Someone came to my site the other day with the search term "why is Merchants of Deception so pricey." I was surprised to see them.
Hunh? Is it true that free is expensive?
I couldn't figure out what this person was looking for. I am aware that Eric Scheibeler published his book and sold it for a few months after it was first published. He then stated that his website would be closed and that the book would only be available for a couple of more days, for reasons I am not aware of (though I assume it was a decision made by Scheibeler to finally put the Amway nightmare behind him).
I don't remember how much he was charging for the print version, but I believe it was $15 or $20.
Because I already had the free electronic version of Merchants of Deception, I decided not to purchase a copy of the book. Apparently, there was some new information in the print version of the book as well.
So, what is he seeking for that the book is so pricey to begin with? I went to eBay to see what was available. Nope. There's nothing there. I went to Amazon and bought something. Aha! That's it! You got it! There are seven copies available for purchase, with prices ranging from $95.00 to $175.58. Yikes! What the fuck is going on!
An article I read several years ago stated that when Amazon only has one or two copies of a newly released book available and that book is no longer being printed, some book buyers keep an eye out for these books and purchase them in the hopes that there will be a demand for them later on when they are no longer in print. When a book is out of print and no longer available new, merchants who have used copies mistakenly believe they are rare treasures and list them at exorbitantly high prices on their websites. Something similar to what Amway does with its products! They have the right to demand any price they desire. It doesn't necessarily follow that they will obtain it unless there is some sort of cult leader exerting pressure on the downline to purchase.
I'm completely insane over the excessive costs for used books! Particularly considering that the vast majority of the books being sold in Amazon's used book section are novels released within the previous 20 years and selling for $20 or less, and there is nothing particularly unique about them that would justify such a high price. The seller can always hope that someone is frantically looking for a secondhand copy and is willing to spend whatever it takes to get their hands on a piece of history. I can't image spending $100 (or even more!) for a physical book, especially when the book is available for free as an ebook on the internet.
To access the page where you can obtain a free copy of Merchants of Deception, please click here.
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