|
|
Post by linda72 on May 21, 2019 18:35:32 GMT
I bought a paperback book on Amazon back in December. Yesterday, the author of the book issued a warning on her FB page that her book was being sold on Amazon and that was a pirated copy and she was not being paid for it. I had no idea this was a thing. She said that if a 3rd party seller was listed as an option, do NOT buy that one because it's not her copy. I went back to my orders and saw that the copy I bought was fulfilled from Amazon Digital. That was a pirated copy. I got the book but the author did not get paid for it. What? That certainly doesn't seem fair and Amazon is aware of this issue.
The author said: "So, if there is a 3rd party seller in the buy box, make sure to click on the "Other sellers on Amazon" and choose AMAZON."
Legitimate ebook distributers like iBooks, Kindle, Nook, Scribd, and Kobo are always fine.
Also, never buy ANY copies on eBay. Unless they are selling a used copy, any they sell on eBay as "new" or as a pdf or ebook are FAKE. No new paperbacks, ebooks, or pdfs on eBay are legitimate. The Kindle and audio versions are fine. It's only the paperback that can be a problem.
Did you know this was a problem? Now I also wonder about things sold on Amazon. I've read reviews on other products where the buyer says this item is fake and not to buy it.
Why won't Amazon address this problem?
|
|
|
|
Post by DotRen on May 21, 2019 19:31:34 GMT
I would think, if reported, Amazon would deal with it since they're big about copyright infringement.
Of course so many books, especially recipe and weight loss, are just people stealing recipes from blogs and putting them together in ebook form.
|
|
|
|
Post by knuckles491 on May 21, 2019 20:06:40 GMT
Amazon sells hundreds of self-published digital books that are bogus. Horribly written, full of wrong information, and with many fake reviews. You have to laugh at the fake reviews...they all seem to be written by the same person, or robot. So many Freestyle books with terrible recipes and completely wrong point values. All “written” by people with generic names. Amazon allows it.
|
|
|
|
Post by DotRen on May 21, 2019 20:08:06 GMT
knuckles491, I love the repeat reviews, all written in the same syntax, using the same misspelled words and phrasing lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by zazzles on May 21, 2019 21:08:20 GMT
Why won't Amazon address this problem? Amazon DOES address this problem. They allow sellers such as the person you describe to create a “brand” and restrict who, of anyone, can sell it besides them. As a used book seller via our Library I can tell you that we get legitimate articles rejected all the time because of Amazon’s various policies; it often seems as Amazon colludes with authors and companies to artificially inflate the market for their goods by restricting the selling of used copies—a right granted to first-time buyers by copyright law. Frankly, I think it totally inappropriate for an author or a distributor to directly contact buyers to issue a warning such as this. It seems to bypass all of Amazon’s safeguard systems AND violates many Amazon policies about misuse of buyer’s personal information. |
|
|
|
Post by linda72 on May 21, 2019 21:48:01 GMT
zazzles, thank you for the explanation. I don't know if the seller knows about this Amazon policy (I'm sure she must) . When I googled this question earlier, I found many authors discussing this so I'm not sure why they don't restrict. Thanks again. I new these boards were a wealth of knowledge!
|
|
|
|
Post by hallian on May 22, 2019 0:44:03 GMT
I'm confused. Are you talking about eBooks only or used books that people resell?
|
|
|
|
Post by linda72 on May 22, 2019 2:03:20 GMT
hallian, no these are only new print books.
|
|
|
|
Post by hallian on May 22, 2019 2:21:25 GMT
So new printed books are being sold black market on Amazon? How? Are they copying and reprinting them? I'm sorry to sound so stupid, but I don't know how this happens or even how I would recognize a pirated book.
|
|
|
|
Post by linda72 on May 22, 2019 3:14:29 GMT
hallian, what I understand is when you buy a new book on Amazon, check before buying that you are buying directly from Amazon and not from a 3rd party seller. There are often different sites selling the same book. Authors don't get paid for their book if it comes from a 3rd party seller. I'm not exactly sure how this works and Mike explained the author can prevent this from happening by restricting sellers. When I googled this issue earlier today, I read about other authors having the same problem. It also seems to be an issue with college text books. Here is one site I read: pirated books
|
|
|
|
Post by zazzles on May 22, 2019 15:06:33 GMT
hallian , what I understand is when you buy a new book on Amazon, check before buying that you are buying directly from Amazon and not from a 3rd party seller. There are often different sites selling the same book. Authors don't get paid for their book if it comes from a 3rd party seller. I'm not exactly sure how this works and Mike explained the author can prevent this from happening by restricting sellers. When I googled this issue earlier today, I read about other authors having the same problem. It also seems to be an issue with college text books. Here is one site I read: pirated books There are multiple issues wrapped up in this. I will try to explain it as I know it. First: any original work can be copyrighted by the author or creator; that includes books in all forms, movies released in any form etc. Second: copyright law permits an author/publisher to control a work through what is called the right of first sale. That means that if you print something, sell it (whether directly or throuh a distributor) to a buyer, your right to control the sale ends. The person who buys it may resell it at will. Third: there is a murky area with Amazon in that sellers of books can sell them ranked as used in a variety of conditions or as new. I have personally bought books from Amazon ranked as new that could not, in fact, have been now; there have been books with notes, marks, etc. And I’ve written to Amazon about the sale of those WW cookbooks sold exclusively in “studios” which could not possibly be new (never before sold) when sold by 3rd parties. Amazon doesn’t seem to care. In summary: if someone buys a book and resells it on amazon as new, it does not mean that it is a pirated copy; it most often means that it is really “Used—like new.” Amazon could solve this problem by refusing to enable anyone to list items as “new” unless they submit a business license from their state’s sales tax authority showing they are a registered, tax-paying business, and paperwork showing that they have a relationship with at least one wholesale distributor of books. Why do I care: I care because an issue like this, raised by an individual author or publisher and without complete investigation and disclosure, could poison the minds of millions of buyers and negatively affect the sales of and income from used books by hundreds of thousands of legitimate used book sellers. |
|
|
|
Post by hallian on May 22, 2019 17:48:14 GMT
zazzles, Thanks. That's a really good explanation.
|
|
|
|
Post by fullmahina on May 22, 2019 20:42:52 GMT
There are plenty of counterfeit items sold on Amazon by third party sellers. I bought two items (a manual can opener and a face cream) that were obviously fakes and since then I've been more careful. You will see a lot of reviews, especially of electronic accessories, where people who bought the items will write reviews warning that the item is a counterfeit. Yes, the item will be stamped with a Samsung or Apple logo but when you get it the item is so obviously a piece of phony crap. AFAIK Amazon doesn't do anything but it seems to let the negative reviews stay up there. It's basically caveat emptor. Not quite where the OP was going with her post but to boil it down, don't trust Amazon. I had another experience where I bought something and later went to the manufacturer's website and saw that it was about 30% cheaper from the manufacturer. I contacted them and they said yes, it was, but Amazon charges them fees so they have to pass it on to the buyer. This was not a "free shipping" item so I really felt cheated. Oh well...live and learn.  |
|
|
|
Post by hallian on May 24, 2019 17:34:13 GMT
I love Amazon. I'll just be careful what I buy and read reviews like I have always done.  They are great with returns.
|
|
|
|
Post by DotRen on May 25, 2019 12:11:47 GMT
fullmahina, I use a lot of OXO products in the kitchen for their easy grip. I've run across counterfeits, too - one was a little manual spiralizer that was nothing like the picture (the photo on the ad was an actual OXO one).
|
|
