That is why I use the feedback tool at Toolhaus. If you enter the seller ID of the eBayer in question, they will root out the bad feedback and put it all in one place, saving you from scrolling through pages and pages.

In the Used Book marketplace, there have always been Antiquarians, Shysters, General Shops, Specialty Dealers, Hobbyists, Part-timers, and Crooks. These days, the problem is now we are all in the same room. You have a listing from the most excellent Heritage Bookshop sitting right next to MeeMaw’s Book Nook. Now, MeeMaw might be just as professional as Heritage or she may not, but that is precisely my point. You do not know.

So, how do you avoid being screwed over by a fraudulent bookseller? How can you make sure you are getting what you pay for? There are three main things you should look for before purchasing that book online. Follow them and success is likely, ignore them and you will be sorry.

Buy from a Professional

Strictly speaking, we are a Trade, not a profession, but I mean you should buy from someone who knows what they are doing. There are several ways to tell this, such as

• They are a member of a trade association, such as the IOBA, the ABAA, or any of the European or Canadian associations. This is no guarantee, but it does represent a commitment to the Trade; also, all the Trade groups have a code of ethics the applicant must agree to be bound by.

• They describe the book. If all the description says is “Very Good”, run, do not walk, to the next listing. It has become fashionable of late to have a generic description for all your books (May have underling, highlighting, remainder marks, or scuffs). Obviously, if you buy from this person, you deserve whatever you get.

• Google them. There are quite a few “notorious” booksellers out there who have been accused of Fraud in the past. A simple Google search will turn them up. Also, in the year 2006 (almost 2007) if the dealer did not have a website, I would wonder why. This website costs us less than $5 a month to operate, our main selling site costs us nothing, as it came with membership to TomFolio. If you are a committed full time bookseller, why you would choose to NOT have a website is beyond me.

• They do this for a living. Someone who is a full time bookseller will be more motivated to do things properly than someone who is doing this for extra Christmas money. If I don’t sell a book, my kids do not eat. If you return that book for a refund, they do not eat. It is to my definite advantage to make sure you are happy and satisfied with your purchase.

Ask Questions

If the description does not answer a question you have, please call or email and ask specific questions. No legitimate dealer should object to this; if they do, or they do not answer your question, cross them off your list and move on.

Note: Many dealers have quite honoring requests for scans of the book. The reason is we get tired of having our high-end listings copied and put on eBay by scammers, along with our scans. That being said, if you are known to the firm or have done business with them in the past, they should have no problem doing it for you, but it is sort of bad form to ask them to do it for a $10 book.

Know the policies

All of the bookselling databases such as ABE, Alibris, and so on require the dealer to post their policies prominently. However, if you are confused, please ask before you buy, as after you have committed you have very little recourse. Most dealers will allow returns for mis-described items; your better ones will take a book back for any reason within a certain time frame (we advertise 14 days, for example).

Of course, the best defense is to only buy from dealers you know or have heard of, keeping the guidelines above in mind. If you are a collector in a given field, this is almost certainly the best way.