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Usually, shopping for used items vs. new items is a no-brainer, especially for durable goods. However, something I saw on Amazon.com today presents something of a conundrum.

Over the last year I have worked with my Little (I'm a Big Brother) to increase both his enjoyment of reading and the breadth of subjects that he reads about. We have visited libraries, library book sales, the Kiwanis Club's book trade program, etc. Throughout all of it his favorite things to read by far were a pair of out-of-print "Choose Your Own Adventure" books.

Those books were also a favorite of mine when I was his age (11/12) and their re-readability is their claim to fame. My Little tends to read them about 8 times each, winding his way through each possible storyline.

His birthday is coming up next month and I thought it would be great to get him the 3 original box sets of 4 Choose Your Own Adventure books each. I could not find them on CraigsList but I located several sets on Amazon.com. I was surprised to see that the books are enjoying a second printing so Amazon offers new sets alongside the used sets from their resellers.

This is where things get tricky. Since the used sets all come from different resellers the shipping is a flat rate of $4 per box set. This brings the total to $52 for the 3 used sets. But if I buy new sets from Amazon they all combine to meet the threshold for free shipping, making the total for all 3 just $50.

Save $2 by buying new instead of used. Hmph. :confused:

So this is where what I call the "microarguments" start. Both the new and used books have already been printed, both were packaged at one time and both will have to be shipped to me. Either way will come via the USPS though the new ones will come at a lower priority both at Amazon and with the USPS, perhaps giving them a bit of a greener edge as they will just go when an employee has time and a truck has room that would otherwise be wasted versus forcing a delivery schedule (as much as one can force the USPS, that is) for the used ones.

Buying new will help the book line remain in print for children of future ages to enjoy. Buying used keeps more trees from being used for future runs and helps keep the used book market flowing through Amazon.com. The new sets should come in 1 box while the used ones will come in 3 separate packages.

There is simply no clear winner in my mind.

I like the "new" option for gifts. But that's just me. I'm sure your Little knows about how you feel, so any gift from you would be very meaningful. Good luck on your decision.

Since "NEW" is an option, i would go for NEW as well.
I loved those books and was not aware they are "comming back".
the books are printed already - both will be shipped - so your argument on which one is GREENER is, at least in my mind, a tie.

Although - having a used set kind-of adds some mystery to it.. wou COULD end up going down a story line the previous owner never read...

Steve

My only comment is:

What condition are the used books in?

I love going to the corner used book store, but I am hesitant to buy a used book online.

Too often, in the used book arena, you pay more for 1st edition (sometimes way too much, especially for first printing). If you are worried about this kind of thing, stray marks, bent pages, even missing pages, all of these can bring the value down drastically. Buying through Amazon helps this some, but it still leaves me hesitant. I only buy used books online if they are out of print and I can't get them locally.

An example from Amazon. A used 1st edition Advanced D&D Dungeon Master's Guide varies from $5.36 to $499.00.

Brian,
Let him decide, it will give him a chance to make some adult decisions that don't have a clear right or wrong answer and he can "choose his own adventure" without knowing the end result is his books if you don't tell him until he opens his present.

I think it's great that you give your time and love to someone young who really appreciates it. Your a real hero. Good job and thank you. :D - Dale

I would think buying new would save a little bit of fuel.
instead of several shipments coming from everywhere.
It comes from one place and hence one truck.

Though you could argue those trucks were coming that way in the first place.

I guess I just love the smell of new books.

This is actually a tough call. Is there any reason to think the older books are sturdier??Are they made/PRINTED in the USA??

I would be tempted to go new also-unless there was some reason-sturdier or printed in the USA vs printed overseas- to buy used. The printed in the USA could be a big factor for me.I wouldn't mind paying a bit more for made it the USA- the extra money is paid to the higher wages here,and there isn't the overseas shipping which means lots of fuel to get it here.

In the early 1960's I was in a Catholic grade school. The library was tiny.Someone must have donated a book series called"The Motor Boys " it was about teens who went on car, boat, powered balloons, submarines adventures -circa 1920's??- They were far removed from my world, but I got a huge kick out of these books.They made me love reading. Guess these are 2000's versions of them.

Charlie

From a (former) used bookseller's viewpoint: online used book sales are tricky, just because some booksellers don't describe the condition of the book honestly; others just don't describe book conditions well. If you can see a reliable seller rating, used books have a little more charm (esp. the Choose Your Own Adventure books; I read my older brothers' hand-me-downs).

Go for the new books with free shipping.

