OTIS PRAIRIEDOG’S USED BOOKS, ETC. is owned and operated by Lenny and Sandy Hirsch, of Seaford, Delaware.  I am Lenny.  Mr. Hirsch was my father.

I have been a book collector (accumulator) for over forty years, a book dealer (on and off) for almost that long, and an online bookseller for the last ten years.  My wife and I began selling on eBay in 1999     We have varied from  full-time  to part-time sellers and back again.  Most of that time we have rated as eBay Power Sellers and have accumulated an eBay rating of over 9,000.

In 2007 we began selling on Amazon.com as well as eBay.  Over two years Amazon has provided a steady flow of book sales and a rating of 98% or better.  Amazon complemented eBay well, with newer books being listed on Amazon and the older or more collectable items listing on eBay.  

Over the last year, we have been seriously hurt in our bookselling by the major changes on eBay.  eBay began as “America’s Marketplace” and became a corporation that forgot its roots.  Constant changes in policies by eBay management have affected everything from our eBay ratings to shipping costs and, above all, our ability to sell quality books at a reasonable price.  Increasing fees, constantly changing policies, and policies that make it more and more difficult for a small business to operate effectively and profitably.  Sellers and buyers have been leaving eBay.  Now we have, too.  

(Look for an upcoming book titled Why I Am No Longer an eBay Power Seller, or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Internet Again.)

The next step for us has been to open our own webstore to replace eBay.  We are now able to offer a wider variety of books.  Because we no longer pay eBay fees, we can offer the same books at a lower price. Our goal has always been to provide quality books at a fair price, along with proper packaging and fast shipping.  A webstore is our logical next step.