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Read onlyHi there,
Have any other second-hand booksellers noticed that all their Penguin books (and I guess, potentially, other PRH imprints as well) suddenly 'Require Approval' this morning.
Dozens of my listings of second-hand books are being removed as I type this!
The approval process appears to require documents from manufacturers/suppliers etc which is, of course, madness in relation to second-hand books.
After battling this site to sell second-hand books here for about 17 years - this just might be the final nail in the coffin!
Any thoughts or advice on how to deal with this before I jack it all in?
Cheers.
Justin.
Yes I have experienced the same
Interesting fact
I have been approved to sell Penguin books
Do you list elsewhere? If not consider it as another option
Hi Justin,
Thank you for reaching out.
I have addressed your case to partner teams, but I will need you to request approval first as this is an official appeal path.
If you intend to do so, do let me know.
Thanks,
Julia.
Yes, totally agree and it's not legal, no need approval from publishers to sell used books. Nobody needs approval from a publisher to sell a used book.
Is it all Penguin books or just those that come under the 'popular' category?
I find it is often new/newish titles in the bestsellers list that get restricted while older titles with low or no sales ranks get a free pass...
All 7 of our Penguin book listings (all listed as used) now suddenly require approval after being for sale for months!
I have had the same this morning for a railway book, and a couple of Warner classical CDs I have sold for years when you apply to sell asked for invoice for 10 items, all these are used items :(
No permission from the publisher of a second hand book is required under "first sale doctrine", upheld in the US Supreme Court, when a publisher tried to sue a student for buying textbooks in Asia more cheaply and selling them in the US at a higher price (geographical arbitrage). The court ruled that copyright law cannot restrict or require permission of the publisher to resell a legitimately purchased book, wherever it was originally purchased. The publisher already had their money from that imprint of the book so have no claim to rights over the physical asset.
From The Verge: 2013/3/19/4123740/supreme-court-upholds-first-sale-rights-abroad
Has anyone found a solution to this? I opened a case but it was closed immediately because I did not provide sufficient evidence that documents were required from me (I provided screenshots).
Same here. Used books deactivated and require Penguin approval. What is going on.
case ID 9702503972
Does the same rule apply that we need to supply an invoice with 10 items bought to get ungated?