"On any collectible, I guess one has to take good with the bad, and book buying is no different. I am not talking about just coin books but all books in general. With ever-increasing "net" buying with thousands of booksellers on the market, one has to develop an "eye" and good "hunch" to properly succeed in making a transaction that can be termed "good" or "great". This may seem quite easy and comfortable, as one can shop sitting on an easy chair, but sometimes it is not the case.

Books described as "VG" turn out to be near "mint" from some and just pure "junk" from others. Quite often defects such as torn pages, scotch-taped torn pages, loose pages, taped bindings, library copies, pen markings, shot spine, etc., etc. are not mentioned as part of "condition". It is best to ask the sellers, before buying, about the so-called "hidden defects". Some titles are so scarce that they are worth having even with some defects, but would you not like to know about them before sending payment? This way you can take all the pros and cons of a certain title and decide for yourself if it is worth what you are considering paying for it.

What is this "bookrate" stuff anyways? Some charge you an arm and a leg and ship "bookrate"! One seller wanted $5 for a little pamphlet type title weighing perhaps five ounces and that was for bookrate! After asking "what gives" and hearing a poor excuse I did not order. Others charge you plenty for "packing"! I can order for free most any packing materials from USPS including wrapping tape and can find cardboard to secure packing for nothing. Why should I pay extra for something that I am entitled to for free? If I buy a shirt somewhere, it will come in a plastic bag for free. If I go buy bananas, they too, put the bananas in a bag for free. Nobody ever asked me for "packing" fees!!! If book dealers charge you for packing and priority mail charges and send you "bookrate" he/she can make a living out of it!

If I sounded sour it was meant to be. Book dealers may have a few words of their own about packing charges and all, but they just don't hold up! Some dealers will charge only actual postage and those dealers are the ones that describe the condition of a book correctly, at least from my experience. I will be happy to pay the correct shipping charges and will be very happy to pay for correctly described items, but I will NOT make them rich for overcharging on postage, packing, and etc..

Yes sir, yes madam...buying books is a whole lot of fun but sometimes we all gotta take good with the bad! The less bad we take the better. Am I just talking to myself or are there others who feel the same way? Feedbacks please!"