RCBeyette said:
... do places like Amazon sell used copies of current ISO Standards? Would that be an option for them to consider?
I just checked the Amazon.com website ... and for the main ISO 9000/9001/9004 standards at least, there are
no used ones listed. They sell the English-language hardcopy standards at a little
over what they cost from ASQ. And the delivery time can be up to two months ... I assume that is because Amazon first has to buy them from ASQ or ANSI and can ship them to you only after they arrive in the Amazon warehouse.
From ASQ, a person can get the standards for less money, in hardcopy or electronic, and in English or Spanish. (If you are an ASQ or AQP member and get the hardcopy version, you save even more!) In my experience, delivery is rarely more than a week in North America.
Another solution for people wanting to save money might be to buy The ISO 9000 Handbook 4th Edition by Robert W. Peach. The book contains the full text of the standards, costs less than the ASQ member price for the hardcopy standards alone, and some used copies are available on amazon.com. I haven't seen this one yet, but if it is anything like his previous book (3rd edition) on the 9004 versions, then it is well worth the money!
Also: the used copies that Amazon has are offered by individuals where Amazon is acting as a broker. Where would a used copy of the current standard come from? A company that decides they don't want to "do quality" any more?
As for other Amazon sites, I checked amazon.ca (Canada) and amazon.co.uk (Great Britain) and neither one has the standards listed at all. I didn't bother checking the amazon sites for Germany, France or Japan because I can't read those languages well enough.
