Used Curricula, anyone else having trouble

[besroma]

I was one of the people who was scammed by a WTM member with thousands of posts. The scam was not on WTM's for sale board, but it was committed by a WTM member.

 

Prior to that ocurring, I was purchasing used items on a weekly basis.

 

Now, I hesitate. I have not completely lost faith in people, but I don't believed I saved enough money to justify the time I spent searching for everything new at all different hours to try to be the first to pm, the time spent trying to figure out if I had been scammed and who the person really was, how to get my money back, and really, what to do next.

 

There were several days that we were unable to homeschool because it was so time-consuming.

 

There was a thread a while back venting about the prices people were charging for used curriculum. One poster said, "It's just not worth it." I keep hearing those words at times when I am considering buying used.

 

So yes, I think the scamming has affected many. I think the economy is also a big factor.

 

While there are many who cannot afford to buy everything new, I'm guessing some are buying some things new and making do with what they already have for other subjects.

 

As for media mail, I use bubbled mailers and use packing tape to tape the label on and to tape all around the sides and corners of the package for reinforcement. I have noticed quite a few of my packages arriving in a material similar to plastic, that I cannot tear open. It can only be opened with scissors.

Edited June 3, 2012 by besroma

[AimeeM]

I was one of the people who was scammed by a WTM member with thousands of posts. The scam was not on WTM's for sale board, but it was committed by a WTM member.

 

Prior to that ocurring, I was purchasing used items on a weekly basis.

 

Now, I hesitate. I have not completely lost faith in people, but I don't believed I saved enough money to justify the time I spent searching for everything new at all different hours to try to be the first to pm, the time spent trying to figure out if I had been scammed and who the person really was, how to get my money back, and really, what to do next.

 

There were several days that we were unable to homeschool because it was so time-consuming.

 

There was a thread a while back venting about the prices people were charging for used curriculum. One poster said, "It's just not worth it." I keep hearing those words at times when I am considering buying used.

 

So yes, I think the scamming has affected many. I think the economy is also a big factor.

 

While there are many who cannot afford to buy everything new, I'm guessing some are buying some things new and making do with what they already have for other subjects.

 

As for media mail, I use bubbled mailers and use packing tape to tape the label on and to tape all around the sides and corners of the package for reinforcement. I have noticed quite a few of my packages arriving in a material similar to plastic, that I cannot tear open. It can only be opened with scissors.

As a seller on the boards, sometimes I list things KNOWING that they *probably* will not sell quickly (if ever). On my end, pricing things down too much makes the *sell* "not worth it".

For example, I have an unused Kingfisher Encyclopedia. New, on Amazon, it goes for $20 (and free shipping for many/most). The book is so heavy that I know I wouldn't be able to charge HALF that, with the cost of shipping such a heavy item. I would need to charge at least $15/$16 just to make back half the cost of the new item and cover media mail shipping. So I chose not to list it. The cost of materials, time it takes to weigh and ship... it just isn't worth it to not make back 50% of the price I paid.

Same with several paperback resource books I have - they cost me, new (and with combined free shipping on Amazon), $10+ a book; but, even unused, I wouldn't be able to sell it for a FRACTION of that considering the LOWEST rate for media mail shipping is over $3.

I see where both sides are coming from. I know that I do not generally BUY used curricula because it isn't worth it to pay so close to what I would pay new, from a verified retailer; and as a seller I totally see why it isn't worth it to sell most of the time.