selling your stuff on Amazon - part 5

Annie021063

funkyfunkymonkey wrote:

Thank you for the welcome. :hello:

Do you know how hard it is to sell a M&B book? :A

I've only sold 1 book today, with more than 4000 listed, so I would say it is just a slow day. There has been something funny with the SDN's too!

Can I ask a question too !!! Pretty please!!! As you have so many listed can you impart a little knowledge as to the type of books that a) sell well b) command good money. I have nearly 200 listed and am looking to buy more tomorrow what should I look out for?? Another thing!! [sorry] how many books sold on a regular basis would prompt you to become a pro-merchant seller??? and how many would you need listed to consider this??
Thanks for your time>:D

funkyfunkymonkey

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

Hi funkymonkey (I've shortened your name, I'll take it as read that you are double funky) - you are really earning your place here...so I'm going to give you another question.

We have a bit of an unofficial rule of thumb that you can expect to sell I book per week for every 50 you have listed, you have 4000 so do you sell around 80 per week - how accurate is our estimate?

I'm happy to be called funkymonkey, but it was already taken which is why I had to be 'doubly funky' - but hey, that's cool.:cool:

I've had a quick look at my records and over the past 8 weeks have sold 379 books, that only averages out at 47 books per week. It is also mostly newer stock that is selling with the odd one or two from older stock.

I would say that you probably sell less per 1000 listed as you increase your stock because it is getting older and is therefore being undercut or is less desirable. The more books you have the harder to keep up with price checking - to be honest I've given up and leave my prices as they are.

Chell

funkyfunkymonkey wrote:

Do you know how hard it is to sell a M&B book? :A

I've only sold 1 book today, with more than 4000 listed, so I would say it is just a slow day. There has been something funny with the SDN's too!

I can't work out what an SDN is
I have only been registered with Amazon since Easter Monday. Thats the 2nd M&B that I have sold. I wouldn't have listed them if it wasn't for someone on this thread saying that they sell. The other one went to Amsterdam.

apprentice_tycoon

funkyfunkymonkey wrote:

I've had a quick look at my records and over the past 8 weeks have sold 379 books, that only averages out at 47 books per week. It is also mostly newer stock that is selling with the odd one or two from older stock.

I would say that you probably sell less per 1000 listed as you increase your stock because it is getting older and is therefore being undercut or is less desirable. The more books you have the harder to keep up with price checking - to be honest I've given up and leave my prices as they are.

Interesting point - I've got up to about 600 and that's about as much as I can accomodate in the house and it's just about managable, I've been selling for 4 years (dabbling only till I went pro merchant last October) so I have old stock too but I get the odd surprise when one of my 'pensioners' goes. I can sort of keep up with my price checking by doing one page of 25 every day before breakfast, then the rest of the day is all ebay stuff after that.

funkyfunkymonkey

Annie021063 wrote:

Can I ask a question too !!! Pretty please!!! As you have so many listed can you impart a little knowledge as to the type of books that a) sell well b) command good money. I have nearly 200 listed and am looking to buy more tomorrow what should I look out for?? Another thing!! [sorry] how many books sold on a regular basis would prompt you to become a pro-merchant seller??? and how many would you need listed to consider this??
Thanks for your time>:D

AT's advice on the type of book that sells is sound. If you can pick up any from Amazon's top 100 you can be sure that they will sell within a day or two. The best way to find out what sells is to experiment, you learn faster and remember better from the mistakes you make. I try to spend no more than £1 for 3 at a boot fair, unless I know I'm on to a winner. The same with charity shops, although I tend to go up to £1 as it's for a good cause.

I became a pro-merchant after about a week. The fees are £28.75 and you save 86p per book in Amazon fees by being a PM, therefore if you can sell more than 34 in a month you will save money.

There are sellers that achieve this on very few books listed simply because they know what sells and keep a close eye on their prices - I wish I was as good as them - but it takes time and commitment.

funkyfunkymonkey

chelltune wrote:

I can't work out what an SDN is
I have only been registered with Amazon since Easter Monday. Thats the 2nd M&B that I have sold. I wouldn't have listed them if it wasn't for someone on this thread saying that they sell. The other one went to Amsterdam.

SDN = Sold Dispatch Now - sorry, I lapsed into 'Amazon Speak'

funkyfunkymonkey

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I get the odd surprise when one of my 'pensioners' goes.

What a great expression :rotfl:

apprentice_tycoon

chelltune wrote:

I can't work out what an SDN is
I have only been registered with Amazon since Easter Monday. Thats the 2nd M&B that I have sold. I wouldn't have listed them if it wasn't for someone on this thread saying that they sell. The other one went to Amsterdam.

Sold Dispatch Now -

It was me that suggested Mills and Boon, I would never have even attempted to sell them because I just assumed that there would be yards of them for sale but I was given some to sell and I was surprised to see how few were listed, maybe it was just the ones I had which were the 'younger' ones but they are so light I don't mind selling for 1p

Annie021063

{If you can pick up any from Amazon's top 100 you can be sure that they will sell within a day or two}
How can I find out this top 100?
Thanks for your other advice.
My fees for my 1st 2 weeks of sales was £42 and actually I didn't list my first book until the 22/5/06 so my first 2 weeks was actually only 11 days (sold 19 books). Now I know this might be a fluke but if I keep increasing my book stock I might consdier becoming a pro very soon.

funkyfunkymonkey

Annie021063 wrote:

{If you can pick up any from Amazon's top 100 you can be sure that they will sell within a day or two}
How can I find out this top 100?

Look at the bottom right hand side of the Amazon 'Welcome' page - they are listed there. Apparently it is updated hourly.