Rare Book Monthly

Articles - March - 2007 Issue

Getting "Fulfilled" by Amazon

Fulfillment by Amazon won't be getting my 1793 Franklin autobiography anytime soon.

Fulfillment by Amazon won't be getting my 1793 Franklin autobiography anytime soon.


Bank account information cannot be changed online, and sellers migrating to this new platform will not be able to create auctions.

All products shipped to Amazon must be labeled with a special label that adheres to the book. If you do not want to adhere a label to a book, the book has to be encapsulated (not a very good idea with older material). You cannot create mylar covers "on demand", as each rare book is sold; it has to be sent to Amazon repaired, cleaned, covered, and ready to ship.

If a book is sold through the Amazon site and returned to Amazon, they determine if the book is still in saleable condition. They do not check to see if the book is the same edition and condition as the book that was shipped out. They make the entire determination as to the value of the book and their liability to the seller in the case of damage or loss. I cannot recommend strongly enough that anyone contemplating this program have adequate business insurance.

So, if you are a Pro Merchant seller now, do not be tempted to click on the Upgrade now! button without slowly and seriously reading the fine print on the Click Here to Learn More link first.

Fulfillment by Amazon is of great value to a small publisher, or a seller dealing with new books. Antiquarian booksellers will want to consider their options carefully ahead of time, or, at the very least, wait until the program is more complete before making a decision about it.

Kauai may have to wait.

Renée Magriel Roberts can be reached at renee@roses-books.com.

Rare Book Monthly

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    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
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    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
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    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
    Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
  • Sotheby’s
    Book Week
    December 9-17, 2025
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
    Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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    December 15, 2025
    Heritage, Dec. 15: John Donne. Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death. London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.
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    Heritage, Dec. 15: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tender is the Night. A Romance.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Bram Stoker. Dracula. Westminster: Archibald Constable & Co., 1897.
    Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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