Complete England (Red guide)

A note on private sales.

Often potential buyers ask for the opportunity to purchase from me directly rather than through the AbeBooks portal where they found the listing, usually for a slightly lower price. Presumably the benefit to me is some marginal savings on commissions or tax. The convenience of having all my record keeping and billing being handled through one platform outweighs any small savings. In addition, I believe the service AbeBooks provides—putting these books in front of potential buyers—is worth the fee they earn.

A note on pricing.

As of this writing I am not a member of any trade association wherein members are expected to give one another a specified discount. As a general rule I attempt to set my prices so that my listing is the lowest priced available item of a similar described condition with photographs. So I know my listing price is at the low end.

A note on the photography.

The AbeBooks platform only allows the display of five photographs. Often this is sufficient to exhibit the book’s condition, any important publication data, and possibly one interesting characteristic. However, a book with multiple illustrations, foldouts, unique printing defects that resolve its value or print run, or isolated areas of damage that warrant disclosure may require additional information. In these cases I often have additional photographs which can be shared via email.

Oversized or heavy items shipped internationally, or shipped domestically by priority mail, may require additional postage. Most often, but not in all cases, this is noted in the description. In these cases we will request additional postage before completing the transaction.

When an object is returned as undeliverable by USPS to a specified address (e.g. in NYC) no second attempt will be made. Douglas Park will cancel the sale, issue a refund, and absorb the shipping loss.