A**holes at Friends of the Library Sales

Posted by Adam on August 27th, 2009

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Friends of the Library 300x199 A**holes at Friends of the Library SalesHave you ever been to a Friends of the Library book sale to pick up some new inventory and found other online booksellers there?  You most likely have because I have no idea how many of us are out there but I’ve encountered other online booksellers at just about every Friends of the Library sale I’ve ever been to.  It’s been mostly a cordial experience because there have been more than enough books to go around.  While I’m in the medical section, another may be in the biographies while another may be scanning away in the animal section.

In a perfect world, I would be the only online bookseller at the sale and would have an infinite amount of time and energy to buy every single resellable book at the entire sale.  Because this is not possible, I’m completely fine with seeing my competition there.  Unfortunately, not all people are as happy to see online booksellers come through the doors with scanner in hand.

I recently received an email from a reader that subscribes to a Friends of the Library listserv mailing list and asked for my input on the issue of online booksellers at Friends of the Library sales.  I had a few things to say and with her permission, decided to make a post about it and ask for everyone’s input on this issue.

Here is the email I received:

I’m a librarian AND an online bookseller.  Recently I got this email on one of the librarian listserves I belong to:

“Our Friends have three book sales a year, and there are a few buyers (the same ones each time) who sell books for a living online and can be rude and aggressive toward other people at the sale, which is why we are searching for some guidelines or rules for book sales.  Does anyone out there have rules governing their Friends book sales as far as the use of scanners, number of books that can be stockpiled, and behavior of people frequenting the sale?  Has anyone purchased a scanner to scan donated materials?  If so, how has that worked for you?

Our prices for sale materials are:    $3 per hardcover; $2 per paperback; $1 for children’s hardcover materials; 50 cents for children’s paperbacks; $1 for other media (DVDs, VHS, CDs, cassettes, records, audiobooks), and $1 for puzzles and games.  I’d be interested to know what others are charging; recently we started a collectibles section for the more valuable materials, and that has done well thanks to the work of a wonderful retired librarian.”

I’ve left the names and library off so that they stay unknown… but I worked at this library for five years and have used the FOL sales to source my bookselling business for three years.  I understand the library director’s frustration because there are (I can really only think of one person) that is rude and has even pushed my husband while he was carrying our child.

I hate it when booksellers set bad examples.  My concern is that things like banning scanning devices (one suggestion on the list serve), limiting the number of books you can buy at one time (another) etc. will become common place and hurt booksellers as well as FOL organizations.

My business has supported the library generously with lots of donations and $$$ at the booksales.  I was at one library booksale recently where my business provided 5% of the money that was earned overall.  I also wonder what would happen to all of the books purchased if there were no online booksellers providing their service of finding and making books available to waiting buyers.

I want to respond to this email constructively… What would be your suggestion?

Here is my response:

Online booksellers and FOL sales go hand in hand.  On the same note, not all online booksellers are cordial.  There are simply generally rude people in this world that make things worse for all of us.  I’ve heard of this kind of behavior a lot and it’s very unfortunate.  I’ve been at a lot of FOL sales and they all have varied rules to combat this kind of behavior because unfortunately there are assholes at just about every sale.  It doesn’t matter to me if you’re making a living or not at selling books online.  If you can’t find more sources than just FOL sales anyway, you’re not going to be doing too much living.

The best approach I have seen a FOL group do is to allow scanners and allow people to buy as many books as they want.   As one book sale coordinator told me, “I don’t care how many books you buy for a dollar, as long as we get the dollar”.  That’s all FOL members should be concerned about because at the end of the sale, they have to pack up all the books that didn’t sell anyway.  Allowing scanners gives online booksellers a tool to use to buy more books and thus more money for the FOL.  Disallowing scanners would be a really bad idea for FOL groups as it would probably greatly hinder their sales.

One thing that should not be allowed is stock piling.  At some sales, the online booksellers will take entire tables of books at one time, run off to a corner, scan them and, if the FOL is lucky, put them back on the table.  Some people simply leave the ones they don’t want in a pile.  It’s horrendously rude.  That’s why I would put a rule in place that forbids this practice and enforce it strictly.

I agree about the relationship between libraries and online booksellers.  Libraries probably account for 75% of my inventory and most of the time they love me when I come in because I’ll either buy hundreds at the sales or offer them a few hundred bucks for all the leftovers so they don’t have to deal with them.  It’s been nothing but a good relationship so far for me.

So what does everyone else think?  Do you think scanners should be allowed?  Stockpiling?  Kicking online booksellers out all together?  I’m curious to hear other people’s opinion on this issue.

