Selling Your Stuff on Amazon Part 11 - Advice for newbies in first two posts

static999

I've just sold my first penny book in Amazon for some bookshelf space. I requested a proof of posting. PO lady gave me the receipt & told me that IS the proof of posting! She also said the certificate of posting whereby you write the address of receipient & then get it stamped is the 'old version'. Now, they accept the receipt as a proof of posting. She also said it doesn't matter if the address is not written on the new receipt coz what is important is you have paid & the receipt is proof of it being posted!

Is this correct?

Eager_Elephant

Hi static99

This is the proof I always get and I ask them to write the post code in the space.

One Post Office I go to always stamps the slip of paper as she was taught this when she first joined but none of the others do. (I use about 6 different PO's depending where I am)

I have never tried to claim for lost post so not sure if it is ok, maybe one of the 'experts' will be along later.

EE

rare_stuff

static999 wrote: »

I've just sold my first penny book in Amazon for some bookshelf space. I requested a proof of posting. PO lady gave me the receipt & told me that IS the proof of posting! She also said the certificate of posting whereby you write the address of receipient & then get it stamped is the 'old version'. Now, they accept the receipt as a proof of posting. She also said it doesn't matter if the address is not written on the new receipt coz what is important is you have paid & the receipt is proof of it being posted!

Is this correct?

The 'old' version is still valid, and if you ask for some cards you can fill these in before taking the trip to the PO. They won't argue with this as it only takes them a moment to stamp and initial it, which is great if you have a few items to send.

As for the printed 'till receipt', yes this is the new proof of posting, though it does need the clerk to fill in the postcode, house number on the bottom. Some clerks will put a line through this space, and this is what they are supposed to do if you are not requesting a POP, some are a bit sloppy and don't so you can do this yourself.

In the days where I was taking 20-30parcels a day to the PO I'd actually create my own POP form on an A4 sheet, using the same layout as the old pop form, they were more than happy to stamp and sign it.

boston_uk

Surfaqcing after house move - garage is stuffed full with books! Chaos but had to put listings back up - think I am on the invisible server though

wigglebeena

funkyfunkymonkey wrote: »

Hi emweaver

Do check out to see if they have had any previous bad feedback from sellers - if I have to refund due to non delivery I leave a comment such as "excellent buyer - very understanding when item failed to arrive" or words to that effect. Then if they are genuine I have thanked them for their patience, if they were trying it on, it will hopefully be a warning to others.

FFM

That's clever, we should all do that as a secret Masonic signal.

wigglebeena

rare_stuff wrote: »

Other sellers, particularly big sellers use automatic pricing software that can adjust their prices to match yours. Often they can set this adjustment to happen every hour. There was a list of sellers that undercut prices using software, but can't find the address at the moment!
The moral of this is if you are going to undercut the current lowest price prepare to be be undercut by a penny within hours on popular titles. It is always best to price-match rather than undercut. It's also a well known fact that the cheapest items don't always sell first, especially if the seller has low feedback, is American and is usuing a generic description such as 'nice book'. I have sold many books for more than £5 above american sellers, yet I still see lots of people matching them on price.




The minute you start to buy stock it can be seen as 'trading' by the Inland Revenue and you should register as self-employed and keep records of all expenses and income.

Happy Selling!

I price match when i first list unless i consider something underpriced. After that, I'm not going to chase the market down.

pavlovs_dog

ive just been sorting through some books to get rid of, and have been running details through amazon to check if i was about to get rid of a goldmine. many, as i suspected, will be off to the oxfam bookshop tomorrow morning, but there are one or two which look like they might fetch a a few pound online. trouble is, they are not the type of books i can imagine there being much call for, so i could be hanging onto them for a while :rolleyes:

is there any way of checking the hits/number of searches/amount of interest on that item via the amazon website, so that i can evaluate whether it is worth me hanging onto them to list, or whether i should be ruthless in my decluttering

teapot2

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

ive just been sorting through some books to get rid of, and have been running details through amazon to check if i was about to get rid of a goldmine. many, as i suspected, will be off to the oxfam bookshop tomorrow morning, but there are one or two which look like they might fetch a a few pound online. trouble is, they are not the type of books i can imagine there being much call for, so i could be hanging onto them for a while :rolleyes:

is there any way of checking the hits/number of searches/amount of interest on that item via the amazon website, so that i can evaluate whether it is worth me hanging onto them to list, or whether i should be ruthless in my decluttering

Hi Pavlov's dog, I feel strangely compelled to reply to you [groan, soz]. There is no way to check on hits or searches on Amazon unfortunately. You can look at the sales ranking on the product page which might give a clue but even then its not a guarantee that someone won't come looking.

However, one thing I've learned in the couple of years I've been selling in a small way on Amazon is that I'm always amazed by what will sell. One of my most obscure books sold was called 'A History of Anaesthesia Through Postage Stamps'...... It took a few months to go but go it did [I'd bought it in a moment of delusion thinking it would appeal to both the philately and medical collectors ]. Anyhoo, as it costs nothing but a bit of your time, why not stick the books on and see if they go and if you need the space back in a few months then you can be ruthless.

Also it occurs to me that if you post what category the books come under or a bit of info on them, someone on here might be able to advise if they are likely to sell???

Good luck with it
Teapot

starbump

Got my first feedback comment/rating! I have sold four items so far and I was beginning to think I would never get any. Just wanted to share because I am so (sadly) excited.

sherbie28

Could someone please help me with choosing the condition of my books. I have paperback novels that I have read once, I am a non-smoker and I don't eat when I am reading so there are no marks on the books whatsoever (I also use a bookmark so no creasing). The only thing is with them being paperbacks they have creasing on the spine so should I chose very good or good because I'm not sure whether they class spine creasing as 'spine damage'. Thanks