There's a problem with just telling people where a book is... these
little bookstores will be hit with countless phone calls... over a book
that sold with the first caller.
It's not just a hassle for the owner of the store, who must now field
what adds up to a couple hours of phonecalls.... let's also think about
all those toll calls, from all over the country... requesting a book
that is long sold... While the hit to any one caller may be only a
dollar or so... how many people from the list will make the call before
word before word has gotten back to the group that it's sold? In short,
how much did that helpful post to the group really COST the group?
Thirdly... Is calling the bookstore a good option, for people that are
out of the country?
It seems to me the best option is for people to simply do what I did.
If you find a book that would be of use to people... buy it... and sell
it here.
--Justin
Lou O. wrote:
>
> I've been following the recent thread about one of the lister's searches of
> used bookstores and his later attempts to make his finds available to us
> all. I'm located in Upstate NY, close to the Canadian border, and find
> that there's a good deal of interest in lbc's in my area. I've looked for
> every manual I can get my hands on for my TR6. Automotive specialists
> always want top dollar. However, I find that non-auto specific used
> bookstores can often be a source of outstanding bargains. I rarely pay
> more than $10 for an item, and sometimes pay as little as $2. Examples
> include $10 for a pair of hardcover Haynes manuals covering the Morris
> Minor and the Mini, a $10 Bentley manual for the MGB (sorry), and a $10
> Haynes manual for the GT6 and Vitesse. I've passed over many, many more
> including manuals for the TR7 (Haynes), Fiat 850 (again, sorry), and the
> Jaguar XJ6.
>
> I'm sure there are hidden "gems" collecting dust on the shelves of old &
> used bookstores in most of our hometowns. My question is, how can we put
> these books in the hands of lbc owners who need them? I personally don't
> want to get into the mail order business. However, I would be glad to jot
> down any "finds" and then post them to the list along with the
> establishment's address and telephone number. These postings would be much
> like the "cars for sale" ads listers find in their local newspapers. If
> others did the same, perhaps we could put some of this out-of-print store
> inventory to good use. Is this a crazy idea? I welcome all comments.
>
> Lou Omel
> '75 TR6
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