Sometimes you just have to wonder what the heck is going on in people’s minds. I’d say this isn’t for real, but it’s been in this range for several months.
You think maybe these stores are having a hard time finding someone who wants Finding Hunter this badly? (Especially given that it is not out of print and is still available on Amazon for the low, low price of $13.99. )
Hey. Maybe these are signed copies! Oh, yeah. That would explain it. (Insert derisive snort here.) πΒ
Don’t get me wrong. It is a great book, of course. (Just ask me.) But get serious!
Β Anyone else find things like this now and then?Β Just curious. π
Nope. $31.54 is the highest mine appears on Amazon. Now, I’m not saying that Finding Hunter isn’t worth the $813.56 price tag – it’s a moving and powerful book that really stirred my heart – but if I could buy it for $13.99 that would still leave enough left over for me to send it by courier to its amazing author (with a request for her to sign the copy), send it back to me, and I’d still have plenty left to indulge in a retail therapy spree that would leave me drained but happy. π β€ π
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Hahahaha. Great minds think alike, Trish! Who would pay something like that without even checking on Amazon first? Now Jim Butcher’s out-of-print first edition copies of certain Dresden Files books are usually in triple digit figures–except for one, which I saw for over $1,000–but those books are true collectibles from a vastly famous author, and if I had it, I’d consider buying each of them to finish out my perfect set. Having said that, I’d never pay such prices if I could still buy the original (with the Chris McGrath cover) on Amazon, for the normal price. And I’m a major fanatic about the Dresden Files. Or hadn’t you guessed?
There can be no reason to list Finding Hunter (and thanks for the lovely compliments on it) for such a price. And yet, it’s still there, and only changes a few cents or so each month. (Why it’s worth $.25 more one month than another is anybody’s guess.)
Still, it’s interesting to keep an eye on it. What if there were a way to tell that some strangely motivated soul actually bought one at those prices? It’d be fun imagining WHY they would do such a thing. π
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There are some possible explanations here, Marcia…
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/t/why-do-some-sellers-charge-impossibly-high-prices/274968
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Thanks for the link, Olga. I read through all the comments and suggestions to answer the question, and there was no consensus of opinion, with guesses ranging from money laundering through ways to manage inventory so you didn’t lose track of things. Huh? It still makes no sense to me at all, though I have to think if it were illegal to do this (which money laundering is, of course), Amazon would put a stop to it, so as not to get dragged into something like that. I don’t know. That’s just a guess, too. It sure is a strange thing to find one of your books priced like that at three “supposedly different” 3rd party sellers. Weird. If I ever find out something solid, I’ll share it with you guys, though. π
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That is interesting, Marcia. My books on Takealot, our local version of Amazon, are outrageously expensive too.
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Well, this is only from 3rd party sellers, of course. Amazon still charges exactly what I told them to. But it sure is crazy to see someone offering the book for over $800, especially since it’s still available on Amazon for the normal price. *still scratching my head, here*
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Hahaha. You have to wonder what is going on, Marcia. Good promo for the book though.
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I do, indeed, John. I can’t figure out why any 3rd party seller would do such a thing. If I find out, I’ll let you know. π
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Please do.
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I would like to know
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Me, too, so here’s hoping I find an answer for us somewhere. π
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Find highly inflated but not outrageously priced, copies of my paperbacks on sale via Amazon via diverse book sellers. Makes you wonder… β€ Congrats on the release of Finding Hunter, Marcia! May sales rise outrageously above expectations and continue to do so! xo
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Oooops, didn’t mean to mislead you, Bette. Finding Hunter has been out for several years. It’s the second Riverbend novel. But this crazy price from 3rd party sellers stuff is fairly new. Mostly, those are just slightly higher than on amazon, maybe $30 or so, but this one just floors me. π
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Crazy! Finding Hunter sounds like a great book too!
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I’d like to think it’s pretty good, Bette, but even I wouldn’t ask someone to pay over $800 for it. π π π
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Love it… π€£
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It seems to be true for new release to have high prices like this, Marcia. I was shocked of many seller carried my book and charged high prices also. But they disappeared gradually. π
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This isn’t a new release, Miriam. It has been out for 5 years. And I don’t think these numbers appeared until a couple of months ago. I wasn’t checking for them, but I do think I’d have noticed sooner. Now I check all of my books, just to see what’s going on. All the others have 3rd party prices of between $15 and $30 or so. It’s very mysterious to me.
