Tuesday, April 26, 2005
Free Books and Movies
Here is a great scam with no risk. I had the idea for it while at a thrift store looking at the books they had. I was surprised at how many books they had in great condition. I've come to notice that there are often books being sold cheap in thrift stores that are still being sold in new bookstores! If you find one in good condition*, buy it from the thrift store and "return" it to a chain-store for store credit**. Thrift store books typically cost a dollar and when you return a book at a chain store it's typically $15-$25 in store credit. Nice deal! It sure beats the risky 5-finger-discount method. Since you are a "paying customer", you can browse around normally and LEGALLY pay for your books (or movies, etc.) with the little card (of store credit) they give you. You don't even have to buy anything at the same time, the card works just like a gift card. Merry Christmas!
*On finding good thrift store books:
Only get books in excellent condition. Stay away from hardcover fiction unless you are sure the book is still being printed in hardcover. A chain store wont take a book that they don't sell anymore. Check the date the book was published, the newer the better. Also check when the thrift store recieved the book. They often put a little sticker on the book with a date on it. Now that you have an inventory of books to exchange go online to the store's website which you plan on returning the books to. Look up the books and make sure they still sell them and that they are the same edition (ie: paperback vs. hardback, revised editions, etc.). You are bound to have some books that the chain stores no longer sell. Don't worry, take those books to all the used-bookstores you can think of. They might turn pass on taking some of them, but ones you can't get rid of should just be tried at another used-bookstore. The used-bookstore will ask if you want cash or store-credit for your books. Get store credit, it you get cash they will give you only 2/3 the money you would get if you opted for credit. Now, use your store credit for find a cheap book (in good condition) that you know they still sell at the chain-stores. This should be extremely easy. Now just take those books you got from the used-bookstore to the chain-stores as well. If you have enough money and don't want to spend the time, you can always just skip the thrift-store part and buy a used-bookstore book to "return" to the chain store. But, I reccomend checking out the thrift stores first; even if you only find one book you can use, it is worth it because thrift store books are so cheap. (I know somebody who found a thrift store book worth $29 once and during in one week using two visits to thrift stores they made $80+ in store credit!)
**On "returning" books:
Make sure the book you are returning is being sold at the store you are returning it to! Then take the book inside to where the "returns" counter is. Say "I just got these books as a gift and I wanted to exchange them for something else, I don't have a receipt". They never care if you have a receipt or not. The only way they might turn you down is if they look into their database and see if they have sold any recently. It all depends on the store and who is behind the counter. Sometimes they just give you credit, sometimes they look up if the book has been sold recently before they give you credit and sometimes they say "nobody has bought that book at this store recently, we can't exchange it." Then just say "ok, thanks, my mom must have gotten it somewhere else" and leave. Then try another chain store. If you do this scam often, don't take it to the same location each time! They might recognize you and catch on. Just make your rounds and when you take something back to a store you have already returned books to, make sure you get a different cashier to return them for you. Also, the manager is sometimes asked to come in and approve the return, don't worry, he will most likely approve it, but remember that if you hit up the same store too often he will probably remember you!
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*On finding good thrift store books:
Only get books in excellent condition. Stay away from hardcover fiction unless you are sure the book is still being printed in hardcover. A chain store wont take a book that they don't sell anymore. Check the date the book was published, the newer the better. Also check when the thrift store recieved the book. They often put a little sticker on the book with a date on it. Now that you have an inventory of books to exchange go online to the store's website which you plan on returning the books to. Look up the books and make sure they still sell them and that they are the same edition (ie: paperback vs. hardback, revised editions, etc.). You are bound to have some books that the chain stores no longer sell. Don't worry, take those books to all the used-bookstores you can think of. They might turn pass on taking some of them, but ones you can't get rid of should just be tried at another used-bookstore. The used-bookstore will ask if you want cash or store-credit for your books. Get store credit, it you get cash they will give you only 2/3 the money you would get if you opted for credit. Now, use your store credit for find a cheap book (in good condition) that you know they still sell at the chain-stores. This should be extremely easy. Now just take those books you got from the used-bookstore to the chain-stores as well. If you have enough money and don't want to spend the time, you can always just skip the thrift-store part and buy a used-bookstore book to "return" to the chain store. But, I reccomend checking out the thrift stores first; even if you only find one book you can use, it is worth it because thrift store books are so cheap. (I know somebody who found a thrift store book worth $29 once and during in one week using two visits to thrift stores they made $80+ in store credit!)
**On "returning" books:
Make sure the book you are returning is being sold at the store you are returning it to! Then take the book inside to where the "returns" counter is. Say "I just got these books as a gift and I wanted to exchange them for something else, I don't have a receipt". They never care if you have a receipt or not. The only way they might turn you down is if they look into their database and see if they have sold any recently. It all depends on the store and who is behind the counter. Sometimes they just give you credit, sometimes they look up if the book has been sold recently before they give you credit and sometimes they say "nobody has bought that book at this store recently, we can't exchange it." Then just say "ok, thanks, my mom must have gotten it somewhere else" and leave. Then try another chain store. If you do this scam often, don't take it to the same location each time! They might recognize you and catch on. Just make your rounds and when you take something back to a store you have already returned books to, make sure you get a different cashier to return them for you. Also, the manager is sometimes asked to come in and approve the return, don't worry, he will most likely approve it, but remember that if you hit up the same store too often he will probably remember you!
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