Amazon offering 8$ for my HP-30B

[Siegfried (Austria)]

Amazon just offered me 8$ if I trade in my HP-30B. I wonder if this is just standard procedure or might be indicative of a shortage (caused by thousands of WP34 enthusiasts ;-o). Should I reply that they will have to pay more as mine is almost a much more valuable WP34?

[Frank Boehm (Germany)]

All these trade-in offers are rip-offs. That is about the friendliest wording I could chose :)

[Chris Smith]

Not all the time. If your item is common, then you won't make anything. If it's rarer, high value or in demand and short supply, then you will get a good deal.

I found 5 Prentice Hall physics and electronics textbooks in a charity shop in London for £1.50 each. Managed to get £22 each on Amazon trade in :)

[Siegfried (Austria)]

Moral question raised: should one donate the profit to charity in this case?

I haven't encountered a good buy-back deal yet and if I ever give away books I usually donate them although the above post makes me think if i should rather well them and donate the proceeds ;-)

[Chris Smith]

One probably should unless one has worked for a large UK charity, for no compensation and watched them pretty much setting fire to piles of cash in the form of consultancy and software licenses...

I usually give books away* myself but the opportunity presented itself in a time of need.

* I stick a big sticker on the front that says "Not for sale, ever. When you have finished, give this to someone else." I'm sure the publishers are probably tying a noose for me somewhere :)

Edited: 13 Apr 2013, 4:49 p.m.

[Siegfried (Austria)]

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One probably should unless one has worked for a large UK charity, for no compensation and watched them pretty much setting fire to piles of cash in the form of consultancy and software licenses...

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I suppose that's a common problem especially for larger charity organizations where the distance between the actual fund-raising and the administration is big enough for the spenders not to know how hard it was to raise the money in the first place.

Quote:

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* I stick a big sticker on the front that says "Not for sale, ever. When you have finished, give this to someone else.

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That's a great idea!

[Dave Shaffer (Arizona)]

What books!?

I have half a gazillion old physics and electronics books. Maybe I should be selling them rather than my old camera lenses on Ebay!

[Chris Smith]

Sorry Pearson - not Prentice Hall. This was the series of books:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Electronics-Fundamentals-Circuits-Devices-Applications/dp/0135096839/

The trade in price has gone down now (probably because I saturated the market :) )