I received many responses to my query about selling old, used,
out-of-print titles in our synagogue library, and some people have asked
me to post a summary of responses. My purpose in planning to sell them
for $1.00 to congregants isn't to make money, but to get them into the
hands of people who want them. However, I don't want to be red-faced by
learning that I've sold a valuable item for a dollar; that's what
prompted me to check the sites like alibris and bookfinder. I fully
expected these items (which we have in duplicate, yet) to sell for a few
dollars., but found them listed at $20, $30, and so on, up to $75. so
far, and we've checked only a small fraction of them.
Some of you suggested I offer the list of books to used book dealers
such as those who who post on ha-safran.
In fact, some dealers themselves contacted me.
Some of you said: go ahead and sell them for a buck, (and notify
congregants that some items for sale are priced at $50. and up), and
ship the remainder to a dealer or to the public library. (I wonder,
though, whether the public library would really catalog and process them
into the collection).
There was also the suggestion that we auction off the "valuable" ones
as part of a temple function. But my question is, what would be the
"threshhold" that makes a book valuable, that makes it inappropriate to
sell for a dollar.
A number of people commented that the prices I see listed on the
websites are inflated anyway; no one REALLY pays that. I have bought a
couple out-of-print books for myself that way, and, gosh, I paid the
list price. Can you bargain with a dealer on a website? If yes, how?
Finally, some people asked for a sample of titles, so here are a few:
My Life as German and Jew, by Jacob Wasserman (1933) 1st ed: listed
price range: $46-75.00
Montefiore, by Paul Goodman - ca. $37.00)
The Jews in the Making of America, by George Cohen (1924): up to $55.00
For Zion's Sake, by Bentwich, up to $25.00
A few others: Cold Pogrom by Max Buges and Challenging Years - The
Augobiography of Stephen Wise.
Comments, anyone?
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