IMMEDIATE BUYER ALERT*ALERT*ALERT!!!

CLASSIC and RARE BOOKS HAVE BEEN FOUND WITH GLUED IN COPYRIGHT PAGES. FAKES lnclude-GONE WITH THE WIND-GRAPES OF WRATH-Atlas Shrugged,THE SORCERER'S STONE, The Catcher and the Rye, and recently TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD and who knows how many others.

WARNING: A variety of RARE BOOKS sold through ebay have been found with GLUED IN COPYRIGHT pages. If you made your book purchase through ebay in the past few years...You might want to give that valuable book(s) a second look!

INSPECTION: Check for excess glue along the binding,  along the inside and outside boards, head & foot of the spine or end papers (front and back). Check the spine for any fresh clean cuts. Check all areas surrounding the copyright page including the gutter section that is glued down to the front board along the binding. Check to see if any pages stick together along the spine when you turn the page. Check to see if the front section of the book and pages are exactly the same length and the same quality of paper as the remaining pages of the book. Be certain they are not obviously shorter or longer anywhere. Be certain the paper is not thinner or another shade. Any of these issues could indicate that something is very wrong and may warrant a professional opinion.

BEWARE!

Fraudsters are cutting out,  removing, photocopying and or switching copyright pages to represent RARE First Printings! If you look close you can actually see the folded leaf sections from the foot or head of the binding. If the front section is out of place...question it!

Entire front leaf sections and single copyright pages have been found glued into place and could be coming from: Early Book Club Editions, Library Bindings, Photocopies of early printings, or from a book in poor condition...etc.

Read Descriptions very carefully when repairs are mentioned: Deceptive sellers are very cleaver and have disclosed the fraud as repairs, just to throw the buyer off. These sellers have a 100% Feedback rating and often times... SLOW shipping. (Why slow shipping?...read below).  Reasons for repairs are being explained a number of different ways including an unfortunate "drop" of the book, with no mention of bumps as a result of that drop.  Fresh cuts are also being described as claw cuts from cats.  "Rips" along the spine are being described as shelf damage, when clearly it's a fresh CUT via the blade of a sharp box knife or razor blade!!  One seller will lead you to believe the books value has been degraded by a haphazardly or poor repair, but they want you to know it is there. Any obvious repair along the copyright page, or any clean cuts to the spine is questionable....especially if the book is otherwise in good condition. If repairs can not be justified or matched with the condition of the book, question it.

Check closely for re-glued front and or rear end flaps or end papers. A professional repair is generally clean and without excess oozing. PAGES SHOULD NOT STICK TOGETHER. Pay special attention to the fading, shading or color of the copyright page when compared to the rest of the book's interior. If the color is cleaner and whiter...RED FLAGS SHOULD GO UP! If photos are NOT clear, there could be a reason for this, especially if the seller is or has offered unrelated items, with clear images.

Recently, fraudsters have been going in from the interior rear of the book....along the spine and endpapers, so check the FRONT and REAR of your book. These sellers have had lots of practice to get it right...so look very close at ALL sides of your book. (Most people rarely look at the rear of a book, check there first).

PRIVATE AUCTIONS are RED FLAG MATERIAL! If the "RARE BOOK" auction you have an interest in, is "PRIVATE", ASK YOURSELF WHY? In most cases,  it's because the seller has something to hide, or the seller doesn't want others to make contact with the buyer after the auction has ended to disclose your findings to them. (Which by the way is now against ebay policy, how convenient is that? )

ASK QUESTIONS!

Passing the blame ...Book conditions are being disguised or described as actual repairs done by a previous owner, intentionally. If you suspect deception...Ask the seller who made the repair and why? Ask if the copyright page is original to the book. Ask why glue would be along the copyright page when the remaining pages in the book are crisp and the book is square. Ask if the copyright page is the exact thickness and quality of the remaining pages in the book. Ask if the color of the paper is identical to the other pages within the book. If you have any doubt, ask questions. Specifically ask for clear close up photos of any repairs.

Trade secret: The best thing you can do before buying a rare title is to locate an image of a true 1/1 copyright page and compare it for transparency!  If you can see bleeding from the front side of the title page or copyright page, when you shouldn't...chances are that copyright page came from another source!

If the book you currently own is of suspension to you,  or if you are not sure, black light test your book to be certain. Fresh glue will GLOW like nothing else under black lighting, you might even be able to pick up a finger print ...or 2! :) If you find finger prints, call your local Police Department and file your report. Keep the book, do not return it...it is your evidence. The seller will do and say anything to get that book back into their hands.

• SLOW SHIPPING.....!!! READ THIS...READ THIS...In some cases, the seller offers a full refund if not completely satisfied. Of course they do, they want the evidence back into their hands. But they are banking you won't discover it until long after the transaction is complete... or in most cases,  time has expired to file a dispute to get your money back from Paypal. Look for EXTENDED shipping periods or SLOW SHIPPING by checking sellers DSR ratings and feedback comments. If delays in shipping have occurred in the past, it could be intentional and a successful effort to burn down the time allowed by Paypal to file a dispute for a refund.

Some repairs are justified, so use good judgment and ask for photos of the area of the book you are concerned about.

Always use Paypal or a credit card as a form of Payment when purchasing a valuable or Rare book. If your form payment is a Money Order, you have little to no recourse at all! NONE!...NADDA, ZIP, ZERO!

Some of the books involved in the scam include, but may not be limited too:

• Grapes of Wrath

• Gone With The Wind

• The Sorcerer's Stone

• Atlas Shrugged

• The Catcher and the Rye
  

• To Kill A Mockingbird

...AND possibly OTHERS!! Some are confirmed findings from actual buyers who had read my Sorcerer's Stone guide and discovered other books by the same sellers. If you discover a book not listed , please let me know and I will add it to the list.

PLEASE...If you have purchased any of these books, in the last few years, give your book a closer look. I do not know how long this has been going on.

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