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

soolin

Oh well, my little run of good sales didn't last. I sold 11 books in 36 hours at the weekend, and nothing at all since about 10.30 am Sunday morning. This might easily be my worst week ever!

Eager_Elephant

I have posted the following on the Amazon discussion board but wondered if anyone here had any ideas as I know you don't all look at them

I sold a book the other day which was described as below:
Condition: [SIZE=-1]Used - Acceptable [/SIZE]
Seller's comments: [SIZE=-1]Acceptable condition, dirty edges on pages .bx31.281107tb[/SIZE]
The seller has now left me 2 out of 5 stating 'battered and dirty'.
The book had dirty edges but was not battered but we still listed it as acceptable, maybe he thinks he was buying a new one?
I have just emailed him politely asking him to reconsider his feedback as the condition is shown before buying.
Do you think I have a leg to stand on with Amazon in asking them to remove this?
The problem is I am a new seller and my feedback has dropped to 95%.

The dirt on the edge was a cat paw print which had left a slight mark.

My feedback has always been 100% which is why I am able to price my books higher as people will come to me over someone with less feedback

I sold 30 books in November but so far only he has left feedback which is why it looks so bad. Even with 50 people leaving good feedback I won't get back to 100% for a year until it drops off.

Help!!

EE

boston_uk

EE: sorry to say you don't have a leg to stand on with Amazon removing it - had LONG conversation with them last week and unless they swear or similar in the feedback they won't remove it. If he doesn't you can explain in the reply and hope.
I always copy the description to them in the email I send about shipping just in case and at least you can then say you emailed it to them!!

You will have to rely on the begging email I'm afraid for removal.

soolin

Amazon used to remove feedback like that where an acceptable book was sold, but they don't any longer and they let all feedback remain.

I really do worry about some buyers being allowed loose on shopping sites. If I bought an acceptable book with a mark on the edges I would consider myself fortunate as tht is hardly damaged at all. Some of the acceptable books I have received have been appalling but I was content to leave a 5* because as long as the condition was as stated I knew what I was buying.

I do think though that some buyers just don't read the blurb at all. I posted on the last long thread that I had someone cancel an order when I sent them the despatch email with a reminder about the book condition, as they said they were 'shocked' that Amazon were selling second hand books. They also claimed that they had no indication at all that they were buying second hand..although the book they bought was not a unique one and I was not the cheapest so they must have browsed marketplace to find it!

Eager_Elephant

Following my polite email my buyer has removed his feedback!!!

He did not respond to my email but am sure he must have read it.

I have emailed him again to say Thanks and also that I will refund him if he is still not happy.

Thanks everyone for your advice

EE

P.S I think the Xmas lull has started, no books sold today (although this morning may have been the 95% rating but by this afternoon I was back up to 100%)

wilf55

i sold a book being described as most of the pages were stained as were the page edges

was the edge of the page only but it had extended about 2 millimetres into the pages but got a 2 out of 5 and comment 'pity about the stain' so no they do not read the description at all

good luck guys

sales dropped off here also

soolin

I struggled to get 2 small sales in the past 5 days, completely dead here.

wilf55

perhaps we should all have a well earned rest for 5 mins and begin sorting out old non sellers doing xmas shopping listing any more books ready for the new year tidying the piles and piles and piles of books that seem to be in every cupboard and every corner!!!

soolin

I had a lovely tidy out this week, in fact you can actually get into my porch and through the hall without banging your shins on boxes of books now. In fact I almost forgot the colour of the tiles in the porch as it has been so long since I've seen them!

I did a book sale for a large charity that I am a Director of, badgered, bullied and cajoled people into having books for a donation to the charity funds. Everything left at the end was split between someone from a hospice shop who had some room in the car, and another charity shop I passed on my way home.

That has taken care of all my surplus stock, plus the coffee table books too heavy for Amazon and the 1p novels (that went very well!)

I have also managed to sell a large box of proper talking books to a retirement complex for people with disabilities, unfortunately there seems to be a shortage of the old fashioned personal casette players to listen to them on, so I am going off in search of those soon to see if I can find any being sold cheaply enough for the home to buy. Shame is I could probably pick them up cheaply in the summer months as you often see them at car boots now as the children all have ipods and cassettes are so last century!

numberthree

I'm planning a clear out of some of my stock over the Christmas period too. That will cheer my hubby uo as he says I have far too many boxes in the shed

Like Soo says, I shall be rooting out all my 'acceptable' penny books and very large hardbacks which just take up so much room to store. We have a village hall which always has books for sale in the foyer to raise a few pennies so I will be taking them down there. I have also bought a few good ones from there in the past too :j

Then I will be looking for some more stock in the new year!

It actually feels quite good to have made the decision to actually 'throw' some of my books out as I haven't actually done this before and have got some books which really are never going to sell as they are just not in good enough condition and some which are so heavy that it is just not really worth the effort because of postage costs.

Roll on the New Year for a fresh start :T And now I am a little more experienced I know just how important the condition of a book is. Mind you sometimes one sells which you tend to think will end up in bad feedback as it was probably the worst one listed!

Good luck with sales wveryone over the nex few weeks - it seems to be quietening down already