selling your stuff on Amazon...part four...

ksh123

Isn't the problem with selling books on ebay that they are just so darn expensive to post? why would anyone pay say 50p for a ppback if the postage is going to bump it up to the cost of retail? For this reason is it worth listing books that aren't either collectible or rare?
I sell quite a bit on Green Metropolis but have quite often fallen foul of their projected postage costs meaning I have to cover the extra... (I console myself by thinking of the trees!)

soolin

ksh123 on ebay the post and packing charge is an additional extra. So selling a paperback book for 50p means you put the £1-£1.50 post and packing on that seperately.

It even works out cheaper for the buyer as they will get that book for say £2 including post and packing whereas on Amazon the lowest amount they could pay is 1p plus the Amazon postage rate which is in excess of £2.

Soo

ksh123

yes, I understand that Soo. But the last time I posted an Amazon-sold book it cost me £3.45! (hard back). And some paperbacks are very heavy too.

soolin

ksh123 wrote:

yes, I understand that Soo. But the last time I posted an Amazon-sold book it cost me £3.45! (hard back). And some paperbacks are very heavy too.

That's the difference between Ebay and Amazon though, for ebay you can add as much extra as you want or need for the postage, it is only limited by how much the buyer will pay and what is reasonable.

Your original question asked how people could make money selling 50p books on ebay .

Soo

wendym

I'm sorry if I'm being dim*, but how do you add extra on to the Amazon postage charge when it's done automatically? I've spent the w/end removing books from the list....last week my husband paid £12 to post to New Zealand; the allowance was £5-something, so he made a significant loss (absolutely his own fault, of course, but I'd be very interested to find out about adding postage, as losses of some degree happen all the time).
* Powers of thought not currently being helped by trombonist rehearsing Very Loudly downstairs!

Amazombie

wendym wrote:

I'm sorry if I'm being dim*, but how do you add extra on to the Amazon postage charge when it's done automatically?

You cant, and its strictly against Amazon's rules to try.

:j

wendym

That's what I thought. So this seller, quoted here a couple of days ago by Soolin, is breaking the rules and presumably contacting sellers direct to ask for more money.

"The other day I mentioned seeing some sellers that said added postage costs would apply, well I found one on a idle browse (still not got round to listing!). I haven't shown the seller id or the book as I'm not sure that would be right, but this is a cut and paste:

Rating: 97% positive ratings over the past twelve months (97 ratings) Seller has 254 lifetime ratings

Dispatched from: United Kingdom
International shipping available
Learn more about delivery destinations
Comments: -
Publisher: Harrap Ltd: 1987: 0245544208
Description: Hardback: V/G++ Book. V/G Dust Wrapper one closed tear to corner some light soiling and creasing.PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS BOOK WILL INCUR AN EXTRA £2.00 WHEN SENT WITHIN UK. THIS WILL BE ADDED TO THE COST OF POSTAGE QUOTED BY ABE OR AMAZON.PLEASE ASK ABOUT POSTAGE COST TO NON-UK DESTINATIONS less
Publisher: Harrap Ltd: 1987: 0245544208"

apprentice_tycoon

wendy - £12 wow! - it might have been a good candidate for an ebay listing at least you could have set the postage yourself but it might not have been worth it in total unless it was really special.

How did your husband walk back from the Post Office when he was kicking himself all the way home?

wendym

He's a musician, so has the magic switch that gets rid of reality when it's being uncomfortable.

Would Amazon have permitted him to email the buyer and point out that the postage allowed didn't even cover Surface Mail, and explain that Airmail wouldn't be possible?

You're right about Ebay, but ironically it wasn't a particularly special book!

katchambers

I've had a good load of sales over easter, which is great. I sold 6 items since friday! Yipee! I have also finished listing my pallet of 500 books and I sold my first one from the pallet on sunday, since I bought 500 books each book only cost me 90p and I sold this one for £10.50 - so good profit from that, just hope most of the others sell.

I also have some advice of my own, this is just what I have found:
I have bought books both from charity shops and boot sales (sunday market) and have been doing both for weeks and my suggestion is that boot sales are far better for books.

Firstly the books tend to be cheaper on average and in better condition as it tends to be books that people can't sell that go to charity shops, plus you can haggle at bootsales, not in charity shops and they tend to have much newer books. For example, 2 weekends ago I bought a book in waterstones about how to make money on the side, cost me £7, I found it this week at the bootsale for £1 and it was brand new - I was sick that I spent so much just 2 weeks ago, but thrilled to sell it on amazon, it has a high sales ranking and will go for £6!
I also bought some which? guides at the bootsale, they were supposed to be 25p each but he took 6 for £1, thereby making them 16p, they were brand new and about 2 years old, it was a risk, but not a big one for £1! Listed them last night, their sales ranking were all under 1000 - which is great and 2 of them had no other sellers, plus they were all listed for a min. of £5 each - so great mark-up. Overall I spent £8 on books, bought about 20-25 books overall, and only 2 were unlistable, and I would say 90% have a very good mark-up.

So my advice is to frequent the bootsales on a sunday morning, or afternoon if your lucky because you will find some brilliant new and cheap books that will sell.

Good luck everyone

Kat x