I've sold books online since the early 1990s.

When buying USED books online, there are a certain amount of given conditions.

1. Its used, so it will have some wear, some marks from human fingers on pages.
    You can even expect a dog ear or two used as a bookmark.

2. Always ask questions first. The most common damage to books are smoke and water.
    I've been really disappointed buying beautiful books only to find it belonged to a smoker,
    which means the whole book has the smell of stale smoke.  Or a book that has a 
    damp musty order.  Since I like to curl up in bed with my book, neither of these
    are pleasant, and are more offensive.

3. Books come off the printing press. Books really are NOT rare. Scarce would be a better term.
    What is hot one month will be dead the rest of the year. Death of authors, mention in news
    and TV shows makes a book hot.  Truly RARE books, might be signed by the author, really really
    old, pre-1700, or a small privately printed run/edition.  But other than that they are printed in the
    1000s and on up. If you're not in a hurry, its worth the wait, to wait for a book to come in to your price range.

4. Publishers don't have any incentive to make it easy to distinguish editions. A common error
    is use of the same ISBN for several years, and editions.  Trying to find proof of a true first edition
    can take many hours of research. However, the LIBRARY OF CONGRESS =  loc.gov, is an
   excellent source for this type of research, don't get lost at the site, just look for the 'general search.'

5. Conditions: There are to many abrevations for the condition of the book, also one persons 'good' can be
    another persons "trash" or treasure. If you are able to contact the seller, ask for a more precise description
   of condition.  Like me, other booksellers, list 1000s of books each year, and in my mind they are all 
    ''used, have slight wear, and are in good condition''.  95 percent of all my 40,000 books fit this general
   statement. 

6. Books are a wonderful source for pastime, research, etc.  Its best to be sure what you'll be getting
    when you buy a book 'unseen' from an online seller.  Searching for the book can be a tedious ordeal.
    Don't be afraid to ask a bookseller to do a search for you.  We have an industrial advantage.  I'm
    able to find copies of even the most ellusive titles.  Search techniques I've garnered from years of  using
    the internet.  

7. Shipping. A licence to rob the customer.

    Media rate mail, is 4th class mail, it is the least expensive and
    also the slowest = 1 to 8 weeks delivery time. Here is an insider tip. Using your 9 didgit zipcode expedites
    service.  Also media mail is delivered with regular mail, but sits in the 'incoming' post office waiting for your
    local carrier to deliver it.  If you know your carrier, tell them you're expecting a package, you'll get it lickity-split.
    Also, a 2 pound book should be less than $2.85 postage, anything thing over that is the handling and packaging.
    Which is often, a point where booksellers will goudge you. Beware, there are a lot of postal goudgers. 

   Priority mail, and first class are the best service, and very reliable. The flat rate envelope is free from the post
   office and $4.65 to ship.  Any weight that will fit inside the envelop goes.  You could send a brick, or a lead ball if 
   it fits in the FLAT RATE envelope. 90 percent of all books will fit.

   Delivery confirmation, is the least expensive tracking, we use it on all packages.  But not every seller does.  Request
   it and track the package yourself.  Its worth it for the peace of mind.

Thanks to all our clients who've bought our books.  Its because people read and love books that keeps us doing
what we love to do.  Blessings, Max Rainet.   

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