# Buying book online



## Cornelius (Mar 1, 2011)

I've seen a copy of "Pictures" for sale that seems a really good deal. Has anyone bought a book online (and I don't mean like new from Amazon) without seeing it?
How would I tell it was genuine?


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## Erestor Arcamen (Mar 2, 2011)

Well Amazon does a really good job of making sure sellers are honest. If you buy direct from Amazon though it's usually from a company or Amazon.com itself not a 3rd party seller. If you click on where it says "300 used and new starting at $40" thats where it lists different ones from other 3rd party and online stores. And if you have a bad experience their customer service on amazon does a very good job of taking care of their customers. I buy from Amazon constantly and not just books but electronics and other things as well.


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## Cornelius (Mar 3, 2011)

Thanks, I guess I messed up my question . See what I mean about not knowing what questions to ask? I can't even get that right! 
I meant NOT from someone like Amazon but more like ebay. Thanks for the reply tho.


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## HLGStrider (Mar 5, 2011)

I've used amazon third party sellers frequently, but I'm not a big ebay users. People still rate on ebay, though, don't they? You could see if the seller has put up many other auctions and what their general rating/feedback is. Other than that, I think you have to buy blind. I've bought multiple used books online sight unseen, but again, always through the amazon third party system. The most difficulty I've had is some of the books are "well used," still have stamps from where they were bought in library sales, etc.


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## Cornelius (Mar 6, 2011)

Thanks for all the advice. I was really nervous as its a first edition and it was selling for 99p! But people have started bidding now so I guess its for real as the price is climbing. I just thought it seemed too good to be true!


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## Erestor Arcamen (Mar 6, 2011)

Yes they do rate on eBay as well. I like the customized search on eBay so you can guarantee that the item is coming from the U.S. or that the person accepts U.S. dollars (or whichever country your from of course), and also the buy it now is nice too.


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## Cornelius (Mar 7, 2011)

Well what a dozy dwarf am I! I fell asleep when I should have been watching to bid and someone got a first edition for £17. If you'd all like to queue up and kick me I'd be very grateful. I'm just no good at this. I give up, I'll stick to buying new ones!


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## spirit (Mar 7, 2011)

Not winning was probably enough kick up the ass for you, so I'll pass. There was an easy solution to that. Installing an Ebay app in your phone, and setting your alarm clock 5 minutes before the auction ended.


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