Category Archives: Bookselling

Amazon Marketplace and VAT

Posted on March 21, 2017 by G. A. Michael Sims

Amazon Marketplace sellers registered for VAT are missing a trick by not saying so. I sell books and I am registered for VAT. Because books are zero rated I don’t have to charge VAT but because I am registered I … Continue reading →

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Let’s abolish stock images

Posted on January 6, 2015 by G. A. Michael Sims

The older I get the more grumpy I become about ‘stock images’. When buying second-hand books on the internet I like to be able to read an accurate description, which includes details of all the faults, and also view an … Continue reading →

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Historical Lowestoft lithograph

Posted on November 28, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

I was very tempted with this today. Lot no. 2 in Key’s auction of East Anglian Art at Aylsham was described as a mid-19th Century hand-coloured lithograph, after J. Reid and engraved by F. Jones, a ‘View of the New … Continue reading →

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Lost in transit – to track or not to track?

Posted on November 28, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

Richard Moffatt, of Poor Richard’s Books just ‘down the road’ from me at Felixstowe writes in this week’s Sheppard’s Confidential: “I recently sent, by surface mail, two modern first editions, signed, and collectable, to a buyer in China. They never … Continue reading →

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Edward Seago and Pegasus

Posted on September 30, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

Recently I was privileged to be able to visit the Dutch House, the home and studio of the artist Edward Seago at Ludham in Norfolk. For those unfamiliar with him Edward Seago was born in Norwich, the younger son of … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Book stock, Books, East Anglia, Illustrators, Lowestoft & District, Military History, World War 2 | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Royal Mail – Visible economy shipping please!

Posted on September 1, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

Booksellers (and book-buyers), do you have customers (or relations) in Iraq, Iran, India or Pakistan? If so when you agree to ship using Royal Mail’s ‘International Economy’ (the old Surface mail), look up the rates on Royal Mail’s ‘Price-finder’ and … Continue reading →

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Primary Source Edition

Posted on July 22, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

I recently bought a book on Ebay which the seller had described as a ‘primary source edition’. In the area of military history it was a well-known title, ‘The Secret War 1939-1945’ by Gerald Pawle, an account of a department … Continue reading →

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Cataloguing ‘The Time of My Life’

Posted on June 20, 2014 by G. A. Michael Sims

I didn’t set out to read this autobiography, subtitled ‘A Frontier Doctor in Alaska’, from cover to cover but in cataloguing it I just got hooked. First published in 1943 the author, Harry C.  de Vighne, presented a collection of … Continue reading →

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Right Hearty Greetings!

Posted on December 23, 2013 by G. A. Michael Sims

We internet booksellers spend much of our time in cataloguing, that is examining and describing the books that we have for sale, and a diligent cataloguer will always riffle through the book to make sure firstly that all pages (and … Continue reading →

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Book Sale update

Posted on December 21, 2013 by G. A. Michael Sims

As a result of the book sale a cheque for £445.08, two thirds of the proceeds, was presented to Angie Buxton-King, the principal fund raiser for the East Coast Hospice at their London Road North charity shop in Lowestoft, on … Continue reading →

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