[PLUG-TALK] help at powells.com: Re: Huge label on used book ordered online

[Keith Lofstrom]

On Mon, Dec 10, 2012 at 05:38:34PM -0800, Denis Heidtmann wrote:
> I appreciate Powells frank reply, and their recommendation.  However,
> I take exception to "We also don't have the ability to request that
> they aren't applied..."  They do have that ability.  I wonder if they
> have done so.  If a rash of ordered books got returned because of the
> label, who knows what would happen.  I also what would happen if the
> order stipulated "no labels".

The process is highly automated.  For low-cost items such as books,
robots talk to robots, and while the ability of "we" could include
the programmers who write the interfaces, in this case the people
doing the day-to-day work don't have much "ability" to communicate. 
The time Powells spent sending me an informative email far
outstrips any profit they made on the sale, recompense or not.
There's room for procedural improvement, but they made amends.

I did not include the entire exchange.  I posted to this list
(and others) not because Powells is evil scum, but because
customers with expectations like ours should be aware of the
implications of "partner warehouse" in a Powells product
description.  The condition of the book was listed as "student
owned", which implies underlining and highlighting and margin
notes;  in some cases, I find those useful and even charming. 

I asked Powells to make changes to their online description
of these books.  If a particular upstream vendor is known
for gynormous labels, the partner warehouse definition or the
book condition description should acknowledge that.  These
defaced books are a couple of dollars cheaper.  To starving
students (literally so, for some overseas customers), the
defacement is acceptable.  That's why Powells includes them
in their stock.  However, other Powells customers are entitled
to a better understanding of potential defects, perhaps so
they can purchase more expensive copies instead.

----
 
> I find that most adhesives used for such labels are soluble in paint
> thinner.  I do not know about the ink used on the paperback cover.

Some solvents remove paperback cover ink just dandy. :-( 

I buy many used books that start life as library books (Thrift
Books in Seattle sells many surplus books from King County 
Library, and the Title Wave in Northwest Portland the same for
Multnomah County).  I am accustomed to removing library labels,
usually from book jackets or spines, and recently the RFID tags
from inside surplus MultCo bestsellers ( 0.5 to 2 years old,
$1.50 each, whotta bargin!).   Libraries often wrap their
paperbacks in an extra layer of clear adhesive plastic, making
labels easy to peel off while leaving fine looking covers.

The label in question was not applied by librarians, who love
their books, but by scoundrels using war surplus submarine
hull patches.  This label resisted my usual arsenal of label
removing potions, and the sterner stuff took off ink, too. 
I did not try alkahest.  The annoying aspect of this label
was partly its size, but mostly its adhesive tenacity.  I
want some - I could patch driveway cracks and pressure
hoses with them.  But I don't want them on my books.

----
By the way;

The book in question was Besson and Maurer's "Patent Failure",
a economic-legal-academic discussion of the differences between
patents and property, laden with economic and court-case
statistics on the effect of patents on invention and innovation. 
The authors are not anti-patent like I am, but they do carefully
point out serious and specific problems with the current process
(especially as applied to software and business methods) which I
will find very useful in discussions with collaborators and
business associates.  Most people think of patents as valuable
properties that spew revenue, rather than licenses to make
expensive legal attacks on other innovators, with uncertain
outcome and great loss of time and honor among colleagues. 

I could go on, but let's use a different subject line for that.

I was actually hoping for some margin notes from a law student,
helping me negotiate the material, and get a little insight into
how a future patent lawyer thinks (Finding out after they graduate
costs hundreds of dollars an hour).  No such luck, just a gynormous
label on the back, with lettering that could be read from orbit, 
covering author contact information leading to more answers.

Keith

-- 
Keith Lofstrom          keithl at keithl.com         Voice (503)-520-1993