Decided to trade in my trusty guidebook for a new book as I am leaving Quito. I headed to "Confederate Used Books" in the new town area, and as I entered I noticed they had a sign saying "We do not exchange books". Interesting given that it is a second hand bookstore. I asked the owner just in case, and he confirmed that they do not trade books. Just at that time another customer saw my book and said that she might be interested in buying it. When we started to discuss the issue, the owner asked us to step outside to do our business. No one else was in the place, but that was fair enough. After we were outside he closed the door and indicated that he was closed now. Wierd. So I sold my book and headed over to do some interneting. Later, I came out and saw he had reopened. When I went over and started looking around at the books, the owner recognized me and said "you are the one that was in here earlier?". I said yes and he then asked me to leave the store. When I asked why he indicated that what I had done was very rude and that he wanted me to leave. I told him that I asked him first if I could trade the book with him and he had refused. He indicated that he would have bought the book. So I started to piece it together - they don't trade books, but they will buy them and sell them (same thing in my book, trade implies some exchange of money as well, else the business wouldn't be viable). When I asked him why he didn't tell me that, he had no answer. So I left a bit shaken with money in my pocket and still book-less. I am usually very careful not to offend people I don't know, so being kicked out of a store was a new experience.

The owner was either American or Canadian based on the accent, and he should have known better. If he had been a local, and I was convinced that I just wasn't aware of this wierd catch in the local culture, I would have been more forgiving.

I couldn't think of anything that I could do except post to this board. Draw your own conclusions, but if you agree with me that maybe he reacted a bit harshly, you might want to boycott the store. "The Travel Store", in the same area, provides the same services. Thanks for any support.