[Groop] OT: Book donations (was Library Saga Update)

[Shmuel Ross]

On Wed, 12 Nov 2003, C Haxton wrote:

> Bad news time: what difference do you suppose there is between fair
> market value and the '12 cents' the only apparent willing buyer will pay
> ...  Yup. none.  That's essentially the definition of fair market value.
> It had nothing to to do with *fair-ness*.

This being in reply to:

>   Plus, with my college textbooks, I actually come out ahead since, on
> my taxes, I can deduct the fair market value rather than being paid 12
> cents for it by the university bookstore during book buyback.

   This would be true if, in fact, "the university bookstore" were "the
only apparent willing buyer."  Which is generally not the case.  Nor does
the bookstore generally go on to sell the books to others for the "12
cents."  The bookstore just counts on students not wanting to go through
the bother of trying to sell books to other students on their own (through
campus matching services, or Half.Com), and therefore is willing to offer
only a pittance.  I tend to go the Half.Com route myself, but it's
admittedly a bit of a hassle.  But to claim that university bookstores
really do offer anything resembling fair market value -- that is, what you
can get for used books anywhere else -- suggests that you haven't sold
books back to university bookstores anytime recently.

   Shmuel
-- 
"No passion in the world is equal to the passion |:| Shmuel Ross
 to alter someone else's draft."  -- H.G. Wells  |:| Boston, Massachusetts