selling books on Amazon - tips for more profit

apprentice_tycoon

In the past week I've sold 15 books, but that's out of 285 in stock so percentage wise it's around 5% of the total. I think that Voodoozoe has made a fair point that second hand things aren't really prezzies so maybe they will ease off for a few weeks.

larmy16

apprentice_tycoon wrote:

I'd check back to see if anyone has undercut your prices though, you could stick with your price and wait for the cheaper one to sell, then yours will be the cheapest or undercut them a little. Sometimes this can get silly because the price will just get lower and lower and you both lose out.

This is so true AT. I had one book (American) about frugal living and a newer seller than myself got into this undercutting scenario - in the end I took mine off and relisted it at a higher price! The amount we got to was getting silly as you say, and I thought no, I would rather wait and "bigged up" the description of my books condition as it is like new!!

Ps.Thank you for the original thread and giving me this info - it has given my life a new dimension!!!!

nads

soolin wrote:

There are a few US sellers who have books listed the same as mine where there is maybe 5 or 6 of us with prices around say the £6 mark but where the US seller has it up for £90. I've come across loads like that, I wonder what their cunning plan is?

Soo

Yes, I've noticed that too, could anyone else comment on why they do this? The only thing I can think is that perhaps they currently don't have that book in stock and so put an extortionate price on it so no one attempts to buy it and they do not have to go through the hassle of relisting it?

(AT will have the answer )

cazmeg

Can anyone tell me how you tell if a book is first edition? I am not sure and want to be accurate. Thanks for all your advice. I actually made a sale today!

apprentice_tycoon

nads wrote:

(AT will have the answer )

Sadly AT doesn't know everything the only thing I can think of is that they hope that one day there are no cheaper listings than theirs and a millionaire decides to buy theirs, they then quickly look around the net to find it for them. If they are pro-merchants they don't have to re-list, it will still be there till it's sold.

Also, Cazmeg I don't know how you tell for certain that it's a first edition, it's easy enough to see that it's not a 1st ed because of things like 'reprinted in 1967, 1968 and 1971' but I don't know if the absence of these means that it is a 1st ed? (I'm not really a proper bookseller, I just sell books - ask me about 1930's china, I can talk a bit more sense with that )

mah_jong

I have a book with the numbers 1 -10 on page with the 'stuff' on it and am led to believe it is a 1st edition.

I dont know, I just bought it umpteen years ago. perhaps someone can enlighten us !!
Mah

larmy16

Yippeee! I just sold a book priced at £17.00 :j - will get about £14.50 ish after postage. That has made my day, a top I was selling on ebay had one watcher and then they stopped watching - I was really hoping it would go as it was on a relist. Will have to give up after this time. So good about the book. Hurrah!!!

purplepatch

mah_jong wrote:

I have a book with the numbers 1 -10 on page with the 'stuff' on it and am led to believe it is a 1st edition.

I dont know, I just bought it umpteen years ago. perhaps someone can enlighten us !!
Mah

I think the presence of the number 1 means yes it is a first edition.

See here for some advice on first editions.

apprentice_tycoon

purplepatch wrote:

I think the presence of the number 1 means yes it is a first edition.

See here for some advice on first editions.

That's great, thanks for that - but all those variations!

purplepatch

Have sold a book that none of my supply of padded envelopes is big enough for.

However, I do have an envelope that I could reuse (got hubby a book from the US) but it has Alibris printed all over it.

Will I be doing anything wrong by recycling it for my own sale? I suppose it's a bit misleading, but then again, I'm doing my bit for the environment???

Annoying to have to eat into my profits by buying an envelope from the PO - no cheap envelopes in my village and need to get it posted in the morning.