Monday, January 21, 2013

serious rant ahead -- beware





Yet another Amazon seller story and I'm pissed.  Actually I could kick myself for not having noticed this earlier, so I share part of the blame here. 

The seller in question this time  is L.W. Currey, whose website  states that they are "Leading Specialists in Literary First Editions and Popular Fiction."   I just discovered today that they are also leading specialists in ripoffs as well. Here's the story.  Some time back, November 26th to be exact, I purchased a first-edition Arkham House book called Colonel Markesan and Less Pleasant People, a steal at $25 in collectible condition.   That same day I received a notice that the order had been cancelled because it was "out of stock:"


We're writing to inform you that your order from L. W. Currey has been canceled because the item you purchased is out of stock. Please return and place your order again at a later time. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't be charged for items that are canceled.*

Order Details

Order #106-1503942-5522654

Placed on Monday, November 26, 2012
Sold by L. W. Currey
Cancel Reason: Out of Stock
fine...this happens a lot where people cancel orders so I didn't think anything about it.  Keep in mind, will you, that this book is extremely difficult to find.

Today, I'm going through every order on Amazon needing feedback, and I found this one, although obviously feedback wasn't required in this case.  So I'm thinking that I'll see what the current going price is for this one, and what do you know... L.W. Currey has the very same, exact edition I ordered at $25 for $65 (I know this because I keep copies of the orders and the details of said orders and the wording is exactly the same).  It's too late now to do anything or to say anything, and I'm kicking myself for not thinking about this sooner.

Granted, people have the right to set their prices the way they would like to, but in my head, if you offer a book at $25, and you make a sale, the price ought to be honored even if you can't see parting with it for that amount.  It's not my effin' problem if you put the wrong price in to begin with.  Instead, these people lied that it was out of stock and now the book I should have had for $25 is $65, a difference of $40!  Pisses me off!

okay. rant over. carry on.

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