Script books via Amazon POD -Scam?

[Ubik]

Something just cropped up via Reddit about Vols 1-14 of the original script books being available on Amazon's Print on Demand Service. I know B5 Books have been selling via Amazon, but surely this has to be a scammer selling these at $250 a pop? Otherwise, it'd be in very bad taste!

https://www.amazon.com/Babylon-Scrip...dp/1630770051/

Anyone got the skinny on this?

[Apsu]

B5Books have put on print-on-demand the Crusade books and Encounters with JMS, i think I posted about this months ago.
I ordered my Encounters book at that occasion and it was perfectly legit.
I can confirm as a frequent Amazon user that those books you are linking ARE also print-on-demand books... but same as you Ubik... if it's legit... the price is just... wow.
And isn't the script books were supposed to be a limited and never to be reprinted ?
I would be very surprised if it was B5Books that did that without any prior communication to the fans...

[b5historyman]

Well, if this is legitimate, I would be bloody annoyed having shelled out for something that was supposed to be a limited run collectors item.

[Jan]

Something just cropped up via Reddit about Vols 1-14 of the original script books being available on Amazon's Print on Demand Service. I know B5 Books have been selling via Amazon, but surely this has to be a scammer selling these at $250 a pop? Otherwise, it'd be in very bad taste!

https://www.amazon.com/Babylon-Scrip...dp/1630770051/

Anyone got the skinny on this?

Curious as to where it says anything about being Print On Demand? Anyway, I sent the link to Captain Jaclyn to ask her.

[Ubik]

Curious as to where it says anything about being Print On Demand? Anyway, I sent the link to Captain Jaclyn to ask her.

It's produced by Amazon, and you can order as many copies as you like. It looks a LOT like POD from the product details.

[Apsu]

I asked Amazon Customer Service by chat earlier today after reading that post about the script book series,
since they are the seller and the one shipping the items, and they answered me that it is an official product of the mentionned publisher.
I feared it might have been a scam or a counterfeit, and they said to me that these were not. So I guess, that is a relief for the script books on this part, and this is not a scam.

[Ubik]

I asked Amazon Customer Service by chat earlier today after reading that post about the script book series,
since they are the seller and the one shipping the items, and they answered me that it is an official product of the mentionned publisher.
I feared it might have been a scam or a counterfeit, and they said to me that these were not. So I guess, that is a relief for the script books on this part, and this is not a scam.

I think it's less of a relief, and far more of a serious problem, especially if it has been established we are not dealing with a scammer selling these. If this is indeed the case, then we're looking at some promises to the fan community being broken, and in a very exploitative way. If this all checks out, then I'm deeply deeply unimpressed.

[ScriptsTeam]

Hey Everyone,
Thank you for letting us know about this issue. Scary. Our attorneys are on it. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] -- Captain Jaclyn

[Ubik]

Hey Everyone,
Thank you for letting us know about this issue. Scary. Our attorneys are on it. Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] -- Captain Jaclyn

Hope you get to the bottom of it. Surprised to see bootleg copies out there.

[Looney]

WOW! Can't wait to hear how this turns out.

[Jan]

WOW! Can't wait to hear how this turns out.

I doubt if you will. It's not really any of our business. Though it might be entertaining to hear of a Harlan-esque smashing, mightn't it?

BTW, Looney, I think all the emojis work now.

[Looney]

I'm not sure I was having any emoji issues.

And yeah it is our business because we are the who possibly supported the scam. And we are people who paid for limited release books that were being made widely available through other means.

[Apsu]

I'm imagining Lyta Alexander barging into Amazon offices...

I don't know who's been saying these things, but I want you to know, that when we get back I am gonna sue somebody. I don't know who and I don't know how, but by God, I am gonna sue somebody!

[Jan]

I'm not sure I was having any emoji issues.

Ah, I thought I remembered that some of them weren't working and you were feeling...stifled.

And yeah it is our business because we are the who possibly supported the scam. And we are people who paid for limited release books that were being made widely available through other means.

It's only our business insofar as being told that it's being handled. How the rack and thumbscrews are applied are up to the 'pain technicians'. And I'm sorry, but at $250 each, I cannot in any way think of that as being 'widely available'.

Personally, I'd love to see the books re-issued in e-book form.

[Ubik]

Personally, I'd love to see the books re-issued in e-book form.

I'd be happy to see that too. Having the content available to fans at a reasonable price would help combat chancers / scammers like this.

Plus, if we're being realistic about this, the collectable / limited aspect of the books really doesn't matter too much anymore when they are fairly cheaply available on the second hand market. They are far from an investable product these days. Value has dropped massively since release. But, a promise is a promise. It could perhaps be argued that eBooks are a different format entirely and it doesn't take away from the hard copy being a one off collectable for those who like hard copy books.

I think it was more the price gouging and seemingly unlimited stock aspect that got my goat.