[OPLINLIST] Book Prospector

[Tom Dillie]

     Here at Minerva we have been selling books to Book Prospector for over
a year, and have been happy with the service.  Our collection is small
enough that we can manage Book Prospector's process of checking each book
against its database to determine if the company will purchase it or not.
The default condition for books submitted from library accounts is
"Used-Good", and that may affect the price one is offered.  Prices offered
vary widely, and the company does not make an offer for most books searched.
I don't know if there is a way to change the condition rating to reflect
donations of like-new books. Books do need to have an ISBN in order to be
searched. While, the website did offer a title look-up function, that option
hasn't been available for some time.  So you are limited to books that have
been published  The website search tool does allow one to scan the coding
found printed on the back of most books published since the late 1980s
rather than requiring staff enter every ISBN by hand; of course, for older
titles, one will have to type in the ISBN.  You can scan the ISBN codes
using your circ barcode readers; there is no need for a separate device.
The process is certainly simple enough that a volunteer could do the
searching.  I don't know what Book Prospector's registration policy would be
for a library Friends group.  
     One advantage of this model over some other services that purchase
library discards is that Book Prospector makes an offer in real time for
each book it wishes to purchase, and you decide in real time to accept the
price or not, and the company's database is available on the web to search.
Concurrently, a disadvantage, perhaps, is that Book Prospector does not
accept bulk shipments from libraries of discards to sort, sell, and pay you
later for whatever books did sell.  If you have a lot of discards, it may
not be practical to check each book against the database. Shipping is
prepaid and, since we only are shipping books that the company has already
agreed to buy, payment is prompt.  

Tom Dillie
Director, Minerva Public Library
677 Lynnwood Dr.
Minerva OH 44657
330-868-4101
dillieto at oplin.org

-----Original Message-----
From: oplinlist-bounces at oplin.org [mailto:oplinlist-bounces at oplin.org] On
Behalf Of Michael Penrod
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 10:49 AM
To: Oplin
Subject: Re: [OPLINLIST] Book Prospector

Hello.  
I too would be interested in hearing about anyone's experience with this 
company.
Thanks,
Michael



Date sent:      	Thu, 6 May 2010 09:46:28 -0400 (EDT)
From:           	cumminga at oplin.org
To:             	"Oplin" <oplinlist at oplin.org>
Subject:        	[OPLINLIST] Book Prospector

> Has anyone used bookprospector.com to sell used books? If so, how
> was it?
> Thanks,
> Gail Cummings,
> Wakeman Library
> 
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> Ohio.

Michael L. Penrod
Assistant Director
Wood County District Public Library
251 North Main Street
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
v: (419) 352-5104
f: (419) 354-0405
e: penrodmi at oplin.org
wcdpl.org

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