I saw tiny Tim reaching for a ps4 and knocked his ass right over and sold it for profit. That'll teach the bastard
I saw tiny Tim reaching for a ps4 and knocked his ass right over and sold it for profit. That'll teach the bastard
Tiny Tim never had a chance
They are essentially the same activity, just focused on different products. The nomenclature doesn't really matter to me. We could call them Day Traders (remember when that was a thing?) and it would be the same thing. They are purchasing a form of completed product (concert ticket, book, share of stock, etc.) with the intent to sell quickly as soon as the profit picture meets their personal goal. They take that highly speculative financial risk and expect to get paid for taking that risk. Sometimes they do, other times they don't.
"...that Siren which called and sang and promised so much and gave, after all, so little." ~ Ray Bradbury
It's called arbitrage.
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
Someone mentioned how easy it is to by a book now, just a couple clicks and it's yours. Everyone, flippers and collectors alike, has the chance to get a copy of a book (or tickets, gaming systems, etc.) when it is placed on sale online. Just be awake and on the sellers site when it's go time. It's a different thing when someone's career is flipping items and they have the time to wait outside a bestbuy or toys r us, to purchase that seasons hot time, or buy 100 happy meals to get those mini beanie babies. That always bothered me.
People generally get these things online now. I ordered a ps4 when it went up for preorder back in June. My friend had 3-4 months before it sold out. He bought one on eBay for a premium on release day. Was it wrong for the flipper to charge the premium, no, because my friend had ample opportunity to order one and didn't.
The flippers and collectors have equal opportunity to buy Carrie when it goes up for sale. If you miss out, that sucks. And if you want one badly enough you will get one from some random guy on eBay. The market sets the price and if someone wants to pay 2k over retail, so be it.
And to those who are bothered by flippers try and get a copy and sell it to someone who wants it, at retail. Beat the flippers at their own game.
Hearts are tough, she said, most times hearts don't break, and I'm sure that's right . . . but what about then? What about who we were then? What about hearts in Atlantis?
Also, FWIW, I kind of regret starting this thread here. I didn’t realize at the time that Calivn’s Corner was the collector’s part of the site and almost separate from the rest of the site.
My originally point wasn’t so much about books but about the people that create a secondary market over things that aren’t even considered collectible until they are sold out at stores like toys or games or dolls that are specifically meant for kids.
Hearts are tough, she said, most times hearts don't break, and I'm sure that's right . . . but what about then? What about who we were then? What about hearts in Atlantis?
I find it fascinating to see different people's take on the subject
I wonder why PS doesn't just sell half the copies of Carrie to CD and then CD can charge 3 grand over list for them, and then CD can reciprocate on their next book. Win win. Have they just not thought of doing it before? Or you think there's some other reason?
"Closet Flipper"
Now that's funny!
"One day you're going to figure out that everything they taught you was a lie."
Spoiler:
28 in 23 (?)!!!!
63 in '23!!!!!!!!!!
My Collection: https://www.thedarktower.org/palaver...ion-Merlin1958
The Houston Astros cheated Major League Baseball from 2017-18!!!! Is that how we teach our kids to play the game now?????
That was at least a half hour of quality read time. Not weighing in--just appreciating the conversation!
BTW, where in the hell is RF?!
July of last year, you offered to sell me a S/L Joyland for $275 cash PLUS my unsigned Joyland. So in other words, you wanted $275 plus a book that I paid $40 for (by my calculation that makes $315), for a book you paid $80 for (a little more if you bought it from Titan in the UK). How is you offering to sell me a book for four times what you paid for it any different than what you are criticizing here?
Look, I have no problem with what you did, but don't come in here and refer to behavior of those that resell as disagreeable when you have done the same thing.
FOR SALE OR TRADE
Dark Tower 7 Artist Edition n/a
The Waste Lands 1st Edition in Shrinkwrap $200
1984 Grant Gift Edition of The Talisman $400
Lisey's Story ARC $50
.
.
WANTED
Signed 1st Edition of Storm of The Century (Paperback)
Perhaps because someone is making a profit and not subject to tax. Maybe this helps define the bookseller that some struggle with. If you are registered business and pay your share of tax in operating that business this offers some credit. Just a thought that crossed my mind.
You sold an SK signed lettered edition of a book that was generally regarded at the time to be the bargain of the century for little more than cover price? You are either the most altruistic individual on the planet or incredibly short sighted. Either way, any regrets?
"A real limited edition, far from being an expensive autograph stapled to a novel, is a treasure. And like all treasures do, it transforms the responsible owner into a caretaker, and being a caretaker of something as fragile and easily destroyed as ideas and images is not a bad thing but a good one...and so is the re-evaluation of what books are and what they do that necessarily follows." - Stephen King
I see a difference between a registered business and one who puts something in the classified section of this forum. If I sold something for a profit that wasn't significant I'm not certain it would be caught.
I am simply separating the two because as Joe pointed out that anyone can acquire a book and be a seller if they see the demand for it. And I would be surprised that many treat themselves as a tax paying business, some do of course but i'm sure many do it on the side just like the car guy I pay to do my brakes. I used to view a favorable book seller as brick and mortar and time has changed, there is access for everyone and very little overhead depending on how much you dabble.