Encounter at a Library Book Store--Who's at Fault

[dougiezerts]

I observed this encounter today, and I'd like to get all of your reactions to it:
I was at a used book store run by our county library system, today. Two guys were looking for books. Apparently, they run a book sale operation, and they wanted to find cheap stuff to resale. One had a camera he was using to photograph the books.
After a while, one of the workers confronted them and told them they couldn't buy up a lot of their stock just to resale it. One of the guys responded by telling her something about "This is a public access place."
Soon after that, they left. But the worker told another worker that she sees them come in every Saturday, and they buy up a lot of their stock. I guess she'll order them to leave, the next time they come.
What do you think? It could be argued that they're not doing anything wrong. After all, this store is a not-for-profit operation, and if they want to buy stuff to resale that's their business. The pair of them did act a little obnoxius, though. And the camera was kinda disturbing.

[Mixed Bag]

Photos in any kind of store are considered taboo without permission, but what actual loss would come to this particular kind of store, which seems not to charge what they could, I don't know offhand; it doesn't sound like there's been strong resistance to these two before.

I find reselling analogous to stalking--I mean scalping ; if someone can buy a bunch of items cheaply and make a profit off of them, that tells me the original selller isn't charging as much as they could, and why should anyone object, unless they don't like being exposed as not optimally milking the market?

If the reason for charging less is to provide discounts to, for instance, locals, the poor, or library users, then that should be an official and posted part of the library's mission statement and signs should either restrict how many or how often someone can buy (at least at those prices), or indicate that bookstore employees are ineligible, or that those running the sale can use their own discretion, etc. And bring public pressure to bear.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I think the two guys can do whatever they want with the books after they buy them.

However, I don't think you can just go into a private place like a store and just start taking pictures without permission.

[BlakeMP]

The pictures, definitely a no-no. But I really don't see anything wrong with the guys reselling the books if they paid for them legally.

[Luna]

As far as what I've always been told by corporate LP people - the reselling of items bought in the store is none of our business. People coming in and photographing the stuff is certainly not allowed, although I'm not sure of the legalities for non-profit organizations.

[Broomjockey]

As a book lover, I'm gonna have to come down on the side that the Library Book Store is supposed to be a place for kids or poorer people to be able to get a book for their very own, not a place for a couple of guys to make a buck. My business sense says it's a good idea for them, but it strikes me as similar to Safeway buying a bunch of product from Save-on-Foods and marking the price up because Save-on-Foods is now sold out of that item.

[kibbles]

Once someone buys something and actually exchanges money for a product, what's it anyone else's business what you do with it? I think the library is in the wrong here.

[NightAngel]

I'm with most everybody else.

How much and of what they buy is their business. What they use it for after they pay for it is also their business.

They should have waited to take pictures of it until they got it home (or where ever).

[Kiwi]

most places (discount places) will have signs up saying they will not supply to trade

if theres a sign up then its all good in my opinion, thats like going to a charity shop like the salvation army and buying their stock up to resale, not illegal, but not exactly ethical either

the stuff is cheap for the less fortunate to be able to afford things and the sallies also get a donation towards their cause

captialistic merchants should stay away IMO

[Slave to the Phone]

I spend a lot of my time doing non-profit work

What do you think? It could be argued that they're not doing anything wrong. After all, this store is a not-for-profit operation, and if they want to buy stuff to resale that's their business. The pair of them did act a little obnoxius, though. And the camera was kinda disturbing.

As long as the camera guys weren't bothering my other customers and asking me to not sell books until they got the valuation back, I'd lurve those guys. I'd even set up special times for them to look over my old books (after I marked them up ten cents.)

Most people who buy used books just want something to read, and they usually want current stuff. How many people do you all know who goes to Library sales to buy old textbooks and 1999 issues of National Geographic?

Libraries get SO much garbage that the booksales are their last ditch effort to get a dime a book before they pay to have the garbage towed away.

I love books. I love reading. I think that anybody who rescues books from a Library booksale before the books become pulp is a good person. I really don't care much about their motives.

That's just me, tho. Sorry if I came across too strong about the dead book issues.

[One-Fang]

I do think a council run library is different to a private store. It's not private property. Council property is public property. So that said, while the camera is creepy, there probably isn't much that can be done about it.

As others have said, if they want to resell to make a profit, then obviously there's profit to be made. Either the Library is in it for profit (so put the prices up) or is just trying to get rid of old books (so who cares who buys them and what they do with them?).

[dougiezerts]

Thanks for your responses.
I had a friend who owned a record store, and he would often go to places like that to buy stuff to resell. He wasn't as outragieous as that pair was, though. I recall that other dealers would look through his stock, and he didn't have a problem with it. (He died a few years ago--RIP)

[Slave to the Phone]

As others have said, if they want to resell to make a profit, then obviously there's profit to be made. Either the Library is in it for profit (so put the prices up) or is just trying to get rid of old books (so who cares who buys them and what they do with them?).

I've worked in 2 Libraries. IME, donated books are sorted by the Tech Service Librarian. S/he doesn't want to bother with books that won't be checked out or will fall apart on the first check-out. The books get tossed into the "sell" bin.

All valuable books will be found at that time and either put into the collection and/or "traded".

S/he will also weed broken/outdated books from the shelves.

Stories of finding one of the original copies of a rare manuscript at a Library booksale are a fabrication nowadays. (and prolly were in the past)

Back to topic, the books then get pawed over by the Library employees. Its one of the perks of the job. If we see fluff we want, we buy it at the bookstore price.

I and many of my coworkers would volunter to pay extra for books we valued, even though the covers were ripped off and the binding broken.

Library booksales get whatever is left after the winnowing process. A book sold is a book saved.

JMO.

[JustADude]

Okay, so the guys were running their own book-sale business, and shopping in the library's used-book store, right? If that's the case, then I'm with Kiwi. What they're doing might not exactly be illegal, but it sucks massively as far as being fair to everyone else goes. Yes, the stuff's mostly beat-up, but I've found a few things in good shape that just didn't ever get borrowed for a long while and taken them home with me.

[powerboy]

What business is it of the libraries to tell someone to leave, if they are doiing nothing. I take my camera, just about everywhere, just incase I find a good thing to get a photo off, and ofcourse I don't do it, if I think I am not suppose too.