Secondhand ebooks?

[Giggleton]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

It is true, of course, that simply allowing resale of ebooks would totally destroy the market for new ebooks since the an ebook is always "new". Especially if Amazon organized a "second hand ebook market". I never buy second hand items, but I obviously wouldn't think twice about buying a second hand ebook. A possible solution would be to allow resale only after an extended period, let us say two years or so? Though handing an ebook to a friend (if it can be made sure that only one copy remains in existence) should be fine.

If we're talking about solutions we might as well talk about allowing the resale of ebooks but giving a cut of each sale to the creator, say 70% or so.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HansTWN

It is true, of course, that simply allowing resale of ebooks would totally destroy the market for new ebooks since the an ebook is always "new". Especially if Amazon organized a "second hand ebook market". I never buy second hand items, but I obviously wouldn't think twice about buying a second hand ebook. A possible solution would be to allow resale only after an extended period, let us say two years or so? Though handing an ebook to a friend (if it can be made sure that only one copy remains in existence) should be fine.

No, it wouldn't, just like having ebooks in the library doesn't kill the market for new ebooks.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

No, it wouldn't, just like having ebooks in the library doesn't kill the market for new ebooks.

It's an rather different situation. A second-hand eBook is precisely equivalent to a new book; there would be no reason to buy the new book if a second-hand copy was available. Borrowing a library book is NOT the same as buying a book.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It's an rather different situation. A second-hand eBook is precisely equivalent to a new book; there would be no reason to buy the new book if a second-hand copy was available. Borrowing a library book is NOT the same as buying a book.

But buying and then reselling an ebook is the same as borrowing a library book. The second hand marked isn't based just on people that want to buy second hand books, it also needs people willing to sell them.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Sil_liS

But buying and then reselling an ebook is the same as borrowing a library book. The second hand marked isn't based just on people that want to buy second hand books, it also needs people willing to sell them.

The point is, though, that with paper books there is a clear difference between a new book and a second-hand book, and for many people there will always, therefore, be a reason to buy new books. That distinction disappears with eBooks - the second-hand book would be absolutely identical to the new book, and there would be no reason at all to buy new.

[AndrewH]

Originally Posted by Cpl Punishment

That YOU agreed to....Yes, lacking integrity...

It must be nice living in a world of such absolutes.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The point is, though, that with paper books there is a clear difference between a new book and a second-hand book, and for many people there will always, therefore, be a reason to buy new books. That distinction disappears with eBooks - the second-hand book would be absolutely identical to the new book, and there would be no reason at all to buy new.

What clear difference? Is a book from a regular bookstore that 10, 20 or 100 people cracked open to read passages to see if they want to buy it new or used?

I've seen books in second-hand stores that looked like they've never been opened.

[HarryT]

I think, that if you're honest with yourself, you know exactly what I mean when I say that there's a difference between new and second-hand paper books which does not exist for ebooks.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think, that if you're honest with yourself, you know exactly what I mean when I say that there's a difference between new and second-hand paper books which does not exist for ebooks.

Well, what is the difference? Suppose I buy a paper book. Never open it and then sell it. What is the deifference?

[HarryT]

You are clearly the exception, Tommy. I've bought probably 100+ second-hand books from Amazon over the years. Never have I received one that anyone could have mistaken for a new book.

[Sil_liS]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You are clearly the exception, Tommy. I've bought probably 100+ second-hand books from Amazon over the years. Never have I received one that anyone could have mistaken for a new book.

He's not. Some people do that. If they buy or receive a book that isn't their type they can sell it. I got the same book as a present from two people.

I bought books from brick and mortar shops and they are in very good condition. The ones that look like they have never been opened are usually recent editions.

[GreenMonkey]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I think, that if you're honest with yourself, you know exactly what I mean when I say that there's a difference between new and second-hand paper books which does not exist for ebooks.

Even if there was, 90% of the difference is aesthetic, not functional. It's pretty rare that a physical book (at least a hardcover), degrades to the point of unreadability. Normally that's a spine/glue problem that can easily be fixed proactively, also. Paperbacks, I would agree - the spine gets worse over time, pages fall out, etc - they're not really designed for longevity.

Short of the rare spine problem, a hardcover book almost always remains 100% readable unless you dump a cup of coffee on it. Even then I'd bet it remains 100% readable.

The "not as good as new" only matters to collectors. To the average person, who doesn't care about the dustjacket, or slightly bumped corners, or whatever, the book is 100% the same as a new book in the same way. The text is still just text and it's still perfectly readable.

Honestly, given digital obsolescence, which I've talked about in threads like this before, I'd bet money that a digital ebook is more readable in 30 years without a lot of digital "repair", more than an ebook.

Secure e-reader format (pdb), lit format, Amazon DRM'd pdf, and others have already been obsoleted or are rapidly enroute - I'm sure in a few more years there will be no devices that can read them (none of the major devices have supported them for a couple of years already).

In 20 years you could quite likely be engaged in some crazy shenanigans to get your ebooks usable, just like the troubles I recently had converting documents from DOS/Tandy based StarOffice .doc files into MS Word .docs.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You are clearly the exception, Tommy. I've bought probably 100+ second-hand books from Amazon over the years. Never have I received one that anyone could have mistaken for a new book.

I have received one, and it was listed as being in "Good" condition. Looked like it had never been opened. Most of those I've bought used that were listed in "Like New" condition were very good, though, except for one that didn't look anything like "Like New" condition—unless the pages were yellow, musty, and pencil-marked when it came off the press.

[HarryT]

But those aesthetics matter to a great many people. I have dozens of second-hand books for sale on Amazon, and they sometimes take months to sell, despite being much cheaper than the new book. I conclude from this that the majority of the book-buying (or the Amazon book-buying, at least) customers prefer to spend the extra for the new book. That effect would not exist for ebooks; there would be no reason to prefer a new book to a second-hand one, because the two would be indistinguishable from one another.

[covingtoncat73]

Originally Posted by HarryT

But those aesthetics matter to a great many people. I have dozens of second-hand books for sale on Amazon, and they sometimes take months to sell, despite being much cheaper than the new book. I conclude from this that the majority of the book-buying (or the Amazon book-buying, at least) customers prefer to spend the extra for the new book. That effect would not exist for ebooks; there would be no reason to prefer a new book to a second-hand one, because the two would be indistinguishable from one another.

Yeah, you have a good point. eBooks don't get "worn," I guess. I wonder how long the ePub and Kindle formats will last, from an archival standpoint.

Anyway, I have been the happy recipient of $1 (plus shipping, so $5), slightly worn hardcovers from Amazon Marketplace. I don't see how there could be such a thing as a "used" eBook, that is true, but I do think their prices should be lower.

It would also be nice if all Amazon eBooks had that "share" capability. So few of them do. That is probably a bit off-topic, though.