What does a book cost?Buying used books via the Internet is now akin to participating in theatre of the absurd. Visit any major book portal and you will likely find the first listing to be a book for $1 (plus shipping). Before you hit the end of that list, you'll find the same item (same edition, same condition, etc.) for some outrageous sum — say, $181.76 (plus shipping). So what is the book really worth, considering it was published at $19.95? That is a question that buyers and sellers grapple with each and every day, and there are no easy answers. Let us know if you find one...
We generally price our used books at about 25% of the cover price. With older books, we check the modern
editions for the current price and adjust down for condition. We may add a premium for the author's signature or relative rarity or some other special factor that sets that particular item apart. And then, of course, there are the shipping costs...
Cheaper by the box...Shipping costs have become the nemesis of mail order commerce, with the highest
costs charged for single item orders. The more items bundled in one
parcel, the lower the per/item cost. One book shipped across North
America can easily cost $15 in postage, but a box of 15 shipped to the
same destination will likely cost less than $4 per book. Save
your shopping cart and return at a later time to continue browsing.
Order when you accumulate enough choices to make the shipping seem
almost reasonable. In short: “the more the
merrier”...keep this in mind as you shop.
"Make us an offer..."In keeping with the uncertainties of book pricing and escalating shipping costs, we have adopted a policy of inviting our customers to "make us an offer" on orders for 3 or more books. We assume that if you are shopping with us, you are knowledgeable about books and book pricing and we will entertain your reasonable offer on a quantity order. Once we move past that minimum shipping cost, we have some ability to save you money on shipping as well. If you wish to make an offer,
do not use the order form. Email us your offer and we will respond as soon as we can with our judgment and with the revised shipping options. Each item on this site has a 'Seller ID#' and that is all the information you need to provide to identify items. Email to:
dan@salalbooks.com or use the
Contact Us link.
'Want' lists...If you don’t immediately find what you need, we will certainly entertain searches for your ‘wants’. You can use the form in
Offline Search Service or email a list you have already prepared. It doesn't have to be too specific, just give us some idea of an acceptable price range, and try to indicate the urgency of the search (you need it yesterday, 3 copies by the end of the month for your book club, or you just want it whenever but really cheap, etc.).
Links...You will find links here to a number of interesting websites. Many of them offer special deals to introduce you to their products and services. Visit our
Links section for more information about these sites and the offers.
Contact us...gently...If you have questions or comments please feel free to contact us, but if you phone please remember that we are in the Pacific Time Zone just like Seattle and Los Angeles—three hours behind New York and Toronto. 9 a.m. on the East Coast is 6 a.m. out here in the sleepy rainforest. Give us time to get up and make peace with the day and we’ll be more likely to appreciate your call.
Thanks!
Salal Books also publishes and distributes the work of
Sandra Susan Friedman. Sandra is a counsellor, educator and consultant with a specialty in body-image issues, disordered eating and gender communications. Her
JUST FOR GIRLS program has been in use throughout North America since 1994 and we now offer her
JUST FOR BOYS program as well. These are designed to help ease the transition for young people through the traumas of adolescence; and to prevent lasting damage from risks such as eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, smoking, steroid use, bullying, teen pregnancy, etc. You can access more comprehensive information about Sandra’s work and purchase these as ebook editions through
www.salal.com