"Saving the trees" is a bad argument. Paper is made from trees planted for the purpose, cut and replaced. Saving them is as important as saving your grass by not mowing it. And when you make more paper, you're sequestering carbon that was taken out of the air by the trees. (Until the paper's burned or decomposed.)

Thank you all for your feedback and ideas. :)

I was mistaken on the totals. Once I actually selected the free shipping on Amazon.com the price for the new sets dropped all the way down to $40. This means it was $12 cheaper ($52 versus $40) to buy the new sets.

Both the old and new sets were printed here in the U.S. so buying new became the clear winner. I'm still having difficulty wrapping my head around that one.

Go for the new books with free shipping.

"Saving the trees" is a bad argument. Paper is made from trees planted for the purpose, cut and replaced. Saving them is as important as saving your grass by not mowing it. And when you make more paper, you're sequestering carbon that was taken out of the air by the trees. (Until the paper's burned or decomposed.)
I wish all of that were accurate but the sad fact is that most trees that are cut down are not replaced. The most recent statistics I've read say that less than 30% are re-seeded, and many areas (including some in North America) still allow clear cutting. It also takes a tremendous amount of energy to produce paper, and chlorine is the most common bleaching agent.

By the way, my grass trimmings are the main component of my compost, which is in turn used to fertilize the garden, ornamentals and lawn. So, in effect, I do save my grass. ;)

BailOut,

Here's what you missed:
The environmental and $ impact of shipping the used books from several different locations vs simply shipping all 3 from one location.
Also, bear in mind that the per-unit cost and volume of shipping material goes down as the order size gets larger, until you get to the 40 lb mark.

on edit:
If you'd been ordering from used booksellers with stock 'Fulfilled by Amazon' you may have observed different results.
Incidentally, the eco-minded may wish to consider ordering from either
Biblio
or
Betterworldbooks

as the first has standard carbon-neutral shipping and the second one provides carbon-neutral shipping as an option on check-out.

Not meaning to pick a fight, but how in the world do you ship something in a carbon neutral fashion? I don't think that is possible in the USA- or anywhere else except somewhere that uses hydro or nuke(or wind) electricity to drive their trains?

I would think delivering it with all electric vehicle with the electricity produced by a NUKE, or maybe hydro or wind-would be very, very low net CO2 production, but I can't think of any that would produce zero net CO2?
Some biomass fueled vehicles-ethanol or oil from something other than corn- maybe grown with the gases from a coal fired plant.



How does that work?
Charlie

Not meaning to pick a fight, but how in the world do you ship something in a carbon neutral fashion? I don't think that is possible in the USA- or anywhere else except somewhere that uses hydro or nuke(or wind) electricity to drive their trains?

I would think delivering it with all electric vehicle with the electricity produced by a NUKE, or maybe hydro or wind-would be very, very low net CO2 production, but I can't think of any that would produce zero net CO2?
Some biomass fueled vehicles-ethanol or oil from something other than corn- maybe grown with the gases from a coal fired plant.



How does that work?
Charlie
They participate in carbon offset programs.

For birthdays and Christmas, I always buy new. There's that new video game / dvd / book smell after you rip off the plastic. I don't know but I'd never give anyone a used book, game, or movie unless they weren't close family.

Usually it's cheaper to buy used than new, unless you get the free shipping from Amazon. That $4 per book shipping charge adds up.

For birthdays and Christmas, I always buy new. There's that new video game / dvd / book smell after you rip off the plastic. I don't know but I'd never give anyone a used book, game, or movie unless they weren't close family...

I do know of several situations where I would give a used book. However, that would be where the book is a collector's item.

No longer in print, early edition, early printing. Some reason for it to be worth more than the new one.

For those who like to read but do not want a huge personal library.
you can check out www (dot) paperbackswap (dot) com
my wife has used this for about a year.
you list 5 books you own and recieve "credits" you can use to request other books.
the more books you list the more credits you can recieve.

with over a year of usage, we have not recieved ANY books we consider in "Poor" condition - some were well used but not damaged at all.

Wife will request a book - read it - then relist it - so we do not really ever run out of credits..

Steve

I wish all of that were accurate but the sad fact is that most trees that are cut down are not replaced. The most recent statistics I've read say that less than 30% are re-seeded, and many areas (including some in North America) still allow clear cutting.

I don't think you're speaking of pulpwood.

Bailout

Thanks.I thought that might be it. I'm of two minds in respect to carbon offsets- better than nothing,I guess.

Thanks
Charlie