WWYD? related to buying used books

[JIN MOUSA]

I ordered a couple school books off Amazon. They were from an independent seller, listed as being in new condition. I received the books, and while they are in good condition, they certainly are not new. There is writing on several pages, including a few pages with so much writing that those pages are not even useable. I'm very annoyed at the initial listing; was it unintentionally wrong (showing an extreme degree of carelessness, considering the writing in the book), or was it purposefully deceptive? 

 

I sent a message to the seller. They replied, but somehow the notification of their reply didn't get to me. So I filed for an Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee claim and was credited the cost of the books. Then I saw the seller's response, offering to do a return. I can choose to withdraw the Amazon claim if the seller resolves the issue. The thing is, I don't want to bother with returning the books, and I'm still annoyed at the original listing.

 

As I think about how I want this made right, my brain is stuck on, "I just want the seller to be honest about the condition of the books, before I buy them."

[Catwoman]

If you want to be bothered shipping the books back to the seller, ask them to send you a prepaid label so you don’t have to pay the return shipping.

 

Honestly, though, if Amazon already refunded your money, it might not be worth dealing with the seller. You don’t want to get stuck paying for return shipping, and the seller was the one at fault for misrepresenting the books, so you shouldn’t have to go out of your way to pack up the books and drive to the post office or the UPS store.

 

I also wonder if Amazon has had other complaints about this seller, because they were awfully quick to refund your money without asking for any kind of evidence that the books weren’t in the advertised condition.

[EmilyGF]

I'd consider whether this is a small seller or a big seller. If it is a small one (sold fewer than 40 or so books), I think there is a learning curve and you should be gracious. If it is a big one (ya know, thrift books etc), I wouldn't, they should know.

 

That's my 2-cents. 

 

Emily

[Lanny]

You have received a refund for the money you paid.  I would drop it.   I would also like you to place yourself in the shoes of the person who inspected the books you purchased. My belief is that (especially if it is a large Seller) they can only spend approximately30 to 60 seconds inspecting each book. If there are only a few pages that have issues, so much writing that they are unusable, it is unlikely that the person who inspected the book saw that.

 

I agree that it is annoying to receive something that is not as described.

 

Our experience has been that the vast majority of the books we receive are in the Condition the Seller (Amazon or eBay) shows in their listings or better. Sometimes far better.

 

During the past 5 1/2 years, I think DD has only received a couple of books that were in a condition lower than the Seller listed.  Eg: Listed as Very Good but actually should have been listed as Good. 

[skimomma]

We have been having this problem all of a sudden too.  I like to buy dd's school books used.  We had four (FOUR) that arrived with significant writing and/or highlighting that was not declared in the description.  In three of the cases, it's annoying but dd could work around it.  The last book was a Latin book that dd needed to translate.  The translations were written in the book.  In pen on almost every page.  How the heck is that useful for a student?  I sent that one back.  And yes, it was a hassle and the third-party vendor acted like it was some huge favor to me.  Uh.  No.  The book was supposed to be in "like new" condition.  

[HS Mom in NC]

 was it unintentionally wrong (showing an extreme degree of carelessness, considering the writing in the book), or was it purposefully deceptive? 

 

How could anyone know the answer to that?

 

I sent a message to the seller. They replied, but somehow the notification of their reply didn't get to me. So I filed for an Amazon A-to-Z Guarantee claim and was credited the cost of the books.

 

They did the right thing.  It seems to me that everything that could be done about it has been done about it.

 

 The thing is, I don't want to bother with returning the books, and I'm still annoyed at the original listing.

 

Yes, that's slightly annoying, but they did refund your money, so why invest any more energy into feeling bothered about it?

 

As I think about how I want this made right, my brain is stuck on, "I just want the seller to be honest about the condition of the books, before I buy them."

 

Yes, that would be great, but odds are slim any seller can check every single page of every single book every time without an error.  I've bought more than a decade's worth of homeschooling and personal interest books from Amazon's 3rd party sellers over the years.  They're so cheap I can't bring myself to be upset when an occasional book falls below "like new" standards.  If I care enough for it to be pristine, like when I give one as a gift, I spend the money on a new one. Otherwise, I'm willing to shrug off unexpected marks here and there now and then.

 

[JustEm]

I think it would be rude to keep the books and the full refund from Amazon. If the seller wants the books back and give you a way to do it so you are not out any money that is what you should do

[HS Mom in NC]

I think it would be rude to keep the books and the full refund from Amazon. If the seller wants the books back and give you a way to do it so you are not out any money that is what you should do

 

As long as you're doing what Amazon told you to, it's not rude.  They don't want many things back.  We've been customers from the beginning and have offered to return things they refunded us for, but they told us not to.  I assume it isn't financially worth it to them.

 

[elegantlion]

Yeah, that's aggravating. 

 

In that case, since you don't want to return the books I'd tell the seller and Amazon that you're declining the refund, but I'd make sure my review of the SELLER (not the actual book) indicated that all was not as described, but I would disclose they offered a return. That way it's fair, but you flag that what one thinks they're ordering might not be what they recieve. I go through Seller Reviews very thoroughly now when thinking about buying used because I've been burned so many times. I only buy used these days if the book is out of print and there is not other option. 

 

:iagree: I read feedback on sellers and refuse to buy when there is a claim that a book was not in the stated condition. Like New and Very good are not supposed to have any writing at all, except perhaps a name in the front. Good condition can have writing. Now if it was a page or two in a large volume seller I might let it go for a very good condition. Like new means giftable  and should be scrutinized as such before listing. 

 

If a seller, regardless of size, is going to list a book as like new or very good, they need to ensure there is no writing. Please leave feedback. 

 

I would return the books only if the seller provided a shipping label. I would not pay to return books that were miscategorized when listed. The seller would need to work something out with Amazon at that point.