Selling books - half.com or amazon?

[jay-nee]

Hi all!

I have alot of books to sell. For those who sell books, do you have better luck on half.com or amazon?

Does anybody list on both? Or is that a no-no?

Just wondering...

Happy Tuesday!

 

[jay-nee]

Just wondering if anyone has experience with this?

Happy Thursday!

 

[donnabc]

No experience with either but plan to try out one too myself...have a few text books I need to turn into money

 

[CherylA]

I never tried amazon but I love Half.com, they are very reliable and easy to use. I wouldn't list the same book in both places if you only have 1 copy. You don't want both copies to sell and only have 1 to ship!

Cheryl

 

[Alicnwondrln]

i have used amazon.com
i put like 25 books up but only 1 has sold so far

 

[HayGan]

I use Amazon and I it. I just made another $100 for our Disney trip on there since Saturday

I don't really know much about Half.com but Amazon doesn't cost you a thing unless the item sells and you can pull your listings at anytime as well with no charge.

 

[LaurieA]

Interesting never thought of this. I was going to list my rare books on ebay but might try amazon - anyone know how it its for rare old books?

 

[HayGan]

Interesting never thought of this. I was going to list my rare books on ebay but might try amazon - anyone know how it its for rare old books?

I don't think that Amazon is the best for older books but you can do a search for a few of yours to see if they are listed. I'm getting ready to sell an old book for a friend and I have noticed that several seller list the same books on both Amazon and Ebay.

 

[kelleigh1]

For those who list on Half.com, could you give some details as far as cost to list, etc? I've listed on ebay once, but didn't sell. Would love to try again and get rid of some of these books. Thanks!

 

[juliette]

I have done amazon and have sold about 300 on some text books
I love it DISNEY here I come

 

[Vickie46]

I love reading these kinds of post!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Free4Life11]

Amazon absolutely!! SO easy and I've made quite a it seling books!

 

[PrincessKitty1]

I sell out-of-print books and paper ephemera. I used to sell on Ebay, but I rarely sell there now as I average probably 2-3 times the price on Amazon that I would get on Ebay. Generally speaking, people are looking for bargains on Ebay. People who buy out-of-print on Amazon generally seem to be looking for very specific books or specific topics, and are willing to pay a premium for them.

It can take a long time to sell obscure books on Amazon, but that doesn't bother me since I'm a dealer--I accept the fact that I may have certain inventory for a year or two or three before it sells, because the right person has to find it. Ebay is more immediate gratification, but for a lower price.

I did not have good luck with Half.com (I don't think a lot of people know about it), and I haven't tried to sell there in years.

 

[Michelina]

I used to sell on half.com, I'm taking a break right now. I've done pretty well, I made about $400.00 in 2004. It doesn't cost anything to list, half.com takes a certain percentage when you sell. They provide you with some credit to go towards your shipping costs. If I remember, it is around $1.35 for paperbacks and closer to $2.00 for hardbacks. It's very easy to list the books, you just enter the ISBN and it pops the book up with the cover photo already there!
Feel free to ask if you have anymore questions!

 

[jwfla422]

I use both. Both have been equally successful. I've sold mostly new college textbooks and some used kids books and CDs.

Fees are pretty similar although amazon gives a few cents more for shipping. I forget the percentage for them, but for a while when I had lots of stock I made a nice profit. My busiest times were Aug & Sept as well as Jan & Feb. which are the most popular months for text sales.

I encourage you to list on both. You have nothing to lose since neither charges you fees upfront. They only charge fees once your item sells. Then they deposit the $$ into your checking. You don't have to chase down anyone to pay since the sites are responsible for the transaction of $$. You just need to ship the item within a certain timeframe.

 

[dreams91]

I've always had great luck on half.com.

 

[jay-nee]

what's the opinion about listing on both, really bad idea?

I just want as much exposure as I can get so I can start to clear out some of these.

Also, what about OLD (15-20 yrs old) textbooks, better to toss? Or donate?

Just wondering...

Thanks all for your great info so far!

Happy Friday!

 

[jennilouwho]

I've had a small business selling books on Amazon for a few years. I buy them at rummage sales and thrift stores and find Amazon very easy to work with. However, if you do this, make sure you remove the thrift store price tags! I just got a negative feedback from I guy that I forgot to remove the tag on. He says I'm taking advantage of him because I bought the book for $3 and sold it to him for more. I tried to explain how we have to make a profit or there would be no point, but he just emailed me back a really nasty email about what a horrible person I was....

 

[PrincessKitty1]

what's the opinion about listing on both, really bad idea?

I just want as much exposure as I can get so I can start to clear out some of these.

Also, what about OLD (15-20 yrs old) textbooks, better to toss? Or donate?

Just wondering...

Thanks all for your great info so far!

Happy Friday!

Nothing wrong with listing on both--just make sure you delte sold books from both so you don't end up getting negative feedback for an unavailable book.

Some 15-20 year old textbooks are worth some money, but most aren't. I would check out the prices for the texts currently listed on Amazon or Half and see if you think it's worth your while to try to sell them. (I ended up tossing most of my textbooks from the 1990s--they were basically paperweights ).

 

[jay-nee]

I really wasn't sure if it would be ok to list on both. Yeah, you would have to be very, very careful. I don't want NEG FB, yuck!

I don't even use Amazon anymore. After I discovered eBay and Half.com, Amazon went right out the window in this house. I seem to get better deals on eBay venues.

I have some books/CDs/movies listed on Half.com, now I am just trying to be patient. hmmm I said trying, right? I have sold 3 books and 1 CD so not too bad so far.

I really like the sellers structure for Half.com WAY better than eBay, so much work to get stuff listed on eBay, but sometimes really, really worth it!

Thanks again. I really appreciate the info sharing!

Happy Friday!