The Book I Cannot Buy...

[Punchy]

Of course! It's all starting to make sense now. Bill is a hit man for the mafia. Javier Martinez(not his real name) is in the witness protection program. Bill is trying to get a copy of the book so he can see what "Javier " looks like now from the picture on the back of the book....
Meanwhile back at the ranch........

 

[Xue Sheng]

Of course! It's all starting to make sense now. Bill is a hit man for the mafia. Javier Martinez(not his real name) is in the witness protection program. Bill is trying to get a copy of the book so he can see what "Javier " looks like now....
Meanwhile back at the ranch........

That or there is something Bill is not telling us about his old Military days... but I' ve said to much already....:anic:

 

[Punchy]

That or there is something Bill is not telling us about his old Military days... but I' ve said to much already....:anic:

CIA?....... Double naught spy?

 

[frank raud]

You can call Powell's and most most of the booksellers listed on ABE. I have done it on multiple occasions. They do have brick and mortar locations.

Contact info for Powell's http://www.abebooks.com/powells-books-portland-or-u.s.a/9859/sf

Just FYI, you can't 'get on the phone' with most of these "Associate" Amazon book sellers. They don't have a physical presence.quote]

 

[fyn5000]

Just to see if the "Curse of the Isshinryu Kusanku Kata Secrets Revealed" is real, I tried to purchase the book from Powell's online. Everything seemed okay, the purchase went through, then two days later I got an email from them saying:

"We're very sorry, but the item listed below is not available at this time.

We strive to fulfill every order, and, though we update our online database hourly to match actual
in-store quantities, there are still instances when an orderable item is no longer in stock. Powell's
stores are browsed by thousands of walk-in customers every day; it's likely that the item below was
purchased or mis-shelved by another customer."

So, either someone walked in and purchased the book (the most likely), some inconsiderate book
browser took a look at it and put it back on the wrong shelf (could of happened), or Bill's Curse has
spread to the members of this forum (not very likely, but would be more interesting).

Fyn

 

[Carol]

CIA?....... Double naught spy?

Well, he had more hair and was known as Svetlana...but, you know, all part of the cover :lfao:

 

[punisher73]

Not to be too rude, but what was the book selling for? could it be that they listed it for a cheap price and then they are finding out that the book sells for over $200 and they just want more money?

 

[oaktree]

Hi Bill
I myself use to be a seller on Ebay and my I dealt with books too.
It is terrible for a seller to cancel the sale after payment is made it is unprofessional.
The pages coming out the seller should have been aware of the book before posting it for sale.

I know when I was selling books I would examine them carefully and give an honest description of the item. Also before I would sell a book I would look at other's asking price to see what the market is going for on the book. Usually I would go a little bit lower than other sellers.

Be aware that Amazon is not Amazon it is like Ebay where seller's from Ebay can sell as well. It may have been possible that the same seller from Ebay is selling on Amazon.

I usually buy books online from Alibris or Abebooks even though some of the sellers from Amazon or Ebay can be there.


I find Alibris and Abebook customer service better than Ebay. Amazon customer service is hit or miss.

You can also try having your local book store order it for you.

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sea...inryu+Kusanku+Kata+Secrets+Revealed&x=46&y=11

http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?k...Kata+Secrets+Revealed&mtype=B&hs.x=15&hs.y=15

http://www.borders.com/online/store/UsedSearchResults?workid=-96500851

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Is...&USRI=isshinryu+kusanku+kata+secrets+revealed

Notice that some of the seller's are the same address. Like I said before seller's put it on different sites. So what may have happen Bill is the seller sold the book on two different sites and had to cancel one.

http://portal.barnesandnoble.com/profile/view.asp?SEL=BNA0062880&stage=profilebuyerviewslrprofile

Is this the person Bill or one of the seller's?

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Not to be too rude, but what was the book selling for? could it be that they listed it for a cheap price and then they are finding out that the book sells for over $200 and they just want more money?

Prices are (or were) listed ranging from $1.00 to over $200.00. All over the place. And just because someone has it listed for over $200 doesn't mean they can sell it for that - they might just be sitting on it waiting for someone desperate enough to spend that on it. I see that all the time with vintage stereo and camera gear. Eventually it might sell, and the seller makes a killing; but it could take years.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Notice that some of the seller's are the same address. Like I said before seller's put it on different sites. So what may have happen Bill is the seller sold the book on two different sites and had to cancel one.

http://portal.barnesandnoble.com/profile/view.asp?SEL=BNA0062880&stage=profilebuyerviewslrprofile

Is this the person Bill or one of the seller's?

It has been a variety of different sellers. All over the country, and with different names. Even Goodwill stores, which you would think were not identified with any independent sellers, but would be selling only what they had.

