Saturday, November 17, 2007

Scanners at book sales

I frequent library book sales several times a year. I went to one today and noticed that people are carrying around scanners. This isn't new the last several book sales I went to had people with scanners as well. What makes today's different is that the people with scanners out numbered the people who didn't have them.

I dislike scanners. These people are not buying the books to read only judging them on their monetary value. I buy books to read not to sell and because of these scanners and other book hoarders it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find good books at book sales. The hoarders without scanners are worse though for instance at a book sale three weeks ago a person grabbed up every single manga volume without even looking through them. Some of these people are incredibly rude grabbing up a lot of books off of the shelves then taking them to a corner, scanning them, then dropping the rejects on the floor in the corner. Others will shove you out of their way or get a friend to help block off an aisle so that you can't pursue it until they are finished.

While I'm criticizing them, I also understand why they do it. Some books could be sold for hundreds if not thousands of dollars. I don't mind that they buy the books to sell so much as them taking all the good books. If this continues I may stop going to library book sales. With volunteers and their friends cherry-picking, scanners, book hoarders, and the raising price of the books at book sales it seems that it soon won't be worth my time to go.

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