May 19 2008
The Boston Globe is calling into question the business ethics of GotBooks.com, a company that runs ads in the Boston Globe and many community newspapers asking for book donations, but is actually a for-profit used bookseller.
Robert Ticehurst, who runs GotBooks, says that only 10% of the books he collects are sold for profit (which does not dispel the suspicion that he freely gives away low-value paperbacks and sells higher-worth books). His competitors accuse Ticehurst of duping the public and snatching up oodles of free inventory for his business.
Ticehurst insists what he is doing is completely legal, which a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office confirmed: "There is nothing wrong with using the word 'donate' in connection with a for-profit marketing campaign."
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