Within the next several weeks, Amazon will begin to make changes to its seller listing and upload tools enabling only approved sellers to create offers in "Collectible" condition in the Amazon.com Books store. These changes will allow Amazon.com to provide even greater detail about the Collectible books we offer for sale.

While non-approved sellers will not be able to create listings in "Collectible" condition once these changes go into effect, current Collectible listings from non-approved sellers will remain on the site for a specified period in order to allow them to relist these items as Used. For details, see the Questions and Answers section below.

In order to become an approved seller of Collectible books, sellers must meet several objective criteria. These include:  the quantity of collectible and rare books available for sale on Amazon.com (and other websites), the length of time a seller has been doing business on Amazon.com, the size of a seller's business, and the detail of the descriptions (including images) of the books listed for sale. In addition, only sellers with low order defect rates and high seller performance ratings will be considered.

At this time, we are asking for seller input through our Collectible Books Seller Survey to help further define the specific criteria that will be used to approve sellers to list Collectible books. A formal request process will be available in coming weeks to sellers who would like to become approved to list Collectible books on Amazon.com.

Your participation in our Survey will help us develop an even better selection of Collectible books for buyers on Amazon.com. Thank you!

Questions and Answers:

Q:  Why is Amazon.com making these changes with respect to Collectible books?

A:  When a book is listed as "Collectible," customers should be confident that the offer has been accurately graded and described and that the book has qualities that make it valuable to a collector. We feel that experienced, professional booksellers can most reliably provide the information book collectors need. Please be assured that we will only establish approval criteria to the extent that we believe it is necessary to ensure a positive customer experience and we will continue to evaluate our criteria over time.

Q:  Does this mean Amazon will be removing price restrictions for Collectible book listings?

A:  Yes.

Q:  What will happen to existing Collectible book listings for non-approved sellers?

A:  Once we implement these changes, sellers who do not receive approval will need to close their Collectible listings and create new listings for those products in "Used" condition. Pro Merchants can use Amazon's bulk listing tools to remove sellable inventory from current listings and then upload new condition and quantity information for their SKUs.

Q:  How long will non-approved sellers have to relist their products?

A: On or around June 3, 2009, we will remove Collectible offers from non-approved sellers. This will allow non-approved sellers approximately 45 days to create new listings before their Collectible offers are cancelled.

Q:  Why is Amazon making these changes now?

A:  Over the next several months, Amazon.com will be making additional refinements to the listing process aimed at providing buyers with helpful information about Collectible books. Specifically, we will collect and display information for "Signed," "First Edition," and "Dust Jacket Condition" for Collectible book offers. As we add further refinements, accuracy of grading, product representation and seller trust will become more important.

Q:  Will sellers be able to upload images of their Collectible books onto Amazon.com?

A: Initially, we will not have functionality to allow sellers to upload images for their Collectible book offers. We understand that the image of a collectible book can be very helpful in making a purchasing decision and we are working towards introducing this feature over time.

*****

If you have feedback about these changes, please write to collectible-books-feedback@amazon.com.

Thank for selling on Amazon.com.