If I go into a physical bookstore, buy a book, walk out with it, walk back in and return it still in good condition, should they not just put it back on the shelf? Would that be fraud? It's technically no longer "new" at that point.
True this was returned as "damaged" but how damaged was it? We aren't told and there are no photos.
The condition doesn't matter, either because of one of two scenarios.
1) This is the author, and these are rejected proofs or author copies. In which case, Amazon does not have the rights to sell them because they were not "returns".
2) This book has been sold once, and royalties have been paid, but it was returned, relabeled as "new" and sold again without a royalty being paid on that sale. The author and the customer have been cheated.
The thread has likely developed, but this is just going by my limited familiarity with publishing.
Comments
If I go into a physical bookstore, buy a book, walk out with it, walk back in and return it still in good condition, should they not just put it back on the shelf? Would that be fraud? It's technically no longer "new" at that point.
True this was returned as "damaged" but how damaged was it? We aren't told and there are no photos.
The condition doesn't matter, either because of one of two scenarios.
1) This is the author, and these are rejected proofs or author copies. In which case, Amazon does not have the rights to sell them because they were not "returns".
2) This book has been sold once, and royalties have been paid, but it was returned, relabeled as "new" and sold again without a royalty being paid on that sale. The author and the customer have been cheated.
The thread has likely developed, but this is just going by my limited familiarity with publishing.
Well does the bookstore label it as new? If it's on the shelf with just a barcode I imagine it's sold as is without promising that it's new