Q&A: I bought this used book for a quarter. How much is it worth?

QUESTION: I recently bought this book for a quarter, and I remembered it was in a desirable genre on Amazon's "Buyers Waiting" list. When I searched for the ISBN on Amazon, there was one copy available for $1,965.00. The book is Heliconia: An Identification Guide.

We listed it at $925 and decided to come down $100 a week until it sold. The other seller immediately pulled his listing leaving us hanging out there by ourselves.

Since then we have been bombarded with e-mails from people who want to buy the book but think the price is a "mistake." They aren't collectors interested in adding rare books to their collection, but botanists or students of botany interested in this plant identification book.

This is not an old book, it was printed by Smithsonian Press in 1991.

ANSWER: I love getting questions from readers, but this is the one I always dread: "How much is my book worth?"

I never have the foggiest idea.

I'd never heard of Heliconia either.

Amazon's UK site has new and used copies available, although Amazon says it ships within "four to six weeks." If the book is truly available in the UK at that price, your book should be worth much less than $2,000. At least you'd think so, anyway.

Amazon's Canadian site indicates the book is available "In one to three months." But based on recent experience, Amazon rarely fills orders when the book isn't immediately available. Amazon has cancelled my orders for stuff I've purchased new that they had advertised as being available within a matter of a few weeks.

I did an AddAll search and didn't see anything available. So I'm very skeptical that Amazon can get it like they're advertising. They're probably just canceling all the orders.

I don't know what to think about this book. On the one hand, it's the exact kind of book that can go for a high price, especially at this time of year, with school just back in session. On the other hand, I just went through the listing process and there aren't any pending orders on Marketplace for the book, as far as "Buyers Waiting" goes.

Yet you're getting lots of e-mails about the book, so there's definitely interest. I too have gotten periodic e-mails from people over the years asking if the price on certain books is "a mistake." If memory serves, those books always sold at my original listing price not too long afterwards.

I've sold a few scarce books like this on Marketplace for top dollar, and the buyers were libraries. So that is probably what will happen in this case. My advice would be to avoid lowering your price too much unless you have competition -- particularly listings from sellers with excellent feedback, those will be the people who actually have the book and aren't drop-shippers.

Anyone else want to stick their neck out on this book?