eBay Used Books Scam Networks

In 2014, eBay was penalized by Google for copyrighted content. Sellers were utilizing content and images from various brands. Some analysts believe the move cost the e-commerce marketplace $200 million. So, eBay cleaned up its act but for how long?

eBay Back At It

eBay is back to its old ways, allowing sellers to utilize copyrighted stock images and product information. Nothing much has changed. How long before Google slaps the online auction giant with another penalty?

eBay is permitting sellers to utilize copyrighted material (stock images) for “used products” which is way worse than “new products.” Consumers can only guess the condition of the used products before clicking the Buy button.

Sadly, Amazon utilizes copyrighted images as well. It may be acceptable for new products but not used products.

SecondSale eBay Seller

Consumers shopping for used books on eBay have most likely seen the “buy 3, get 1 free” promotional offer. eBay’s top used booksellers are utilizing it to boost their sales. It is an effective marketing tool as some sellers are raking in over 10,000 sales a year. SecondSale is just one example. Do not be fooled by SecondSale’s 98.6% rating. The negative and neutral ratings are concealed by a high sales volume. Take a deeper look at the seller’s feedback rating for the last 12 months – 11,200 negative and 11,963 neutral concealed by 1,173,675 positive. This doesn’t include the sales in which the customer failed to rate the seller.

SecondSale has a history of sending customers the wrong books, poor packaging, sending partial orders, not responding to customer complaints, wrong product descriptions, wrong tracking numbers, and more. It’s unimaginable how much money these used book networks are earning.

SecondSale is also an Amazon seller. The customer ratings are similar to those on eBay. Our staff recently spoke with a customer who acquired a used book from the seller via Amazon. The order was received but it included the wrong title. Included in the package were promotional materials for Sellbackyourbook.com, a website that acquires used books for pennies on the dollar. The site also has a history of downgrading the quality of books to decrease the previously agreed-upon-price.

Your Online Bookstore eBay Seller

Nayzayerz was previously contacted by a viewer who claimed to have purchased used books from eBay seller, Your Online Bookstore. Books were shipped from Book Trolls LLC at 5916 W Tidwell Rd, Houston, TX 77041. Book Trolls is a site that pays people to search for used books.

Your Online Bookstore has a 99.3% rating. In the last 12 months, the feedback includes 628 negative, 873 neutral, and 110,970 positive. The negative feedback is similar to that of SecondSale. Customers claim to have received new books in poor condition, shipped wrong books, non-deliveries, poor packaging, partial orders shipped, wrong item description, and more.

SecondSale Checks Bounce

Beware of selling used books to SecondSale and Sellbackyourbooks “SBYB”.  The sellers, one and the same, have a history of buying used books with bad checks. Multiple BBB complaints claim to have received checks as payment for used books. The checks bounced, according to BBB complaints.

eBay Bans Droppshipping

eBay seller rules prohibit dropshipping but turn a blind eye when customers complain. The company reported $2.51 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022. Consumers

Dropshipping is harmful to legitimate sellers. It isn’t always easy to spot a dropshipper but stock images should be considered a red flag. It will do little good to file a complaint with eBay because it will almost always be ignored.

Glen The Bookseller (SBYB Inc.) Amazon Seller

Glen The Bookseller sells used books on the Amazon Marketplace. The seller has 5% 1- and 2-stars, 14% 3-star, 24% 4-star, and 52% 5-star ratings. Nayzayerz was contacted by a customer who claimed to have purchased books from Glen The Bookseller and received the wrong books. In addition to the wrong books, the order was shipped from SecondSale 900 Knell St, Montgomery, IL 60538.

900 Knell St is connected to EZ Book Recycle Inc., SecondSale, and Pendergast Sarni Itell.

Bluevasemarketplace

Bluevasemarketplace is another used book seller on eBay. The seller has a history of selling used books in deplorable condition and shipping the wrong books. Customers have the option of buying a lot of books that included duplicates.

7-Day Delay In Leaving Negative Feedback – eBay

eBay no longer allows its customers to give negative feedback after an order is received. Customers must wait seven days after the initial purchase. Always give feedback as it helps other consumers avoid bad eBay sellers.

World Of Books USA – eBay Seller

World Of Books USA, another eBay seller, has a 97.4% rating, with 4,754 negative, 5,535 neutral, and 209,755 positive. The seller has a history of snail mail, wrong product descriptions, partial shipment, no response to customer complaints, poor packaging, non-shipment, and more.

WOB has an “F” BBB rating. The complaints are similar to those of eBay customers. The BBB filing shows the seller is based in Sarasota, Florida. It is impossible to validate without a street address.

World of Books Group and AbeBooks are one-in-the-same. A BBB filing shows AbeBooks is located in Victoria, BC V9A 6X5. WOB’s official website shows orders ship within two days of initial purchase. The address is listed as 1209 Orange Street, Wilmington, DE 19801. The tenant is CT Corporation, a registered agent, not WOB. It is possible, WOB is a dropshipper not based in the United States.

WOB is also an Amazon seller.

OSM Worldwide Shipping

World of Books USA utilizes OSM Worldwide Shipping which is extremely slow. Why not utilize USPS or UPS, both of which are much faster?

OSM Worldwide is owned by One Stop Mailing LLC.

BUY AMAZON NEW

We recommend avoiding used booksellers utilizing stock images. There is no guarantee the books will arrive in good condition, arrive at all, or arrive as ordered.

Amazon sells “new” books for a few dollars more or less than used booksellers. Skip the used book scam and buy new, if at all possible. If used is the only option, still buy from Amazon. Amazon’s return policy is seamless.

We conducted a comparison of Amazon’s new book prices with used book prices and remarkably, Amazon was cheaper by $7 in some cases. eBay used book prices are more often than not higher than Amazon’s new book prices. Stock images and inflated prices may be a sign, the seller is dropping shipping from Amazon.

We highly recommend a price comparison before purchasing used books on Amazon and eBay.

FYI: To request a refund, click the “wrong item description” to secure free return shipping.