Q&A: How can a bookseller undercut my price on Amazon?

QUESTION: I just noticed that a third-party Amazon seller has my book listed for sale as "new" on Marketplace for $1.05 less than my list price! My book is sold only on Amazon. I can't understand this, since I'm the only one with copies of the book!

ANSWER: Anyone with a copy of your book (or anyone knows of a way to order your book at a discount) can sell it on Amazon at any price they wish. Is it possible that this seller has a review copy of your book or a used copy and has decided to describe its condition as "New"?

Some Marketplace sellers don't actually carry any books in stock, instead they have "virtual" inventories. They upload databases of ISBNs to Marketplace and, when they make a sale, order the books from a wholesaler. Amazon's Marketplace participation agreement prohibits drop-shipping, but there are at least a dozen high-volume vendors who do it.

The seller who has your book, however, appears to be a low-volume seller (not a drop-shipper) who probably has a copy of your book. If not, they may have typed in your ISBN by mistake and not noticed the discrepancy with the title.

If you're really curious, ask the seller. Click on their starred feedback rating, and at the bottom right of the next page, there's a link to "contact this seller."