Scarce Books Being Dumped Online

The pandemic has upended everything.  Not only are series books selling briskly (my sales since March 13 have been four times higher than my all-time highest sales for a comparable time period), but people are listing extremely scarce books online, often dumped into bulk lots.  I have never seen so many excellent bulk lots as I have seen in recent months.  This is amazing.

The bulk lots being listed may have to do with the age of the people who collected them and a decision to downsize.  However, most of the bulk lots do not look to be from collections.  When dust jackets have not been placed in mylar covers, it indicates that the books are not from a collection.  Most collectors protect their books.  These books have been released into the wild from somewhere.

I know of five distinct copies of Vicki Barr #15 The Mystery of Flight 908 with dust jacket that have sold (not just listed, but actually sold) on eBay in the last 90 days.  Two listings were individual listings, and three other books showed up in bulk listings.  Flight 908 is the hardest to find Vicki Barr book, so it's unprecedented to see five copies with dust jacket sell in such a short period of time. 

I have also noticed multiple copies of other very scarce books.  Four copies of Connie Blair #12 Ruby Queens with dust jacket have sold in the last 90 days, two individually and two in bulk lots.  Three Rick Brant Deadly Dutchman books have sold individually and four more have sold in bulk lots.  One Biff Brewster Caribbean Pearls has sold individually with two more copies in bulk lots.  All three books had dust jackets. Four Ken Holt Sultan's Scimitar books have sold individually plus two more of them in bulk lots.  All of this in just 90 days on eBay.

I have also acquired multiple duplicates of some very scarce books in recent months, more so than I have ever done in such a short period of time.  The pandemic surely has something to do with this.  However, I have a theory about when books get released into the wild, and it has to do with when the family home is sold.  The books often don't leave the parents' home when the young person becomes an adult.  It might be that the books from the 1960s are getting released from family homes at this time via estate sales.

In addition to whatever is causing many bulk lots to be listed on eBay, more series book collectors than usual are downsizing.  Even I'm doing this, which is a big reason why my own sales have been so brisk.  I decided to downsize because this pandemic has changed me significantly.  My habits have shifted, and so have my priorities.  When school was closed for five months last year, I had time to reflect.  I had a lot of time.  I realized that some of my collections are packed away where I cannot enjoy them.  I must reduce my books so that I can get other stuff out of drawers and cabinets.  I want that for myself.
continues to unfold.

Local Book Finds Spring 2021

These books were purchased during the middle of March.

The books came from the same store where I purchased a large number of library hardcover editions of Christopher Pike and R. L. Stine books.  The two Lois Duncan books came from the same library as the Pike and Stine books.

I also purchased this book at the same store.

I have a collection of old books about kittens and cats.  For the most part, I don't seek them out.  I buy what I happen to run across.

The main find is this next one.  Most of these books were purchased in one store.  The three Mercer Boys books and the library bound Nancy Drew book were purchased in another store on the same day.  The rest of the books came from the same place.

I also found these two books.

In April, I purchased these books.