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  • Brent

    Adam, do you find that the library sales with a higher % of donated books are better? I've only been to a few, and have usually gone on the last day when I can purchase a bag for 1-3 dollars. Do you usually hit them on more than one day? Thanks for your answer and any advice you might have for me.

  • Adam

    Hi Brent,

    Donated books are definitely better. That's not to say that ex library books don't sell though. I've sold thousands of them. I typically go at least once during the sale if it's pretty close and then go after the sale and try to pick up the leftovers.

  • Brent

    Adam, do you go immediately after the sale or the next day?

  • Adam

    I establish relationships with the organizations that run the sales earlier to make a deal for the leftovers.

  • http://www.readingmontana.blogspot.com/ Catherine @ Reading In Montana

    I usually go the first day and set my minimum value high. Then I go on the last day for the bag sales to add volume to my inventory. I think it would be a great idea to contact FOL groups ahead of time about hauling the leftovers off for them. I know in my local town they just go to a recycling center.

    Thanks Adam for posting this.

  • http://www.readingmontana.blogspot.com/ Catherine @ Reading In Montana

    I usually go the first day and set my minimum value high. Then I go on the last day for the bag sales to add volume to my inventory. I think it would be a great idea to contact FOL groups ahead of time about hauling the leftovers off for them. I know in my local town they just go to a recycling center.

    Thanks Adam for posting this.

  • http://bookshopblog.com/2009/10/07/used-book-sales/ How To Take Advantage of Used Book Sales | Bookshop Blog

    [...] to get those valuable books.  Take a look at one of my latest blog posts about the subject of A**holes at Friends of the Library Sales and stand your ground to not let these people shove you out of the [...]

  • http://johnmurraysbooks.com/ John Murray

    to the sale organizers who want to limit quantities and / or ban scanners:

    Is is more important that the sale makes money for the organization, or that I don’t make money?

  • http://johnmurraysbooks.com John Murray

    to the sale organizers who want to limit quantities and / or ban scanners:

    Is is more important that the sale makes money for the organization, or that I don’t make money?

  • http://www.author-author.org/ JuleS

    ….All the volunteers were friendly, helpful, and were actually keeping the sales floor neat and tidy without getting in the way. It was plesantly quiet but not tomb-like… save for one 2-year-old who whined for almost a full hour (when she wasn’t screeching her displeasure about something her older sister had done/taken away from her/she was displeased with for whatever reason.

    I am compelled to put in this 2 cents: Used book sale volunteers should NOT be afraid or hesitant to ask such children’s keepers to either quiet the child or remove him/her from the room as it is ANNOYING and IRRITATING to shoppers, as well as, I am quite sure, sale volunteers!

    It is amazing the number of parents who can drag their kids to used book sales and be completely oblivious to the brats’ screams — or else they’re completely oblivious to the comfort of others, which is more likely the case given the level of rudeness and contempt for one’s fellow human beings so prevelant today….

  • http://www.author-author.org JuleS

    ….All the volunteers were friendly, helpful, and were actually keeping the sales floor neat and tidy without getting in the way. It was plesantly quiet but not tomb-like… save for one 2-year-old who whined for almost a full hour (when she wasn’t screeching her displeasure about something her older sister had done/taken away from her/she was displeased with for whatever reason.

    I am compelled to put in this 2 cents: Used book sale volunteers should NOT be afraid or hesitant to ask such children’s keepers to either quiet the child or remove him/her from the room as it is ANNOYING and IRRITATING to shoppers, as well as, I am quite sure, sale volunteers!

    It is amazing the number of parents who can drag their kids to used book sales and be completely oblivious to the brats’ screams — or else they’re completely oblivious to the comfort of others, which is more likely the case given the level of rudeness and contempt for one’s fellow human beings so prevelant today….

  • Sean

    Just went to the Big Book Sale for the Friends of
    the San Francisco Library. Thousands of people,
    hundreds of thousands of books. Surprisingly nice
    people all the way around. Still there were plenty
    of scanner jerks there. I don’t use a scanner, I’ve
    been collector and dealer for 20 years, Knowledge is
    power as they say! So many scanner people miss the
    autographs and small bibliographical anomalies
    that can make books valuable.I feel sorry for them.
    They miss so many great items that way!

  • Sean

    Just went to the Big Book Sale for the Friends of
    the San Francisco Library. Thousands of people,
    hundreds of thousands of books. Surprisingly nice
    people all the way around. Still there were plenty
    of scanner jerks there. I don’t use a scanner, I’ve
    been collector and dealer for 20 years, Knowledge is
    power as they say! So many scanner people miss the
    autographs and small bibliographical anomalies
    that can make books valuable.I feel sorry for them.
    They miss so many great items that way!

