is part of what makes them interesting.
like new, but with notes.
Books by Chance Stance
At my online book business, Books by Chance LLC, we try hard to accurately describe every book, or other media, in our inventory. Some items are too worn out to even bother selling.
We handle and lot of books, and now and again we miss something, like a few notes, or a torn dust cover. It is never intentional, but it happens. Generally speaking, we try to make a book sound just slightly worse than it actually is, so that when the customer receives it, we have hopefully exceeded expectations. I think we have been quite successful in this regard.
We are always willing to accept a return. Alternatively, a discount is sometimes a better solution. We work this out on a case by case basis. Our goal is to have satisfied customers, even when we goof. Give us a chance to fix it, and we will.
There is a very simple thing you can do to help our small business thrive. Just click the following link. It takes you to Amazon.com. That’s it! Really!
Book Smarts
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
