arbogast777

A press release from Scholastic:

“Scholastic has recently learned that some individuals have received copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows through the mail , beginning on Tuesday, July 17, as a result of a breach of the on-sale agreement by the distributor, Levy Home Entertainment, and shipments made by DeepDiscount.com, a customer of that distributor. We are taking immediate legal action against DeepDiscount.com and Levy Home Entertainment. The number of copies shipped is around one one-hundredth of one percent of the total U.S. copies to go on sale at 12:01 am on July 21.

We are also making a direct appeal to the Harry Potter fans who bought their books from DeepDiscount.com and may receive copies early requesting that they keep the packages hidden until midnight on July 21.

Scholastic is especially grateful to the other retailers and distributors for their careful attention to keeping the books secure until the release time and for planning thousands of spectacular midnight parties where fans will celebrate together. And we ask everyone, especially the media, to preserve the fun and excitement for fans everywhere.

The fans themselves have made it abundantly clear that they are looking forward to going to the midnight parties, receiving their very own copy of the book and finally getting to read the book they have so anxiously awaited.”

Rogue588

Well, there goes this fall's 20% sale..

pinata242

Damn, shoulda bought from DDD

Lecithin

Wow! I just got this book in the mail today and my daughter was wondering why we got it before the official release!

I thought it was like when Amazon sends me out a DVD release before the actual Tuesday release date so it will get here by then.

I did not realize this was a breach until I just now received a phone call from Scholastic telling me that DD sent it out early and asking that I not show or reveal anything about the book until Saturday (not that I would have anyway) and I agreed not to.

Anyway, she went on to tell me that in appreciation for my help, she is emailing me a $50 Scholastic gift certificate AND mailing me a free T-shirt! Wonder who is going to end up paying for all this hush money bribery..

Somebody is in DEEP DOO DOO.

JayDerek

so THAT's where these leaks are coming from??! WOW

There's going to be quite a few people let go at DDD i imagine...or maybe just one patsy.

Damn, now I wish I would've ordered from there.

starman9000

Wow, you get the book early AND free stuff from Scholastic. Wish I would've ordered there to, but I figured DD would send the books a week later like usual.

MoviePage

onebyone

Yeah, DAMN, we should've. I almost did though but decided to save a few bucks and go somewhere else. What a bad move that turned out to be.

JayDerek

I just never would've GUESSED an online retailer would pull something like this...i mean WHAT were they thinking??!!

Did they NOT think they'd get in trouble??

Joe Molotov

If I were one of those people, it'd be on Ebay on a 1-Day Auction with Overnight Express. Buy It Now for $150, bitches.

Seeker

I bet you'd get $1000 - but of course ebay would pull the auction.

Wildo1966

I have a feeling that DDD won't be selling books in the future, they should stick with dvd's and that's it...Anyone see any books on sale on Ebay yet?

Xbox69

Could Scholastic go after any eBayers even though it was the retailer who broke the street date? I'm thinking these receipients are under no legal obligation.

jmj713

So why is sending DVDs out before street date is okay but books are not? I've often received DVDs from DDD well before a given Tuesday.

Seeker

Not after the ebayers themselves, but they could ask for the auctions to be canceled as the material is unreleased and proprietary.

Seeker

because it IS harry potter.

GreenVulture

They seriously did this? Christ, it's a book, not files stolen from The Pentagon.

Numanoid

Hey, they left out "socially inept older adults who still live with their parents".

Seeker

From a yahoo article:

As of Wednesday morning, the $34.99 release was being offered on eBay, for immediate purchase, for $250.

"That's right — I've got one copy of Harry Potter 7, on July 17, and it can be yours as soon as July 19. Hurry! Confirmed payment by 6:30PM on July 18 will ensure delivery on July 19 by FedEx Priority Overnight!" read a message from a seller identified as "willpc" and based in Atlanta.

"I don't work for a bookstore, and I don't have a magic wand — an online store shipped a copy early."

Two pictures of the book, which sits upon a copy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, are offered as proof. The seller, who declined immediate comment when e-mailed by The Associated Press, has been an eBay member since 1999 and has a perfect "Feedback" score, according to the "Feedback Profile" for willpc.

cziffra

I ordered it from DD as well. I received a shipping notice on Monday, but haven't received the book or a call yet. I will have to start answering my phone to see if they will bribe me too.

Dr. Forrester

I used to work for Borders, and before the last Potter release, I had to sign a document that basically stated if I so much as looked cross-eyed at the palette they were shipped-in on, I'd be fired . . . or sued . . . or fired and sued. The managerial staff was all pretty laid back, but I got the feeling corporate had put the fear of God (or at least prosecution) into them.

Funny part about the whole thing? How they labeled the shipment: Hanukkah Supplies. Seriously, that's how it was marked. By far that's my favorite "Scholastic tries to keep Potter new releases more secret than nuclear launch codes" detail.

My only disappointment about the whole thing? The next day we had planned to take one of the empty boxes with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" logo all over it, fill it with bricks, then leave it on the side of the road in the back of the store. My supervisor dug the idea, but then the store manager vetoed it on the notion that whoever found it might open it first, then use said bricks to smash our windows. He was probably right, but it's still one of the better pranks I was almost party to.

Seeker

http://cgi.ebay.com/HARRY-POTTER-AND...QQcmdZViewItem

Sean O'Hara

At least we can find out whether the version leaked on the Internet is genuine. Can anyone who received an early copy confirm that the first sentence of Chapter 21 is

chris_sc77

I cannot believe someone paid $250 for that Harry Potter book on ebay!
Patience is defintiely a virtue...I've never read a page of a HP book but i know someone who works at Wal-mart and he got a copy and told me what happens...I really dont care cause Im not into harry Potter after that 4th movie but I wnvy that ebay seller who obviously made a killing on that book..

Numanoid

Why, oh why, did I look?