Q&A: How valuable is this children's book?
QUESTION: I found a children's paperback in a bag of books I bought at a thrift store. I looked it up for fun because it didn't look like anything special (plus, it's not in great shape). Anyway, it seems it runs for $200 and up. That doesn't make sense to me, but I don't want to underprice it. It's called Treasure in the Stream--The Story of a Gold Rush Girl. It's by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler, Pictures by Nancy Carpenter. I would list it as Good, it's not an ex-library. Can you give me some suggestions as to where to look next to see if that's really what it's worth?
ANSWER: Unfortunately, I think in this case the book isn't really valuable but it's been mispriced by one of the sellers and the other sellers are meeting the same price without doing research. I was able to find several other copies of the book that aren't high-priced, so it doesn't seem to be really collectible.
Here's an earlier printing with much lower pricing.
The reason for the high prices on the 1993 copies, I think, is one or more of the sellers is a drop-shipper. They price most (or all) of their books artificially high, then when they get an order, they have it sent by another seller and the cheaper price and they pocket the difference.
I don't think there's much danger of anyone having to fill this order, though. If you do a Google search on this title, there's a lot of Web pages about it being used in schools to teach about California history -- in that case the book is a lot more common than the online listings would make it appear. The book probably isn't rare, it's just that nobody is bothering to list it.
Looks like the same listings are on Half.com.
However, on AddAll I found a listing in the UK for over $600. And most of the prices are over $35.
OK, now I'm curious. Which are the crazy sellers, the ones on Amazon and Half, or ABE and Alibris?
ANSWER: Unfortunately, I think in this case the book isn't really valuable but it's been mispriced by one of the sellers and the other sellers are meeting the same price without doing research. I was able to find several other copies of the book that aren't high-priced, so it doesn't seem to be really collectible.
Here's an earlier printing with much lower pricing.
The reason for the high prices on the 1993 copies, I think, is one or more of the sellers is a drop-shipper. They price most (or all) of their books artificially high, then when they get an order, they have it sent by another seller and the cheaper price and they pocket the difference.
I don't think there's much danger of anyone having to fill this order, though. If you do a Google search on this title, there's a lot of Web pages about it being used in schools to teach about California history -- in that case the book is a lot more common than the online listings would make it appear. The book probably isn't rare, it's just that nobody is bothering to list it.
Looks like the same listings are on Half.com.
However, on AddAll I found a listing in the UK for over $600. And most of the prices are over $35.
OK, now I'm curious. Which are the crazy sellers, the ones on Amazon and Half, or ABE and Alibris?
posted by Steve Weber at 10/23/2006
2 Comments:
I'd go with the other sellers at around the $200 price mark, at least for a while. Just because you and I know how to do extensive research to establish the "true" value of this book (and even you have your doubts, right?), that does not mean the buyer does.
With children's book, I have stood and watched in awe as people shell out a hundred dollars for books that are not necessarily in mint condition. Actually, those "unappealing", ratty little Golden Books and other small, "valueless"-looking treasures that I find from time to time at the bottom of some box at sales (or on the floor under the table) sell rather quickly. 3 months at most.
There are people out there, willing to pay 79 dollar for an old Little Golden Book. Sold one last week. Unbelievable.
Give it some time. Go with the $200 tag for now and wait what happens. Maybe somebody who's too lazy to do his own research or has no clue how to do research will snap up your book without thinking.
Scruples about milking hapless sellers and exploiting their ignorance?
Amazon is capitalism at its best!
However to soothe your conscience, you can tell yourself that you provided a service and saved the buyer many hours of research that he either didn't want to do or didn't know how to. So it's the service, he's really paying for. Does that feel better?
You have hit upon a book which is a niche market use book.
Just by reading the title I recognized that this is the perfect type of book that so many homeschoolers look for. It is a historical fiction chapter book. Many homeschoolers use these types of books as fun and good reading that also teachers history.
After a quick google search by the title name I see that some teachers in California have put a free teacher's guide to using this book as the main book to teach the gold rush and also some history of California. In California there are mandates that schools and homeschoolers must teach California state history to their students.
Sometimes if a book is not great literature but it is a rare topic with a niche market then the book has more value.
I would be surprised at any homeschooler or a classroom teacher who would pay $200 for this book.
I suspect the seller who is asking $200 is hoping a sucker or someone desperate comes along and pays that high price.
Also remember not to just take the other asking prices for books as the value but try to find history of sales of that book.
Lastly if a book is not in 'very good' or 'fine' condition I would think unless it is a first edition of some famous or rare book that it would not be worth $200. The condition of the book is very important when comparing other books on the market. A fine condition book for $100 is not the same price as a fair condition book with the same title.
Lately I've seen some crazy books. One I found at a library sale that I thought I'd read for fun, for 50 cents, was "New Times in the Old South" by Marlyn Schwartz. When I got home I realized it is a first edition and is out of print and mine is autographed. It is hardback with dust jacket and is in like new or 'fine' condition, anad appears unread. THe price that the ONE copy on Amazon Marketplace that was there last month was a ridiculous price, I think it was $120.
I was going to give away my copy on PaperbackSwap.com but held it as I wondered if it was worth saving or reselling especially as I just realized it was autographed (at first I thought it was a gift inscription but it is the author's signature and note).
Today I checked Amazon and now there are 130 available copies and many penny copies. The collectible copy is $14.
So what is up with that?
Anyway a great ebook about selling used books to the homeschool market via eBay auctions is by Elaine Kreig Smith and you can link to info about that book from my blog, after clicking on my profile info.
I think the gold rush book should be targeted to sell to a homeschooling family.
Good luck with selling it.
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