Official ruling on p+p for a book?

Ames

I'm looking for books, if I find a cheap one I want I'll bid on it, I don't care what it says in the listing, I'm going to abide by ebay's rules. Kind of a book lover with a bit of vigilanteism on the side! I just hope none of the vigilante sellers bid against me thinking I could be ripped off and they want to save me.

bigbullyweedave

I'm a buyer and private seller.

As a private seller Ebay's new free postage rules annoy me but I have adapted by either increasing the starting price or simply donating items to the charity shop that are no longer worth selling. I've also discovered that selling in job lots with a higher starting price sometimes sees my overall sales/profits actually increase.

As a buyer it annoys me to do searches for media items and be constantly hit with "courier" option near the top of my searches. Especially for items weighing very little that will no doubt be sent through the Royal Mail. I just don't bid on/buy such items.

Ames

I'm finding the 'pick up only' option annoying when I'm just browsing, who's going to pay 1p for a book and then a couple of pounds on petrol to collect it when you could probably get it for less in a charity shop or car boot sale anyway. I'm a mad book lover (strangers even turn up at the door randomly giving me books), but there's no way even I'd go out of my way to collect a tatty old second hand paperback!

TurkishDelight

Had a bit of a wander through the book category after reading this- thought I'd either end up stocking my bookshelf or doing ebay a favour, and found a book that I thought looked good with the p+p in the listing- won it for 99p, and paid instantly.

It turned up today, with no fuss from the seller- don't know what feedback to leave now :rotfl:

y5d

It has inspired me to have a trawl through books too, and I think I might have to bid on this - 270485552367

All her book listings look equally inspirational!!

TurkishDelight

y5d wrote: »

It has inspired me to have a trawl through books too, and I think I might have to bid on this - 270485552367

All her book listings look equally inspirational!!

Oh god, you've made me laugh so much :rotfl: That has to be the best auctiva scroller ever. :rotfl:

You know what's worse?
She's a business seller- she had to pay for them listings

Ames

TD, I've done the same, bid, won and paid for some books at less than £1 where they say in the description they'll add p&p. One came today, in great condition, really thick and it only cost me 50p! I'll leave +ve feedback, not sure though whether to mention the postage thing though.

lol at the 'book' listing, I see them all the time (and similar ones in clothes), I always assume that it's people lising on free listing days who'll fill in the details over the following few days, but that doesn't really apply to business sellers.

rebelfilms

Youre much better off, if selling books, thinking it might take a litle longer to sell, and listing them on Ebid instead of Ebay. That way you can legitimately list postage cost and starting price, not get charged for listing (except 3% FVF), and everythings simpler instead of these crazy flailings on Ebay.

I used to sell books on ebay (the only thing funding my teacher training fees) but with free postage have had to stop. You see, I found that books dont sell fast, (I would have about 100 listed, sell maybe 10 per week) and because of that if you list at over 99p, to include postage, you will LOOSE money on listing fees overall. If you list free postage then considering the book will cost more than 99p to send (or in my case they do being fairly fat non-fiction books), and you loose money that way, so either way you are unable to sell books properly on Ebay any more.

I and other legitimate (and trapped) booksellers are moving to Ebid, which seems slower at the moment but the only rational thing to do. Ebay is impossible for bookselling now. Lovely to find next-to-free stuff, as other posters have mentioned but not when youre on the other side of the fence.

God knows how i am going to pay the rest of my tuition though.

soolin

Listing on ebid saves lots of money, you'll never have to buy packaging material again or pay another penny to the PO.

I've listed on there for 5 1/2 years and have had one sale and in fact if you look at the ebid thread on here I think I am just about pretty much the only person still bothering with it.

Ames

Why can't you price your books to include postage and fees and list them with that as the starting price.