Book pricing question/Laymon

[yendi]

You know, it's great that on eBay, I can see a list of completed auctions, so I can tell if the prices folks are charging for something are reasonable, or if they're pricing things ludicrously high.

I do wish such a thing existed for ABE or for Amazon's used books. Because based on the one copy of Richard Laymon's The Wilds that's up at both locations, I'm sitting on a cash cow (my copy's also mint, and a much lower number). Anyone know of any database that records either Amazon or ABE sales over a period of time?

Comments

[ydnic.livejournal.com]

Holy moly!

I've not heard of such a thing; I certainly hope someone else has, though, because one of my old 1960's witchcraft paperbacks is pricy (although on a slightly smaller scale).

[kizlj.livejournal.com]

I too wish I knew of such a thing. The classic caveat for collectors ... "a book is worth exactly and only what someone is willing to pay." I've seen two books in my collection (Kasma Loha-Unchit's It Rains Fishes and the hardcover of Patience Gray's Honey From a Weed) swing *wildly* on ABE and Amazon, with prices zapping around between $30 to $200 for no apparent reason beyond cycles of availability and scarcity.

Which is to say ... the only way to find out is to pick a price, list the book, and see what happens :> I rambled about valuing books in a recent Birds & Bills post (http://birdsandbills.blogspot.com/2006/08/illiquid-assets.html)

[kizlj.livejournal.com]

(here (http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:dkmbGZeMAaMJ:www.trademe.co.nz/Books/Fiction-literature/Horror/Other/auction-52609152.htm+%22Richard+Laymon%22+wilds+auction&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2) is a record of that book selling for $191)

[yendi]

Woo!

Although that appears to be an Australian site, which means it's probably "only" fetching about $141 here. Still, that bodes well.

[yendi]

I knew I'd read something on that topic recently, but I'd mentally assumed it was an LJ post. :-)

[lovingboth]

There are vendors who stick their entire collection on Amazon for lot$$$ on the basis of 'why not, someone may buy it'.

Books disappear from Amazon because they haven't sold in the same way as if they're sold. Sometimes they don't reappear instantly.

[emilytheslayer.livejournal.com]

I am forwarding your question to my boyfriend, who used to work in a used bookstore and spent a lot of time with ABE. :)

[noisyhooligan.livejournal.com]

It really is just up to how available that particular book is at that time. At ye olde booke store, we would would occasionally have to drop the price of an item because more became available, but we would also have to make sure we did not undersell some books too. The availability makes the value somewhat fluid, but the condition is also very important. If you think it's worth some moneys, wrap that bad boy in plastic and keep it out of the sun.