Latest news with #firsteditions
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Vinnies op shop pulls 'rare' $1,000 item from store after 'outrageous' discovery
An Aussie charity shop has come under fire for selling relatively common books for as much as $1,000, advertising them behind the counter as rare and hard to find. Two Harry Potter books spotted in a glass display cabinet at a Vinnies store in Lane Cove, Sydney, caught the eye of shopper Mat, who runs a website teaching Aussies how to flip undervalued products found in op shops. The books — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince — were listed for $500 and $1,000, respectively. The books were labelled as rare first editions, but Mat argues they're actually "far from it". "By the time these two books were published, Harry Potter was incredibly popular, so the print runs were massive," he told Yahoo News. "Deathly Hallows had an initial print run of 12 million copies, making it the biggest initial print run in history," he said. "To be selling one of these 12,000,000 copies as rare and hard to find is just plain wrong," he added, comparing the print run to the size of the male population of Australia, which is just over 13 million. "I wouldn't exactly call it rare and hard to find," he said. He believes these items would list closer to $10 if sold online. The price of first-edition books is determined by a number of factors, including rarity, condition and demand. A first-edition hardback copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the first in the series, would fetch thousands at auction because only 500 copies were printed initially. After Yahoo News approached St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies), the charity shop confirmed the two items were pulled from the shelves, admitting that the advertised pricing was made in error. The apparent accident comes as all charity shops are facing scrutiny from everyday Aussies, with some arguing prices are too high, and the stock is of increasingly low quality. Shoppers have reported seeing Anko, a brand exclusive to Kmart and Target, selling in charity shops for a higher price than it was originally sold for. Some items are priced so high that shoppers say, "it's cheaper to go to Kmart" than visit the historically low-cost stores. However, many charity shops are facing an epidemic of low-quality donations, and are regularly inundated with so many piles of used items that they have been forced to refuse new donations after having broken furniture and damaged homewares dumped on their sites. A spokesperson confirmed to Yahoo News that the overpriced Harry Potter books at Lane Cove have been removed from sale due to their incorrect pricing and said the process around pricing of its first edition and prestige titles is being reviewed. When questioned about its pricing policy, a spokesperson for St Vincent de Paul Society NSW told Yahoo News: "Pricing in Vinnies NSW Shops is determined by affordability for customers as well as the quality of the goods on sale. "Our shops use a simple pricing guide based on research on value in the general second-hand marketplace and the quality of the garment." The spokesperson added the "principal purpose" of Vinnies Shops is to raise funds for the services that the charity provides to those experiencing disadvantage. "These include homelessness services, domestic and family violence shelters, health services, and the work of our members in communities all over NSW by supplying food, clothes, and everyday essentials to people in need," he said. Last financial year, 200,000 people accessed support offered by the charity, which spent $96.4m in homelessness, housing and mental health, disability and inclusion service provision, including $13.7 million in direct financial and material early intervention support. 🛍️ Mum's sad op shop theory highlights surging Gen Z trend 😢 Local unleashes over 'disgraceful' act on Aussie street 💎 Woman's 'rare' $2 find at Vinnies op-shop worth $1,000 Charity shopper Mat told Yahoo he spends his days scouring op shops looking for "interesting and unique" items, with a particular interest in books. "Books are a category that's often overlooked by thrift stores despite being a goldmine," he said. He admits to finding and selling popular book series and signed biographies online for profit. "In April, I found the complete nine-book Ringing Cedars series. I spent $4 each, $36 total and sold them in June for $900," he said. Last year, he said he found a signed copy of Olivia Newton-John's autobiography for $8 and sold it less than 6 hours later for $200. The experience has taught him "what to look for" in a book, and shares the information on his website Flip Weekly "so that other Aussies can make some money". "The Harry Potter books weren't reasonable as it was based on incorrect information," he said. "I don't mind if a charity store looks up an item and prices based on its current market value, my issue lies solely with outrageous pricing based on flawed or incorrect research, which is happening more and more." Despite the incorrect pricing, Mat believes that independent charity stores are still a good place to search for hidden treasure. "There's still a ton of treasure to be found in charity shops," he said, adding Aussies can still "get lucky" in stores like Vinnies, Salvos and Savers. "Just avoid the glass display cabinets and anything else they've labelled rare and hard to find," he said. