Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Be careful when ordering Applewoods at Amazon!

Last week, I decided to buy a few Applewood editions of The Hardy Boys. I have a complete set of the Nancy Drews, and love the volumes and the way they display on the shelf. In addition, they are increasingly becoming more collectible, and they are a good investment. Perusing Abe Books or even Amazon, one sees Applewood Nancy's for 85.00 and up. The Hardy Boys volumes are a little more accesible, so I decided to get a set completed before they too become hard to find and fairly expensive.

I went to Amazon, and pulled up several volumes. Some were still available through Amazon direct, and some through online book dealers using the Amazon Marketplace. Click on the cover art for the Applewood edition of "The Mark on the Door" featured on Amazon.
If you look at the Marketplace dealers there seem to be many. A company called Any_Book shows that they are selling a copy for 7.07 new. I should have been suspicious, but I was on the right page, and generally Amazon is reliable.
Imagine my surprise when my copy arrived yesterday and it was just a Flashlight edition I could have bought at WalMart. I contacted the company immediately, and they apologized, saying there must have been a mix up at their factory. They said I could send the item back for a full refund, something I intend to do.
So check before you buy, and be wary of low priced items. It seems when prices are too good to be true, they often are!!

4 comments:

  1. Just found your blog and your making it hard for me to sleep tonight. Like a kid in a candy store especially over Bobbsey Twins. Loved them as a kid, and love them 50 years later.

    I just remember they were written for their time, not this time.

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  2. Fun! I'm glad you like- I've been busy the last week, but have several additions to be posted in the next few days... Stay tuned!

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  3. Jack, I just stumbled upon your blog and I love it. I collect Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews.
    I've been trying unsuccessfully to complete my Hardy Applewood set and am missing only one title -- The Mark on the Door.
    Any ideas where I might can find a copy at a reasonable price? I would be willing to pay up to $100.
    Thanks,
    Andy

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  4. I had a similar experience buying Applewood editions on eBay. One seller had a copy of The Shore Road Mystery listed at a very low price. What I received was indeed an Applewood edition but it was missing the dust jacket despite the description showing it to be present. The seller apologized for the mixup and refunded my money without requiring me to return the book.

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