I use Amazon quite a bit and I haven’t had any trouble with their shipping. However, I’m also a new author (self-published). My books are print-on-demand. But according to some of Amazon’s INDEPENDENT booksellers, they all have in-stock copies of my book ready to ship. They also listed "used" items before any of my books were actually sold. (that’s a cute trick) So my question is: Are they waiting for people to place orders and lying about having "in-stock" inventory? Or are they printing books themselves? Are people really getting fast shipping from these independents? I’ve used an independent bookseller one time, and my package arrived empty. They never returned my calls, so I reversed payment.
Source: Ten Generations of Bondage
http://www.amazon.com/Ten-Generations-Bondage-Johari-Ade/dp/1436316650/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1229285916&sr=1-2
They are not lying or tricking you. They use POD just like anyone else. The ISBN allows them to print it form sources other than lulu or whatever publisher took your money.