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
BreakingNews.ie
09-06-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Book dealer cleared of selling stolen 'extraordinarily rare' €2,000 Heaney editions
A book dealer who claimed he bought two missing and "extraordinarily rare" Seamus Heaney first editions worth €2,000 at a bric-a-brac stall has walked free from court. Alan Ladak (70), of Fahy Gardens, Loughrea, Co Galway, admitted he was reckless in buying the books for about €40 each, hoping to sell them for a profit. Advertisement However, he pleaded not guilty at Dublin District Court to possessing stolen property, two books by the Nobel Prize-winning Derry poet, The Tollund Man, worth €1,250 and Shivers valued at €750 last year. The books previously disappeared from Kenny's Books in Galway. However, they were located after Mr Ladak later went to sell them to the Temple Bar Bookshop in Dublin between May 1st and June 30th and on October 6th, 2024. Granting a dismissal, Judge Adrian Harris accepted legal submissions from defence counsel Aoife Mutch, which focused on the lack of evidence presented in court, as the two books, after being returned, were re-sold before the trial. Advertisement Garda Alan Cawley questioned Mr Ladak, originally from England, who brought Shivers to the Temple Bar Bookshop on October 6th and returned four days later to complete the sale. During the interview, Mr Ladak maintained that he had previously sold WB Yeats and Samuel Beckett books three or four times to the shop. His statement recorded that he was offered €200 for Shivers on October 6th. In his interview, he recalled selling The Tollund Man for €250 from May to June, the court heard. However, the pensioner maintained that he bought each edition for about €40 from an anonymous bric-a-brac stall in the centre of Galway city. Advertisement He denied knowing they were stolen, but he agreed he had been reckless and was not diligent in establishing where the books came from, the court heard. Mr Ladak admitted in his interview, "I thought they were cheap at the time, and I hoped to make money," but explained that it was difficult to say what they were worth, and he hoped to make €200 for each edition. Asked why he came to Dublin to sell them, he told the Garda that he had free travel, and it was a day out, and there were more shops there. He thought it had been about 10 years since he had gone to Kenny's Bookshop, which had moved to a new location. Advertisement In cross-examination, Ms Mutch questioned the Garda about whether he had made enquiries in Galway into the unnamed bric-a-brac stall mentioned by her client. He replied that he did not because Mr Ladak did not have a receipt, and he did not think he could find the stall. The stolen books had since been returned to Kenny's Bookshop and were sold. The Garda agreed he did not have the actual originals in court. Advertisement The second witness, Tomás Kenny, of Kenny's Bookshop, said the store was the country's biggest dealer of rare books. He recalled being contacted by Temple Bar books about the edition Mr Ladak had brought into them. Mr Kenny said only 125 copies were printed. 'Extraordinarily rare' He described that edition as "extraordinarily rare", having been signed to poet Gerard Fanning, and he added that publisher Peter Fallon had autographed the other book. They had previously gone missing from his bookstore. Ireland 50th anniversary of Seamus Heaney's landmark colle... Read More In defence submission, the defence barrister highlighted the use of hearsay evidence in the running of the prosecution case, which, she argued, affected her client's right to a fair trial. She stressed that the books had not been brought to the hearing and seemed to now be in other people's hands, and the photocopy images of the books, tendered as evidence, did not show the inscriptions described by Mr Kenny. Judge Harris accepted the points raised by the barrister and acquitted Mr Ladak, who was not required to testify during the hearing. He was also found not guilty of unlawful possession of a knife he had on the date of his arrest.
