I had bought a large lot of books. When I cut open the top, I saw a sheet of foam as well as tiny pellets that had broken loose. Oh no... I immediately closed the box and began dragging it towards the front door. Despite my quick action, a number of tiny pellets had already escaped. I pulled the box outside, then I went to get the vacuum cleaner, which I also took outside.
This is how the books were packed.
The books were packed well, but the problem was the foam. The little pellets that had broken loose from the foam sheets had found their way between the dust jackets and books and into the front and back hinges of the books.
In some cases, the smashed pellets had lodged in between the mylar covers and dust jackets. It took me 30 minutes to remove the books from the box and vacuum all of the pellets off of and out of the books.
This is why packing unwrapped books in foam peanuts or sheets is a bad idea. It causes the buyer to waste a lot of time cleaning up a mess. That same night, I wasted some more time on the next package. I went inside and opened that package, which was a lot of 15 books. That seller had wrapped every single book individually in paper and taped the paper shut. It took at least five minutes to extract those books from that package. I was not prepared to spend the better part of 40 minutes opening packages.
While I prefer to receive my books packed well, the sellers can go too far, such as wrapping every book securely. It would have been better to have wrapped the books in groups so that it didn't take so long to extract them.
As to the foam, it is always a nightmare.
8 comments:
Okay Jennifer-
Looks like a box full of Applewoods to me... Am I right? You lucky gal!
You win! I almost said what they were, but then I thought it was more fun to let others guess. I just knew someone would comment!
I made the mistake of not completing my set of Applewoods years ago, then the prices spiked after the books went out of print. I have been trying to get the higher-numbered ones that are unavailable at somewhat reasonable prices. To me, the books are not worth what others are willing to pay for them.
This set was on the Advanced Book Exchange. It was not cheap, but at the same time, the price was quite reasonable compared to what people are trying to get for the scarcer books. I now have a complete set again.
The last several titles in the set even contain the Applewood postcards that they sent out to people who bought direct from them. I never bought from Applewood, so I didn't have any of the postcards.
Needless to say, I will have a bunch of Applewoods to sell once I check these up against the ones I already had. I think I was only a couple of titles away from the complete set, so I will have close to a complete set to sell.
Okay- How do you search for lots on ABE? I just tried it and got nothing- I have a complete set of the Applewoods, but always looking for more!
What I do is search for "Nancy Drew" with the publisher as "Applewood." I have a saved search with those parameters, and that is how I found my lot.
I find it really useful to have saved searches, because I can check every few days and see the most recently listed books. It is easier than trying to go through the entire inventory.
Well, I looked for saved search and got nothing- But I did do a saved want list- I suppose that is yhe same thing- One last question: Was the set listed as a lot or was each volume listed separately? Sorry to be so nosy!
It was all together in one listing as a lot. There may not be another complete set on ABE right now. I know there are the usual individual books both with and without dust jackets.
I just ran a search, and the results are very poor overall. There are not very many Applewood editions available on ABE, and most of them are overpriced as usual.
As I mentioned, I saw the lot in my saved search list not too many days after it was listed. Once a listing is purchased on ABE, it is no longer available for viewing by others, so I can't show it to anyone. I can only see it from within my account.
I know it is not PC but I love Applewoods because they are pretty! I'll never be able to afford the real thing.
I like the old books too. I am a bibliomaniac.
My brother has a box of the HTF Applewoods he is "saving" for me". Now he says he does not have them. Grrrr.
They are the hardest ones to find.
I could have made a fortune two summers ago when Pongo was around.
I tried not to rip her off. Had I known, she was robbing money from the bank safe I would have joined in the frenzy.
$10,000 for a Barbie doll!
My pet peeve are those peanuts! As you indicated, they end up all over the place. I am picking them off books weeks later. Any of that type of material.
Newspaper suffices ansd plastioc bags to protect from the elements.
I use to wrap in bubble wrap all the time and ship Priority but it is just too expensive. I do not use it all the time but occasionally.
Have you noticed they are raising the prices on darn near everything?
Taxes in particular. Chicago is really bad.
Oh well...
And thanks, Lian!! :o)
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