So.... what are you looking for?

I have had luck in the past asking here and finding a long time collector willing to part with items occasionally. It never hurts to ask.

Of course:

The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún Deluxe, HarperCollins 1st print, printed and bound by Clays in UK. (Not the Super Deluxe)

The Silmarillion and Unfinished Tales, HarperCollins standard hardbacks with gold foil letters and monogram on the DJ - printed in Italy or UK (match with "The 50th Anniversary LOTR" set rather than the 60th). I think these were made in the early 2000s.

Nothing too fancy, but still it is very difficult to purchase the European printed versions when the market is swamped with the current Chinese prints. Most sellers keep stock on a warehouse and won't check for me.

Needless to say, if anyone whishes to sell please let me know.

For semi-common items like these, my best bet has been to just keep asking eBay sellers the questions you have until you get a reasonable response. Keep a form message saved somewhere and copy/paste in each listing that looks promising, then just delete/move on from any that don't respond or can't give you the info you need. It takes some time to find the exact one you want, but it'll happen. The same is possible with ABEBooks dealers.

I've had no luck getting info from Amazon marketplace sellers - if I see something I really want there I have to order blind and cross my fingers. (I did get my copy of the 1936 Proceeding of the British Academy this way, and cheap! But I have had many wrong printings/etc. too).

Thanks for the advise. I guess I will keep at it.

I've found its more difficult to find these than other versions that have long been out of print because of the "needle in a haystack" effect.