I sell AND buy books on ebay (and elsewhere), and it never ceases to amaze me how many sellers use generic descriptions regarding the condition of books. Saying that a book is in good or very good condition means absolutely nothing, and in most cases, the seller's opinion will rank much higher than the buyer's.

I've made the mistake of buying books thus described, and what pours out of the package is often a pile of rubbish. The cover may look decent enough, as it does in the listing's photo, but the inside may contain stains, writing, highlighting, corner creases & torn pages, and in a sadly large number of cases, pages so damaged by water as to make the book unusable.

In one such instance, I contacted the seller who flatly denied the damage existed when she sent it. Another time, the seller promised a refund of the purchase price if I returned it. Since the price was low but I was gouged by the obscene s/h, plus the fact that I would be forced to pay return shipping, I opted to pass on the offer.

Then there is the seller who claims the book is brand new and uses a stock photo rather than a scan of the actual copy, but what you get has shelf or edge wear, or torn & creased dust jacket. I've had sellers tell me that it was new...they bought it that way. Or in some cases, poor packaging allowed for the damage.

I no longer buy from sellers who offer only subjective descriptions such as good or very good. I ask for descriptions using specific terms, and if the seller balks at it, I consider myself lucky to avoid dealings with him or her.

I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in these experiences. When I see listings with no descriptions (and often without even a photo), frequently, they pass without bids.

If you are a seller who sees too many of your items go unsold, there may be several reasons...timing, price too high, exorbitant shipping fees, bad feedback or comments about poor packaging. But if all else seems right, try better descriptions. Nothing beats the confidence a buyer has for an honest seller. NOTHING!