It seems like he has tarnished his own reputation by writing some unscrululous postings before, coupled with several previous sales that have been very questionable.

However, I don't think we are in the position to completely discard his practice as he did make some blockbuster sales including all-three-inscribed copies of the 1st Ed. 1st. Imp Lord of the Rings and some notable copies have traded hands under his premise.

The_Antiquarian wrote:
It seems like he has tarnished his own reputation by writing some unscrululous postings before, coupled with several previous sales that have been very questionable.

However, I don't think we are in the position to completely discard his practice as he did make some blockbuster sales including all-three-inscribed copies of the 1st Ed. 1st. Imp Lord of the Rings and some notable copies have traded hands under his premise.

My apologies Dogfark that is.

Without trying to point fingers at (or compare to) any particular seller, I don't think "the broken clock is precisely right twice a day" is an argument in favor of it being a good clock.

In a similar but distinct vein, the "sellers" on Amazon and AbeBooks that create phantom listings for thousands of dollars, then try to find a cheap copy (or cancel the deal if they cannot) when someone actually falls for the listing, does not make them a good bookseller either even though they have an amazing profit margin.

For my mind, you only need to look at Dogfark's own pictures of his 3rd impression Hobbit and how that copy's dustjacket became more and more apparently complete (albeit in bits) in each subsequent listing, to say "That's a broken clock I'm not even going to trust to be correct twice a day". His own photographs have condemned him, and if one book so blatantly doesn't pass the sniff test, why would I ever trust that seller for any other? I guess he assumed to one would save off each of his adverts and/or notice...

Urulókë wrote:
Without trying to point fingers at (or compare to) any particular seller, I don't think "the broken clock is precisely right twice a day" is an argument in favor of it being a good clock.

In a similar but distinct vein, the "sellers" on Amazon and AbeBooks that create phantom listings for thousands of dollars, then try to find a cheap copy (or cancel the deal if they cannot) when someone actually falls for the listing, does not make them a good bookseller either even though they have an amazing profit margin.

I absolutely agree, but having dealt with the so called "most established" rare book sellers including Bauman, Raptis, Peter Harrington, Maggs Bros, and George Bayntun, Dogfark can be some what aggressive in practice, but I fail to see how he has went out of bound when dealing in books. I see these established rare book stores buying hundreds of books for mere hundreds of dollars and reselling them for 10x to 20x folds of the initial purchase pricing. Being a former public accountant, I do not see any illegalities or injustice done by doing so.

Dogfark is not as charming as David Miller of Tolkienbookshelf and yes, he is aloof and awkward at times, but he has made some blockbuster sales ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to a single sale that delves around $110,000. Having dealt with him before, he has tendency to disregard those who are not willing to spend a significant sum, but that doesn't mean he is a scammer or an unscrupulous seller.

Stu wrote:
For my mind, you only need to look at Dogfark's own pictures of his 3rd impression Hobbit and how that copy's dustjacket became more and more apparently complete (albeit in bits) in each subsequent listing, to say "That's a broken clock I'm not even going to trust to be correct twice a day". His own photographs have condemned him, and if one book so blatantly doesn't pass the sniff test, why would I ever trust that seller for any other? I guess he assumed to one would save off each of his adverts and/or notice...

I haven't gone through all his listing, but if what you claim is correct, perhaps he needs to be reminded about misinformation on his listing? Has anyone ever done so?

The_Antiquarian wrote:
...Dogfark can be some what aggressive in practice, but I fail to see how he has went out of bound when dealing in books. I see these established rare book stores buying hundreds of books for mere hundreds of dollars and reselling them for 10x to 20x folds of the initial purchase pricing. Being a former public accountant, I do not see any illegalities or injustice done by doing so.

Dogfark is not as charming as David Miller of Tolkienbookshelf and yes, he is aloof and awkward at times, but he has made some blockbuster sales ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to a single sale that delves around $110,000. Having dealt with him before, he has tendency to disregard those who are not willing to spend a significant sum, but that doesn't mean he is a scammer or an unscrupulous seller.

I'd invite you to look at my post of January 11th. I'm not saying he is a scammer or unscrupulous seller (your words -- we have to be very careful what we say). That's for other people to judge based on the content of his listings. I personally would not choose to deal with him, and others may - and do - choose otherwise.

https://www.tolkienguide.com/modules/n ... t_id=21388#forumpost21388

Thanks for the suggestion.

That's the set that I ordered about a week and a half ago, so I really don't need another full set. All of the volumes are in great shape, except for CoH having a couple of minor negative details (a slight blemish on the slipcase, and a few scratch-like markings on the frontispiece painting of Hurin).

I'm thankful that Urulókë has me set up, however!

I'm a little unclear as to who dunedain is. (The seller, not race of Men. )

stormbreaker wrote:
Thanks for the suggestion.

That's the set that I ordered about a week and a half ago, so I really don't need another full set. All of the volumes are in great shape, except for CoH having a couple of minor negative details (a slight blemish on the slipcase, and a few scratch-like markings on the frontispiece painting of Hurin).

I'm thankful that Urulókë has me set up, however!

I'm a little unclear as to who dunedain is. (The seller, not race of Men. )

Dunedain is David Miller of Tolkien Bookshelf. There is no suggestion of dodgyness on his part (just to make that clear, as there a couple of topics intertwined here).

You are right, that is a pretty ugly and unrealiable repairs done to the dustjacket. I don't see why he needs to go this length to make sales when he has successfully sold hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of books to the Tolkien Museum in Switzerland and other super collectors. All for the pursuit of $$$ I suppose...