Selling on EBay. What do I need to know? (Vanity)

[PJ-Comix]

Skip 119. I went to abebooks.

So are they worth listing?

Anyway, here is how I got the signed Budd Schulberg book, "The Harder They Fall" yesterday which is NOW listed on eBay. A lot of hunting down good books is knowing which used bookstores to go to. As it happens, gay people collect a lot of valuable books. Soooo....I often check out a used bookstore in a gay area. Maybe 95% of the clientele are gay. When I go there I mind my own business. Unlike most of the clients who are gaily chatting back and forth I am just there to find good books. Plus I have nothing to say to those folks. HOWEVER, yesterday was an exception. I was looking at a few books when suddenly a gay sounding voice near me said, "Thay! Is Budd Schulberg a well known writer?" I grunted in reply, "Oh yeah," and continued my book search without even looking up. Then the gay voice said, "Oh my! Then I do think I will be buying this book. It's autographed and is a first printing!"

At this point I looked up quickly and for the first time saw the source of the voice. It was a typical gay guy. You know the type. Small mustache, short hair, etc... Then I looked at the book. I couldn't believe it! It was "The Harder They Fall" by Budd Schulberg. Signed. First edition and first printing. At that point I cursed myself for telling this gay guy that Schulberg was a well known actor. In fact, "Tbe Harder They Fall" is considered the best boxing novel ever written and he was holding a SIGNED first edition, first printing. My mind went into overdrive. I HAD TO HAVE THAT BOOK!!!!!

Sooooo...... I put a slight lisp on my voice (not overdoing it so it would sound authentic) and told the gay guy that first he would need to get a COA (Certificate of Authentication) for the signature and helpfully informed him I knew of someone who could do it for under $100. I then said a popular saying that an autograph is "DOA without the COA." The downside to this is that I told him the book was probably only worth $10, hoping the gay guy would decline to buy the book. But it didn't work. The gay guy said he was going to buy it anyways and split for the front of the bookstore.

At that point I was STEAMING!!! I really REALLY wanted that book. With a heavy heart I went back to looking at other books. THEN a few minutes later the gay guy came back and said, "Oh, I decided not to bother with this book, would you like to have it?"

You probably think I answered "YES!!!" Wrong. I was worried if I said yes the gay guy would figure it was worth some bucks so I said with complete disinterest, "Naw, the book isn't worth the bother." Then the gay guy dropped the book on a stack of other books. My instinct was to LEAP onto that book INSTANTLY but I held off until he turned to go away. In a flash I put the books I was already holding on top of the Schulberg book and grabbed it up. Then I waited until I was sure the gay guy was outside of the bookstore because I didn't want him seeing me buying that book. This task was actually a bit difficult. You know the stereotype of all Chinese looking alike to us? Well, the Homo Bookstore was filled with gay guys who looked just like the gay guy who gave up the book.

To bring this story to a conclusion I ended up buying the SIGNED Schulberg book for JUST A BUCK!!!! Check out my user name on eBay---pjglad---and you can see it listed there now. All because I conned the gay guy into thinking that book wasn't worth buying. Hee! Hee!

And that was my book adventure for yesterday. In a few minutes I will be embarking on more book adventures for today.

p.s. And I don't need a COA for the book.

[abner]

COA????

I am truly impressed.

LOL!

3 of the 4 may be worth listing, the fitness book isn't anywhere.

[PJ-Comix]

COA is pretty common with sports signatures and showbiz too. I don't see it too much with literary authors. HOWEVER, if I saw that this book could be worth over $4000 with the signature, then I probably would get a COA (Certificate of Authentication) for it. Since Abebooks listed this one as being worth between $65 and about $400, then I didn't bother. That is why I provided a closeup picture of the signature. I also checked it against other Budd Schulberg signatures and it matches.