Anyone sell books on Amazon?

[vhoffman]

I've thought about selling some books on Amazon.com. I think books would sell better there rather than EBay because Amazon is where most people would look for books. Amazon will give you money for the postage, as well. Also, you don't have to have a picture, like you do on EBay. However, I wanted to list some of my books for sale on Amazon and saw that many used books are being offered for .01 cents each! Why would someone sell their books for one cent? Is there something I'm missing here? Anyways, would like to hear from any of you who have sold books on Amazon and what you think of it.

 

[momm2four]

I put quite a few books of mine on Amazon about 5 weeks ago, figuring it was a no-lose thing. No listing fee, I didn't have to do the whole picture thing and payment is instant. I have made about $70 so far from selling approx. 10 books/CDs

Concerning the $.01 books, I wondered about the same thing and someone explained it to me this way. Some people buy huge flats of books, maybe from auctions or such. Then they pick out the money makers and sell the rest for a penny. Since you are given $2.26 for shipping, if they can ship the book for $1.40 or so and only pay $.01 for fees, then they are still making about $.75 or so on each of these books. If you are dealing with massive quatities, I guess this adds up.

Lori P.

 

[zurgswife]

I was wondering about that also..thanks for clearing that up..

 

[Virgo10]

I've had terrible luck selling books on Ebay and I have a lot of them I'd like to move out of my house. I'll have to check out Amazon's website. Thanks for the heads up on this!

Roberta

 

[Pink Flamingo]

I sell on Amazon & also on Half.com (another part of E-Bay). I've had good luck both places - especially with text books. On Half.com you don't have to pay to list, nor do you have to have a picture. It's pretty similar to listing on Amazon.com. Half.com charges the same percentage for books/CD when they sell (under $50 - 15%). Amazon.com charges .99 plus a percentage of the sale price (15% for books & CD's) if you sell your item, so I'm still not sure how those who list for .01 are making any money off of their sale.

I'd give it a try ~ you will probably be surprised at what sells & how easy it is!

Good luck.

 

[toystoryduo]

For those of you who have sold/listed on amazon.com or Half.com, do you have to have a picture with your listing? Do they have stock photos that can be used? I have a ton of books that I would like to get rid of, but do not want to spend the time to scan and download each cover.

Also, which in your opinion is better: amazon.com or Half.com and why? Thank you!

 

[Miss Kelly]

I've sold on Amazon. I made something like $200 in the last year. I've also bought on Amazon but we won't tell how much I spent. Anyways, I really enjoy Amazon. No uploading pictures, writing long detailed descriptions, or worrying about being paid. Its all done for you, delivered to your checking account immediately or at a set time each month. It couldn't be easier. I have never attempted Half.com yet but I may in the future.

 

[SusanD]

My husband and I have both sold quite a few books in the last year. His were mostly tech books that he no longer has use for and mine were quilting books. It has given us both extra spending money and is a painless way to clear out what you are not using.

 

[vhoffman]

I've sold two books on Amazon so far, however, I only cleared about $1.25 each book. That was mianly due to the shipping costs. The envelopes are so expensive at the Post Office. The Priority Shipping materials are free, however, the shipping cost is higher so it works out the same either way. I just sent my two books Priority to impress the buyer and get good reviews! However, I'll never make enough money to make it worth while. How do others do it? Do you buy packing materials cheaper at Office Depot or WalMart? Only problem, you must buy in quantity to save anything and then hope your stuff sells. any ideas as to how to buy cheap packing materials?

 

[floridagirrl2]

I sell more on Amazon than on Ebay. For most books, Ebay is basically a wholesale market--I can get 2 to 4 times as much for most titles on Amazon than I can get on Ebay.

The main disadvantage to Amazon is that you can only list books with an ISBN number in the Amazon Marketplace. If, like me, you sell mostly old, out-of-print books, this is a problem. If you are just selling books you have around the house, it probably won't be a problem.

Also, books on Amazon may stay listed for months or years before they are sold. Luckily, listing is free, but when you are used to the almost-instant-gratification of Ebay, waiting for a buyer can be a pain.

The shipping reimbursement on Amazon is quite low ($2.26 for Media Mail), so you can lose money on heavy books if you're not careful.

Fees are rather high (15% plus 99 cents) for each book sold so you have to figure this into your price.

Toystoryduo, Amazon has stock photos of books--you don't have to upload photos if you are selling on Amazon Marketplace. If your book has a different cover than the stock photo, you should mention this in your description.

I buy my mailing supplies in bulk online--I have not found a cheap place to buy padded envelopes, bubble wrap, etc. locally.

Ebay is planning to shut down Half.com this summer, so I would not put a lot of energy into listing on Half.

Re: penny sellers, if you sell more than 40 books a month, it's worthwhile to join Amazon's Proseller program. This costs $40 per month but the 99 cent per book fee is waived, so you only pay a 15% commission. I'm sure most penny sellers must be ProMerchants, but the profit per book would still be tiny or non-existant. Personally, I don't sell any books for less than 9.99 on either Amazon or Ebay--just not worth it.

 

[wuv tigger]

I made about $1,000 selling books on Amazon last year. It is a very simple process and you use the pictures that Amazon lists. What I like most is that they collect the money and you are paid before you ship.

As someone mentioned, you can become a proseller for $40 a month and avoid the $1 fee for each book. Also, some people who are blind, etc. can ship free at the USPS so they can make good money on .01 books.

Maybe a few people would like to get together and share a pro seller account??? My account currently has 16 positive feedbacks of 5. We would have to work out the shipping and payment details.

David