  • AnonyMous Rezolution

    @ Sean, I wish I had your resource of knowledge,
    and until I do, I will be using my trusty scanner.

    You must make a killing at sales that don’t allow scanners!

  • AnonyMous Rezolution

    @ Sean, I wish I had your resource of knowledge,
    and until I do, I will be using my trusty scanner.

    You must make a killing at sales that don’t allow scanners!

  • karrie

    I've only been to one FOL sale so far, and wow, it was crazy! One thing that struck me as a bit off is that this particular library did not charge entry for each individual. I paid $50, and went alone, but others came in groups of 2, 3, 4 or more and only paid one entry fee. They entered together as a group–small room–and immediately threw down scarves, etc. to mark “their piles”. (i.e. entire sections)

    I chalked that up to adventure and experience though, and managed to find a few nice books and broke even.

    My true annoyance with other sellers is behavior I see in Goodwill and other thrift stores. Yes, it;s exciting to be the first one diving into a bin of books rolled out minutes before, but must you chuck books as you scan? I wanted to cry the day I almost was beheaded by a “scan & toss” seller. Not because she hit me with a book–which she did–but because in her frantic hunt she destroyed a 1st edition of Travels With Charley, ripping the front cover from the spine, and as she tossed it to her “reject” bin, with a bunch of heavy, outdated textbooks.

    Anyway….. :-)

  • adbertram

    There are assholes just about anywhere unfortunately.

  • adbertram

    There are assholes just about anywhere unfortunately.

  • logan1982

    I am a book collector and I hate the fact that all the good books are not put on the shelves but instead are hid in a dark room for marked up prices on the internet. Even if they only get a dollar for it , then its still a profit because IT WAS DONATED TO THEM- IT DIDNT COST THE BOOK STORE ANYTHING !!!! THEY ARE DONATED THERE BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE FOR GOD'S SAKE AND THE LOCAL CUSTOMERS NEVER GET A CHANCE TO BUY THEM THERE !! FUCK!!! Why isnt it illegal to do that???!!!! The “Friends” manager asked me today “is that all you can find ?” when I only wanted to buy one book.(Back in the day I would buy as much as three boxes per visit) And I wanted to tell him “well if you fuckers would make available the good DONATED books to the locals (locals are the ones that make books available in the first place) then I would certainly buy them asshole” !!!! And while I'm at it let me say FUCK YOU to all the vultures who buy at the library store just to turn around and resell them online. You can't appreciate antiqaurian books enough to read and keep them, but instead you see dollar signs- fucking assholes. Your just as bad as the people working at the “Friends of the library”. Go do your enterprising somewhere else and leave the older books to people who truly appreciate them. If you want to buy and resell then go to a local barnes and noble or antiquarian book store and do your nasty business there. You are making it harder and harder for book collectors on a budget to find good books- so FUCK OFF and leave the flea markets, yard sales, good-will , and “friends” of the library book stores to people who love books. Have a great day.

  • adbertram

    Tell us how you really feel. :)

  • logan1982

    I am a book collector and I hate the fact that all the good books are not put on the shelves but instead are hid in a dark room for marked up prices on the internet. Even if they only get a dollar for it , then its still a profit because IT WAS DONATED TO THEM- IT DIDNT COST THE BOOK STORE ANYTHING !!!! THEY ARE DONATED THERE BY THE LOCAL PEOPLE FOR GOD'S SAKE AND THE LOCAL CUSTOMERS NEVER GET A CHANCE TO BUY THEM THERE !! FUCK!!! Why isnt it illegal to do that???!!!! The “Friends” manager asked me today “is that all you can find ?” when I only wanted to buy one book.(Back in the day I would buy as much as three boxes per visit) And I wanted to tell him “well if you fuckers would make available the good DONATED books to the locals (locals are the ones that make books available in the first place) then I would certainly buy them asshole” !!!! And while I'm at it let me say FUCK YOU to all the vultures who buy at the library store just to turn around and resell them online. You can't appreciate antiqaurian books enough to read and keep them, but instead you see dollar signs- fucking assholes. Your just as bad as the people working at the “Friends of the library”. Go do your enterprising somewhere else and leave the older books to people who truly appreciate them. If you want to buy and resell then go to a local barnes and noble or antiquarian book store and do your nasty business there. You are making it harder and harder for book collectors on a budget to find good books- so FUCK OFF and leave the flea markets, yard sales, good-will , and “friends” of the library book stores to people who love books. Have a great day.

  • adbertram

    Tell us how you really feel. :)

  • Steve

    What a jerk…