ABE BOOKS - A BOIL THAT NEEDS LANCNG

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FineEditionBooks

ABE BOOKS - A BOIL THAT NEEDS LANCNG

Post by FineEditionBooks »

Although ABE is the largest of my internet outlets, I - like many other small booksellers - am sick to death of the punishing conditions the company, in an extravaganza of self-serving hypocrisy, inflicts on those who generate the profits for it.
Consider the matter of BOOK RETURNS made by the customer.
A customer may return a book for any reason whatsoever, even if he has ordered it solely so that he may read and then return it for a full refund. The seller is not compensated for the materials used to pack and protect the book, for his time and other overheads, and often he isn't even compensated for the postage. In other words, he is incurring a loss at every point of contact with the wretched customer. If the book is in worse condition than it was before it was shipped and is, therefore, of diminished value, tough titty for the seller, unless conclusive proof can be offered that the customer took to it with an axe and a sledgehammer.
And still ABE will side with the wretch. It doesn't cost ABE anything to keep the crooked customer sweet, as the burden is borne entirely by the seller.
And that is the company's leitmotif, it's philosophy: woo the customer, take the profits and let the seller bear all the costs and risks.

Then there is the customer who, having received the book he ordered, waits for a few weeks before sheepishly asking the seller where, on Earth, the book he ordered weeks ago is, as he still has not received it. This, of course, is the beginning of a fraudulent claim for compensation for a book he DID receive.
And still ABE will side with the wretch and cause the seller to incur a loss, unless the seller has acquired wretch protection at his own expense.
Two weeks ago I received just such a pious enquiry from a domestic customer, claiming that his book hadn't arrived. He must have forgotten that the book was sent by recorded delivery (at my expense, as he, certainly, hadn't requested it - for obvious reasons) , that he'd signed for and that his siganture and the date he took delivery were plain for all to see on the Royal Mail's website. I advised him accordingly, and that was that.
Didn't hear from the bumscag, again. Sadly, there are others just like him out there,
others who, given half a chance, will try to rip you off.
And ABE's wholly self-serving conditions offer the boulevardier of the crooked book path just this half chance - and doesn't he just love to take it. It is for this reason that I register ALL domestic shipments (at my expense, if necessary), as the cost of domestic recorded delivery is bearable.
Registering shipments to an overseas customer is a far more expensive affair, especially if insurance is added. If the item is valuable, I ask the customer to pay the net cost of registering and insuring it. If he declines, I urge him to order the item elsewhere, as I have no desire to be stung for several hundred dollars by a moral leper of the bookworld.
The point is that ABE will demand that the bookseller adhere to its policy of making returns a free-for-all of the world's tosspots. In fact, ABE demands a lot, and it is all of benefit to ABE and of convenience to the ABE customer, whereas the seller bears the burden and frequently gets shafted.
A moral company ABE isn't.
Bring back the BIBLIOFIND of the 90s.
Unlike ABE, a very nice company run by very nice people.
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Re: ABE BOOKS - A BOIL THAT NEEDS LANCNG

Post by TheCollector »

Sorry to hear you've been getting scammed by some people that totally sucks.

It sounds like ABE bends over backwards for the customer, which is great although I'm sorry to hear it's coming 100% out of your bottom line. Have you tried biblio or amazon's seller listings? I don't know how it compares but those are the other two main sites I see out there for booksellers.
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