A Valuable Company History Volume

In case you should be so lucky out in the field today, tomorrow or the next day...


Many of the company histories you find out in the field are nothing more than fluffy PR pieces, written by a local author whom the corporation paid to make them look good.

Every once in a while, you come across a lavishly photographed and wonderfully researched comprehensive volume like this one, a history of the McIntosh audio company of Binghamton, NY.

Weighing in at over five pounds with a blue voltmeter illustration on the front, the McIntosh logo on the back and a gold ribbon page marker noticeable along the bottom edge, you'd have to be half-asleep to miss this one.

Any other booksellers with a good company history sale story of late?

I highly recommend becoming familiar with the local industry in your area, and which books are more scarce than others.  I know Boeing and Cessna have a handful of ultra-common company histories, and I have learned the few that are worth bothering with.  Another company local to Andover, Kansas is Vornado, and I have done well with just about anything mentioning their name.

An Essential Cleaning Tool for Booksellers

The Goo Gone Mess-Free Pen

I have been selling books online and in a retail location for nearly ten years, and have always used some variation of Goo Gone (bottle, spray, and now the Goo Gone Mess-Free pen) since I was told of its' quick and effective cleaning properties on the Amazon Seller Discussion Forum.


While Goo Gone certainly should not be used on all types of books (older dustjackets, cloth boards, non-glossy paperbacks, etc.) it has been my favorite liquid of choice for cleaning most newer books through the years. Note: You should always test an unfamiliar surface before using Goo Gone. If the surface mars, discolors or fades, do not continue use.
Most notably, Goo Gone gets rid of sticker and price tag residue in an instant. When used in conjunction with a carefully guided razor blade, it can clean the messiest of dustjackets and covers. I have also successfully used Goo Gone to clean general surface scuffing and markers applied to withdrawn ex-library copies. It works particularly well on cleaning mylar and restoring the original luster to a slightly dusted cover. Be careful not to overuse and apply large amounts, as a small dab of Goo Gone will go a long way.

The benefit of the Goo Gone Mess-Free Pen is that it is capable of quick spot treatment. If you have always used the bottle by dabbing it on paper towels, I seriously suggest that you try the pen instead and see which method you prefer. I think you will find that the pen is much tidier. Have you ever cleaned a book with Goo Gone and then packaged it only to notice that you overused the bottle and it left liquid streaks on your packaging materials? Sure, there will still be instances when you need a larger amount of liquid to clean a larger surface area, but for small spot treatment like sticker residue, the pen works wonders. It is simple to operate (press down the tip to release a small amount of liquid) and comes with a cap to prevent drying.
You can purchase them on Amazon individually or in packs of 3, 6 or even 12. I have yet to see them turn up at a local office supply store. They are not cheap, but can make the difference between being able to describe a book as Good, Very Good, Like New or even Brand New.

I highly recommend the Goo Gone Mess-Free Pen to all online and open shop booksellers. Steer clear of the Goo Gone Sticker Lifter, which I intend to review in the near future.
















I use the bottles, paper towels and razor blades for larger surfaces.  I have heard that this is usually available at your local Dollar store, but I would call first















More Goo Gone than you will ever need:

Gmail Shortcut for Booksellers

Thanks to an excellent LifeHacker article today, I discovered a shortcut to send "Canned Responses" to customers via Gmail.  Here is the complete article, with several other timesaving shortcuts you may want to enable.  P.S.  The LifeHacker daily newsletter has consistenly been THE most helpful and informative email newsletter I have ever received.  I highly encourage anyone operating a web based business to sign up for it.

I previously had all my canned responses saved as a Word Document and would have to open it, copy and paste the text, but now, by simply enabling a Gmail Lab entitled "Canned Responses" and entering my Word Documents into Gmail I can save a few steps and plenty of time in the process.

If you're not already using Gmail, I seriously encourage you to give it a try.  It has more user friendly features than any other Email program I've ever used, along with plenty of interesting bells and whistles.  I have all of my business email (kristian@lowestcostbooks.com) forwarded to my Gmail account so that I can make the most efficient use of some of these features, and more importantly, my time.

If you are currently using Gmail for business, go to the Gmail Labs page and enable "Canned Responses".  You can then begin entering and saving your favorite replies.  Here are some other instances where I use canned responses, with slight modifications:

1.  When an International Shipment hasn't arrived yet and the customer is being a bit impatient.  A polite the book is on its way and should arrive soon type of note usually does the job.

2.  When a customer within the US wants to know where her book is two days after ordering.  Again, a polite response with the necessary tracking information.

3.  When a book has not arrived within the expected timeframe.  This doesn't happen too often, but it does happen.

4.  When a customer is a bit late in paying for an item purchased from my Ebay store via Paypal.  You can also do this via Ebay.

5.  When an International Shipment from an Abe or Ebay order requires extra funds to cover the actual shipping costs, which happens more often now that Economy Surface Letter Post is gone.

6.  When a book is returned by the USPS, a follow up asking for an updated/verifiable address.

7.  A polite request for feedback removal when necessary, such as cases when a customer gives you a 2 out of 5 because they didn't like the ending of a book.

8.  A follow-up email to a repeat customer who may be interested in purchasing additional books directly from my website.

There are a few others I use, but these are the most common, and having them slightly automated has saved me plenty of time in the long run.  Setting this up in your Gmail account shouldn't take too long and will be well worth the trouble.

I will be glad to share a few of my "Canned Responses" in future posts, or via email for any of you who are interested.