| What is a book scout? | | | | input the ISBN number or manually type it in. This |
| A book scout is someone that is searching for books | | | | kind of book scouting service is real time information |
| typically for resale or for trading in for other books. | | | | directly from Amazon's database. That is the big |
| A typical book scout is someone that visits book | | | | advantage of this service. The disadvantage though |
| sales, bookstores, yard sales, thrift stores, etc to | | | | is because you either have to lug around a laptop to |
| "scout" for books. Before the advent of online | | | | your sales or you have to have a cell phone with an |
| bookselling, a book scout was someone that would | | | | Internet connection wherever you are. I know I have |
| drive around to the local book stores and make deals | | | | been in some remote places where I had no Internet |
| with the book store owners, trade in some books | | | | connection at all and this definitely did not help me at |
| and take those books to another dealer that was | | | | all! |
| looking for them. He would upsell the dealer and | | | | The second kind of book scouting service is the |
| make some profit in the mean time. Now, with online | | | | offline kind. This usually consists of a website that |
| bookselling, the book scout has came onto a more | | | | you go to on your computer at home to download |
| generic term as anyone that is going out in search of | | | | software and install it onto your cell phone or PDA. It |
| books to sell either online or offline. You will notice a | | | | also includes much of Amazon's database of titles, |
| book scout at a library sale, for example, with one of | | | | prices and ISBN numbers. With this method you can |
| those scanners, cell phones or PDAs, scanning books. | | | | look up books very quickly due to the fact that the |
| They are using book scouting services! | | | | information is local to your PDA or cell phone. The |
| What is a book scouting service? | | | | disadvantage to this is because the information can |
| Book scouting services are services that are usually | | | | sometimes be dated. It all depends on when you |
| either installed on a cell phone or PDA that houses | | | | originally downloaded the database onto your |
| Amazon's database of books with prices or is a | | | | computer or how often the service actually |
| streamlined website that provides access to | | | | refreshes itself from Amazon. |
| Amazon's database. It is software that you can use | | | | Do you really need a book scouting service? |
| out in the field that lets you either scan a book's | | | | The answer to this question is yes and no. Yes |
| ISBN number or manually type it in to see exactly | | | | because it gives you excellent information when you |
| how much that book is going for on Amazon at the | | | | are out scouting for books and allows you to make |
| time. Depending on if the software is offline or online, | | | | more informed buying decisions. No because it can |
| it can be real time information! This is invaluable | | | | sometimes be pricey and if you are a casual seller, it |
| information to know because you will never make a | | | | probably won't be worth it. You can spend thousands |
| bad decision on what books to buy! | | | | of dollars on a wireless scanner, PDA, software and |
| Types of book scouting services | | | | the monthly service itself. The costs add up very |
| There are two different types of book scouting | | | | quickly with this type of service, but if you are a full |
| services. The first one is an online service. This type | | | | time online bookseller and make thousands of dollars |
| of service gives you a webpage to go to that you | | | | a month at this, it is most likely a necessity for you. |
| can either scan in the barcode with you scanner to | | | | |