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I don’t understand all these third party sellers business. Most of them priced a lot higher than Amazon and charge shipping. Are they there to advertise their business?
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Possibly. I have no clue, except for when a book is no longer available on Amazon. Then I’m happy to find them, and sometimes order from them, if the price is reasonable. But something like this defies logic to me. There has to be a reason but it’s a mystery to me. π
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Perhaps someone is doing for fun. I may click the seller’s link to see what happens.π
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Maybe it’s a sign that you’ve ‘made it’. π
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Hahahahahahahaha.I love it! And you know, maybe you’re right. Either that, or since no one has seen hide nor hair of me for months, perhaps they think I’m no longer around, and all my books will suddenly become vastly expensive collectibles which they’d better grab while they can still find them for a mere $800 or so. Yep. I think you’re on to something! Dead or alive, I’ve made it! ππ€£π
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Hahaha! Start checking for obituaries. “Marcia. What can we say about Marcia…”
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Add this to the long list of things I don’t understand. Has anyone figured out why sometimes a used book is priced higher than a new one on the same site right next to each other? Does it increase in value when we get our smudgy fingers on something?π€£
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That’s a qood question, Pete, and definitely related to what’s happening here.It makes no sense to me at all. If I ever find out, I’ll definitely share the information here. π But it’s good to know I’m not the only one wondering just what’s going on. π
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I have seen this on 3rd party sellers, Marcia with some of mine a while ago. I wondered if anyone paid that price?
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Well I’m definitely going to be miffed if anyone pays $800+ for a copy of Finding Hunter, since I’ll make nothing on it whatsoever, and I could have at least made a couple of bucks if they’d bought it on Amazon for $13.99. *grumble, mumble, mutter* It’s so weird, isn’t it, Denise?
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I donβt get it either. Itβs kind of like when I was in real estate. Some people wanted to list their homes for 3 or 4 times what they were worth. Their assumption was that if someone was dumb enough to pay that, theyβd sell it to them. In that business, they donβt understand that Iβm not investing my time and advertising dollars in something that will bleed me dry. Also that an appraiser would kill any eventual deal anyway. They guy probably has a copy in the garage somewhere that heβll be happy to ship out for that price. Online ads donβt cost him anything.
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Maybe so. There’s a link above (under Olga’s comment) where this is being discussed on an Amazon forum, and there’s no definite answer, but a lot of comments claimed this was a “money-laundering” scheme, but I find that kinda hard to believe. I would think Amazon would have a way of handling that. But then again, what do I know? I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night. πIt’s a mystery to me. (Dinner AND the $800+ thing. π )
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Could be, but itβs an awful small amount of money for laundering. They would have to have a volume of titles to move, and they would be selling them. In other words, if someone were paying me off, theyβd have to buy the book to create some kind of transaction record.
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I don’t pretend to know how money laundering actually works, but my impression from those suggesting it was that they do this to LOTS of books. I agree. While it’s a ridiculous price to put on a book still in print, it seems like chump change for a money-laundering scheme. I have given up on trying to figure it out, but it’s interesting to watch that number change by pennies now and then, like that makes a difference, somehow. π€
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LOLLLLLLL, I’ll have what you’re having, if I can sell my books for that much LOLLLLLLLLLLL π xx
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If I could figure out what it was I had that made my book worth $800, I’d be happy to share! π π π
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Lolllllllllllllllllllllllll π
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Wow! that’s mind boggling. I haven’t checked out my books, but I’m sure mine aren’t in that price range. It makes you wonder how this stuff happens. Sure would be interesting to see if someone actually pays those prices. Too bad that isn’t going into your pocket!!!
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There’s just something weird going on, Mae. Out of print, collectible books can go for astounding sums, but this book isn’t out of print. It can be bought on Amazon for $13.99. And NONE of my other books have 3rd party prices like that. Usually just $15 to $20 or so. Might be one for $30. I always thought those were silly, when the books are still available. But 3 supposedly different 3rd party sellers asking over $800? Something’s fishy! π
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