Why is this book $1,000?

[pinkmint]

Since Prince's death I was reminded of wanting to read this autobiography of Vanity/ Denise Mathews and her Christian conversion.

 

I looked it up on Amazon expecting it to be $12.99 and lo and behold it's listed for $999 at minimum with one seller actually asking over $7,000. How does this happen? It's not like it's an antique collectible. Says it was published in 2004.

 

I don't get it.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Blame-Vanity-Denise-K-Matthews/dp/1878898221

Edited May 16, 2016 by pinkmint

[SKL]

I've seen similar many times.  Even more than $1,000.  It is scary, because I generally assume I'm going to get a below-cover price from the resellers so I might just order without looking.  Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.  :)  I wonder if they are hoping to trip people up, or maybe they missed a decimal point in there ....

 

ETA where I've seen this, it isn't a super in-demand out-of-print book.  Usually it's a kiddy book that I thought would supplement our learning, and I was too cheap to buy the new version.  Or some other random book that is out of print because it wasn't that popular.  For example some rookie reader non-fiction titles - including used ones.  Definitely not in hot demand.

Edited May 16, 2016 by SKL

[JustEm]

Because the demand for it is higher than ever and there don't seem to beany copies available. Clearly, people are willing to pay that price since it's ranking on Amazon shows people are buying it.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I found the book as a free download on the internet.  I don't think there is anything special about this book.  I've seen that craziness on Amazon before, but I have no clue why that happens. 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Because the demand for it is higher than ever and there don't seem to beany copies available. Clearly, people are willing to pay that price since it's ranking on Amazon shows people are buying it.

 

All but one of the reviews are from 2011.  The one from 2016 was not really a critique of the book at all.

[Tanaqui]

Because people use bots to set pricing. Let's say you set your bot to price your item at $5 above the cheapest item. What you don't know is that Dude #2 had the same bright idea. BOT WAR! And the price spirals higher and higher until some human notices and steps in to manually reset their price.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Tanaqui

[SparklyUnicorn]

Yeah it would be interesting to see what they say/do if you were to contact Amazon or the seller about the crazy price.

 

 

[pinkmint]

That's just so weird if the bot thing is true. A mildly popular paperback autobiography from the last 15 years costing as much as a used car?

 

I wonder why they don't notice and do something. Can it be that insanely sought after?

[Tanaqui]

Eventually, the sellers probably will "notice and do something". But one presumes they each handle thousands of books every week. One book that doesn't get bought isn't really anything to worry about. So they don't check the price, and so they don't notice it.
 

 

 

[JustEm]

I'm not talking about its reviews I'm talking about its Amazon ranking, which shows how often it is bought. But I read it incorrectly. For some reason when I check earlier I saw a different ranking. Maybe I accidentally clicked on a different book. It's actual ranking reflects that it doesn't sell often. But if you check eBay a few copies have sold in the hundreds of dollar range lately. Some people just want things associated with Prince because he died. There are obviously not many copies circulating so people will pay more if they really want ir

[Lanny]

Assume there are 2 Amazon Marketplace Sellers who see each other as "the competition".  They both have computerized pricing algorithms.  The prices can go up or down. With time, they can go as low as one cent, plus shipping. Or, with time, they can go into the thousands of dollars. It is an automatic thing and the prices probably increase/decrease once or twice a day. One Seller will react to the other Sellers price changes.  

[Ausmumof3]

Because people use bots to set pricing. Let's say you set your bot to price your item at $5 above the cheapest item. What you don't know is that Dude #2 had the same bright idea. BOT WAR! And the price spirals higher and higher until some human notices and steps in to manually reset their price.

Wow fascinating. I learn so much here.

[G5052]

Because the demand for it is higher than ever and there don't seem to beany copies available. Clearly, people are willing to pay that price since it's ranking on Amazon shows people are buying it.

 

Yes, all bots.

 

This doesn't mean that ANYONE has paid that, just that it's done a price spiral.

 

Some years back I saw a Spelling Workout book listed for $500. This is a book that goes for $10-15 new if you buy from the publisher or Rainbow.

 

But suddenly up it went. Now who would buy a $500 spelling book? 

 

A month later it was back down. NUTS!

[gardenmom5]

it's place holding for being brought up on amazon's search results.  no one in their right mind will pay that - so they're safe from having to produce the item.  iow: they don't' actually have it in stock.