Hello everyone,
I am a heavy Amazon shopper, and I have recently been looking for care books on the site which are not available at my local library.
However, this turned out to be quite a bad idea, for Amazon is virtually FLOODED with scam care guide books.
Most of these books are self-published, paperback, and cheap, with poorly-made covers. They have very few pages with giant font.
They are often written by authors with suspicious-sounding names. Several of them have published "care guides" on so many different animals that their individual accuracy becomes questionable.
The information in the books is no better than books' physical quality. It is, in fact, utter nonsense.
For example, some of these books state that "scorpions must have a leash," "centipedes enjoy petting," and "up to five adult tarantulas can be kept in a 3 gallon," et cetera. One guy reported that such a book recommended handling Androctonus and Leiurus to "tame" them.
The "excerpts" that I just mentioned are not sarcastic humor. These books are literally jibberish-- most likely created from a few Google searches, rammed through a text generator/AI, and then put on Amazon.
This especially irritates me, as there is a spectrum to these books. They range from downright unreadable to somewhat convincing, meaning that the more "realistic" ones can actually fool people.
However, the best of these books still do not contain appropriate information and care. As a result, those tricked into buying them may improperly care for their creatures without knowing. This doesn't even mention the fact that they could be dangerous to the keepers themselves by providing improper handling of dangerous species.
I am not sure of the exact purpose of these books, as they are quite specific and may not appeal to a large audience if money is the goal. But on the other hand, not many people know about the proper care of invertebrates, so it might be easier to get away with creating such false content. It's anyone's guess.
I guess the best way to avoid these scams is to avoid Amazon or do careful research. I don't think many invertebrate keepers with at least a bit of experience would fall for these, but novices and young children should probably watch out.
Thanks, and stay vigilant.
I am a heavy Amazon shopper, and I have recently been looking for care books on the site which are not available at my local library.
However, this turned out to be quite a bad idea, for Amazon is virtually FLOODED with scam care guide books.
Most of these books are self-published, paperback, and cheap, with poorly-made covers. They have very few pages with giant font.
They are often written by authors with suspicious-sounding names. Several of them have published "care guides" on so many different animals that their individual accuracy becomes questionable.
The information in the books is no better than books' physical quality. It is, in fact, utter nonsense.
For example, some of these books state that "scorpions must have a leash," "centipedes enjoy petting," and "up to five adult tarantulas can be kept in a 3 gallon," et cetera. One guy reported that such a book recommended handling Androctonus and Leiurus to "tame" them.
The "excerpts" that I just mentioned are not sarcastic humor. These books are literally jibberish-- most likely created from a few Google searches, rammed through a text generator/AI, and then put on Amazon.
This especially irritates me, as there is a spectrum to these books. They range from downright unreadable to somewhat convincing, meaning that the more "realistic" ones can actually fool people.
However, the best of these books still do not contain appropriate information and care. As a result, those tricked into buying them may improperly care for their creatures without knowing. This doesn't even mention the fact that they could be dangerous to the keepers themselves by providing improper handling of dangerous species.
I am not sure of the exact purpose of these books, as they are quite specific and may not appeal to a large audience if money is the goal. But on the other hand, not many people know about the proper care of invertebrates, so it might be easier to get away with creating such false content. It's anyone's guess.
I guess the best way to avoid these scams is to avoid Amazon or do careful research. I don't think many invertebrate keepers with at least a bit of experience would fall for these, but novices and young children should probably watch out.
Thanks, and stay vigilant.
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