I have been informed via PM that several MT members have, out of curiosity, ordered a copy of the book themselves - and they have each informed me that their sale has been canceled. That's in addition to the person in this thread; so at least three people besides myself have had the exact same experience with this book that I have.

Not to pooh-pooh your links, but really - they're the same sellers listed on Amazon and eBay. They are not different at all - same vendors. I've had several people in PM tell me that their favorite seller is different, but I have done business with ABEBOOKS and several of the others for years - I get the same response. Please believe me, I'm not making this up. It doesn't matter whom the seller appears to be - the book sale is cancelled after a few hours - or in weeks when I complain after it doesn't show up.

 

[elder999]

It Please believe me, I'm not making this up. It doesn't matter whom the seller appears to be - the book sale is cancelled after a few hours - or in weeks when I complain after it doesn't show up.

.

There is no route out of the maze. The maze shifts as you move through it, because it is alive. "
— Philip K. Dick (VALIS)

 

[frank raud]

Have you considered the library?

 

[shesulsa]

This is SO BIZARRE!!!

Okay, I'm in. Ima look for da book.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Have you considered the library?

Yes. Looked there first. It's not a common book.

 

[Flea]

Bill, this reminds me of a story from my own life. Way back when I was in high school and dinosaurs ruled the earth, a friend told me about an interesting religious text she read that really spoke to her. I was interested, so she loaned me the book. I tried several times to read it, but each time I hit a brick wall at a certain paragraph. I simply couldn't read past it - I got distracted every time I tried, and the text made no sense to me.

My sophomore year in college? Same thing. Different friend, different conversation, same book. I got hung up on exactly the same page and paragraph. A couple years later I went out and bought my own damn copy so I could decipher it at my leisure. Once or twice a year I'd pull it out, hit the same brick wall at the same paragraph, and put it away. Ultimately I gave up and put the book in storage somewhere. I forgot all about it.

One day three years later I'm buried in the stacks at the campus library, looking for a title on the sociology of street gangs. What do I find mis-shelved next to the volume I'm looking for? Just plain weird. So weird that I took it as a mandate, checked it out, and inhaled the whole book in less than 24 hours. I had always approached the book before as an intellectual curiosity, but I had one of those blaze-of-light conversion experiences.

Whenever I shared that story in my newfound church, the consensus was that I hit the brick wall because I wasn't ready for it yet. For whatever reason (and I can think of several!) the Divine was holding me back until the time was right. It was a good lesson for me in patience, and faith in a larger plan. None of which is to say that God is with-holding this book from you. It just brought back a little nostalgia for me. :angel:

 

[Bill Mattocks]

None of which is to say that God is with-holding this book from you.

Well, now you reminded me of something. When I was a strapping lad (and dinosaurs were not yet invented), I worked for a local PD in Colorado, and I was fresh out of the USMC, and every year on vacation, I jumped in my Toyota pickup truck and headed into the mountains in search of vacation. Two weeks, me and my truck and my sleeping bag, no destination other than 'out there somewhere.'

One year, my path took me down through the western slope of Colorado and towards the Four Corners area. I saw signs for Mesa Verde and decided to go see it. I hadn't seen it since I was a kid with my family.

Well, as I got closer, it started to rain. As I got closer yet, it started to hail. As I drove up to the gate, it started to snow. Hard. And this was late July. The park was closed, due to weather. I was not allowed in.

The next year, I decided ahead of time that if I could go, I would go. So even though I had 'no destination', I kind of purposefully ambled that direction, and as I got closer, the weather stayed nice. Got to the park - it was closed do to fire. I could not even see the smoke from the so-called fire, but the park was closed. Curses, foiled again.

The third year, I was not only vacationing, I was doing this 'vision quest' thing. Very spiritual for me at the time. Again I found myself in the Four Corners area, and again I discovered I was near Mesa Verde. However, there was a huge wind storm blowing. As I got closer, it got stronger. Branches were flying off trees. I didn't even go to the park, I knew what I would find.

And I never returned again. I knew I was not being permitted to visit Mesa Verde for some reason. The next time I tried would likely be a plague of locusts, so I just stayed away.

I did get my vision in my vision quest, though. I fell asleep in my sleeping bag in the back of my truck in a farmer's field in Mexican Water, AZ. Woke up with a cow licking my face. Some vision.

 

[Cryozombie]

http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/selle...8517&marketplaceSeller=0&seller=AKBQ15NK0M9FF

This seller is in Niles Illinois. Contact them... if they say they have the book, and I can do a local pick-up, I will walk in and get it from them and ship it to you myself.

 

[shesulsa]

Likewise - if you see a seller in the southwest Washington or Portland, OR area, I will do the same. Nothin' like shakin' em down.

 

[Balrog]

Does the universe just not want me to have this book?

No, just the Men In Black.....

 

[Xue Sheng]

No, just the Men In Black.....

or possibly Javier Martinez