Again, Amazon Vision

I swear that I'm not going out of my way to find fault with Amazon. Turns out it's just not that hard to find fault, and I keep falling into those crevices.

This, for instance.

I was looking at some just posted Facebook pictures for the Baltimore Fiddle Fair (which I attended 8 years ago and have sorely missed every summer since, hence my subscription to their Facebook Page) and in one of the pictures a guy was holding a book entitled Baltimore Castle by Bernie McCarthy. Well, I needed a look at that, of course, so I Googled, and hit #1 was an Amazon page. According to it, I could obtain a copy of this lovely tome for a mere $15.56. Most of my regular online booksellers didn't even have this book, and those that did were at least $10 more expensive. So good Amazon news from me for a change, right?

But wait.

While I was there on Amazon Island, and while I was thinking of Ireland, specifically Baltimore, I couldn't help but wonder if there were any books about nearby Sherkin Island, which has become my favorite place in this godforsaken world. So I typed "Sherkin Island" into the Amazon search box: Books, and lo and behold, found, amongst other things, this thing of beauty:

I really wanted to read that. For one thing because in my fantasy of fantasies, sometime in the near future I move to Sherkin Island and live out my days reading, drinking, and looking out at the Atlantic Ocean. And this book was written by a guy who actually lived on said Sherkin Island. And $31.04 wasn't TOO terribly awful for this kind of book, right? Although I did have to wonder about the $12.95 delivery fee, which seemed more than a little steep, and which brought the total price up to a dissettling $43.99. Still, I really wanted to read this book, and none of my other online booksellers even knew it existed, so....

But wait! Who is this publisher...this Sherkin Island Marine Station? I went to have a look. And on their website, I found this:

Let's see, €3.00 + €5.70 shipping = . . . $9.13. 

Um...what?

That can't be right. Let's see, current rate of exchange €1 = $1.05, multiply by 8.7 = ... $9.135. See? I knew there had to be a problem. It's $9 and FOURteen cents. 

Next thought: You have got to be shitting me. Amazon is selling this book for $34.85 more than the publisher is? That's almost a 500% mark-up.

FUCK these guys, man.

Make Mine Sherkin Island Marine Station.