Selling books

Kit1

Hi

I love reading and have loads of books around the house and I was wondering what was the best way to sell them.

They are all as new.

Thanks

Cazza

I've sold second hand books on Amazon and found it very easy.

soolin

Watch the fees and postage costs though. A standard chart paperback costs £2.16 to send 2nd class post, and to cover that you need to be selling via Amazon at around £5. If these are rare books then you may well be OK, if they are just standard chart paperbacks then you can't sell cheaper than Amazon themselves.

The market completely dropped out of my book business last Autumn and i am busy dumping my unwanted stock at any charity shop that will take them.

patman99

Be aware that books seem to sell better at certain times of the year. For instance I sold 5 books in 10 days at the beginning of April, but none since.
If you have lots of romance novels then they may sell better when valentines day comes round again. Just do not expect to sell the lot in short-order. Also do not be tempted to get into '1p wars'. The sellers who sell at 1p a book are making a massive loss after postage costs are taken-out.

cepheus

I have sold 3 books on Amazon in as many weeks with only 6 on sale. I seem to get most of the cost of postage back if you send 2nd class. You can even make a small profit on postage with small books, but a loss on larger ones. The main cost is Amazon's cut.

soolin

When using Amazon always check the actual net proceeds that you will receive before you list. Those net proceeds include your postal allowance. So a 1p book nets you £1.46, and if it is a standard paperback it will cost £2.16 to post second class.

However although you get only £1.46 your buyer has paid £2.81, so in some cases your 1p book cna look expensive.

vincenta

Hi.
I just sell my first book on amazon.I think it would be first and the last one.
Buyer's price: £1.20
Amazon fees: -£1.56
Shipping: £2.80
Your earnings: £2.44
After 2.16 £ postagr cost my earnings was 28 pence
It was new book.

_Persephone

vincenta wrote: »

Hi.
I just sell my first book on amazon.I think it would be first and the last one.
Buyer's price: £1.20
Amazon fees: -£1.56
Shipping: £2.80
Your earnings: £2.44
After 2.16 £ postagr cost my earnings was 28 pence
It was new book.

I experienced a similar thing, it's worse if you're selling textbooks, as the extra weight is not considered.

lincroft1710

Also look at eBay, less run of the mill stuff can sometimes do reasonably well. But as soolin has posted, the market for books has dropped. Even the local Oxfam bookshop has shelves of fiction books @ 50p each which don't appear to be selling.

Car boot sales are another possibility, but like eBay can be very hit or miss.

patman99

I price my books to give me a good profit after fees/postage, but that means waiting for all the cheaper copies to sell. Big books can cost £8+ to post, so get yourself a good set of scales so you know roughly what to price at.

mojito83

Green Metropolis is great for selling books. I sell all my books and use the credit to purchase new books. I also pick up books from charity shops and book stands etc for 50p a book and sell them through green metropolis.