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Bountiful -> Current Events -> Ebay and Homeschooling
Post Info TOPIC: Ebay and Homeschooling
arbilad


Head Chef

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Ebay and Homeschooling
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Ebay bans teachers edition textbooks

Basically, you can no longer sell teacher's editions of textbooks on eBay. Homeschoolers found out about this rather rudely when eBay starting cancelling their auctions.
There is nothing nefarious, questionable, or illegal about homeschoolers buying and selling teacher's edition textbooks. They are used by the parents in teaching their kids. And the argument mentioned in the article, that textbook companies spend a lot of money on research and such, and thus deserve to get their money's worth, is a bad argument. They've already made their money. Copyright law is being honored. So what if the person who bought the book wants to sell it to someone else? That is totally legal and ethical.
I think that eBay is shooting itself in the foot on this one. Even though I don't get my curiculum or materials through eBay, a lot of homeschoolers do.

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lundbaek


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I assume, then, that you are homeschooling your kids.  Are you or is anybody else having any difficulty getting books and other materials for home schooling?

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arbilad


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This is breaking news, so many people are still reacting to it. We do homeschool, but are unaffected. We get most of our books from the curriculum we bought, Accelerated Achievement. We print the books off of CD. We buy paper at Sam's Club by the crate.
Homeschoolers use eBay for a lot more than books, though. Many buy other study materials there. Come to think of it, I bought my laser printer there, and I was planning to buy a new toner cartridge soon. Now I'll ask my friend at Office Depot if they carry a cartridge compatible with a ten year old laser printer.

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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen!
- Samuel Adams
bokbadok


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There are other venues from which to buy and sell books, i.e. Amazon.com. Is ebay the only one doing this or are others doing it as well?

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Homestar Runner


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Ebay isn't exactly a monopoly here.


These places DO sell teacher's manuals:


Teacher's edition books, not available on eBay, are available here:
http://www.blujay.com
http://www.thislittlepiggystayshome.com
http://www.wagglepop.com
http://auctions.yahoo.com
http://www.bidville.com
http://www.childrensbookmarket.com
http://www.dogatemybook.com
http://www.homeschoolauctions.com
http://www.homeschoolbid.com
http://www.homeschoolclassifieds.com
http://www.ola.com
http://www.overstock.com
http://www.schoolbookauction.com
http://www.schoolbooks4kids.com/
http://www.vegsource.com (Swap Board)



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lineuponline


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thanks HSR!  YAY for competition!  :)


In a way it's like the textbook companies saying, "HA!  Now you can NEVER get rid of our textbooks!  BHAHAHAHAHA!!"



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Cat Herder


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This would almost be upsetting to me (if we were impacted... we don't homeschool and probably never will) if it wasn't so stupid...   


Sounds like to me that e-Bay is giving in to pressure by textbook publishers and the anti-home school elements of the NEA.  How lame... the textbook publishers can't make an aftermarket illegal in a free market, so they are now are effectively doing the next best thing, working at creating a defacto "licensing" agreement for the use of the materials you buy.


Our daughter was assessed a $60 fine for "losing" a textbook this past year at school.  I still don't believe she lost it, I think the school had the wrong bar code attributed to her student ID for the text, because our daughter did turn the book in.  Anyway, the student who had lost her book (who they claim this barcode belonged to) had her fine refunded when our daughter turned it in.  Turns out the text is 8 years old.  They wanted full price for what it would cost to buy it new.  I ended up finding a new, unused copy of it from Half Price Books for $1.49 + about $3 shipping, and I asked the school why they wanted $60 for brand new copy of an 8 year old edition that I found on the internet, from a book store no less, for under $2... the book lady then claimed something lazy like "Well, you can do that, but we can't."  And I thought "Why? Cuz you're lazy and like to waste the money you are given by the taxpayers?"


But, based on what I read here in the article, maybe there is some sort of concerted effort by textbook publishers to create and protect a sort of textbook cartel.  Maybe schools and school districts have to agree to certain terms in order to buy books from the publishers, and the terms are to favor the publisher as opposed to promote an open market and limit the competition of an aftermarket.  Kind of like the pharmacueticals and their fight against generics.


I'd be interested in knowing if anyone could confirm this hypothesis... do we have any "insiders" who are in public education or the textbook publishing industry?



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rayb


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Heh. "Textbook Cartel" Hee hee... nice...


I do think the companies that publish textbooks will have a hard time as much of the information they sell, is now becoming more and more available over the web in all sorts of different formats, including interractive formats.


--Ray



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lineuponline


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Cat Herder wrote:


I'd be interested in knowing if anyone could confirm this hypothesis... do we have any "insiders" who are in public education or the textbook publishing industry?




I think you're on to something.  At minimum, we know it's textbook bureaucrats sucking tax-payer funds and conspiring (with eBay) to keep it that way.


I mean why else do companies hire lawyers? 



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Ye hear of wars in far countries, and you say that there will soon be great wars in far countries, but ye know not the hearts of men in your own land. - D&C 38:29
Cat Herder


Understander of unimportant things

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RE: Ebay and Homeschooling
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Legal Welfare?

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Jen


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My thought is, maybe they're not trying to "stick it" to homeschoolers, as much as trying to keep public school students from buying these books, and therefore having the answer keys.

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salesortonscom


Wise and Revered Master

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Jen wrote:


My thought is, maybe they're not trying to "stick it" to homeschoolers, as much as trying to keep public school students from buying these books, and therefore having the answer keys.


Like that would actually stop kids from trying to cheat the system.  You can buy a piece of burnt toast that looks like the Virgin Mary on ebay but heaven forbid you buy a textbook with answers.  Follow the money on this one folks, I smell a rat.



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rayb


Hot Air Balloon

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usually these things aren't deliberate. They're usually put out there by one organization, say public school teachers, who have had problems... They complain enough... it becomes a "special interest" of sorts, and then they complain to whomever... and that whomever responds... then that whomever ends up revoking the policy if enough folks complain.


--Ray


 



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(Don't take it personally, everyone finds me offensive. Yet somehow I manage to live with myself.)
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