posted on November 8, 2000 03:51:51 PM new
I spent this afternoon moving my book inventory (about 100 items) from Half.com to Amazon. I hadn't thought seriously about it until radh posted the thread to an article about it, and then I realized...this is a great idea, at least for me (not sure about for Amazon). Everyone on earth seems to buy books (or at least research books) on Amazon, and when they do, there I will be, offering a used copy. So anytime someone searches on a book *or topic*, mine will pop up. It's true you can do a searchr on Half.com too, but I don't find their search engine to be very useful for searching anything other than a book name or author. Amazon is more global and I like their format better--I also like that I could write a book review if the books I've listed don't have one yet! IMO Half.com really suffers from not having a review option.
I started this big switchover mainly just because I had a problem with Half.com lately--and after working mightily and unsuccessfully to get it resolved I am determined that they shall make no more profit off of me. With the pathetic customer service I received there, I don't want to be associated with them at all. However, when I tried the Amazon thing I ended up liking it a lot. I upped my price to include the 99 cent fee (the 15% commission is a wash, but oh well, cost of doing business) and it remains to be seen how the sales will go.
posted on November 8, 2000 04:09:12 PM new
I'm doing the same. When I first heard of this last week, I listed 5 books at Amazon. On the 3rd day I sold one for nearly $10. The same book was listed at Half.com for about a month for under $3, and didn't sell.
The problem with Half.com is simple. Too many sellers, not enough buyers. Amazon has a huge base of buyers.
posted on November 8, 2000 04:34:32 PM new
I use Yahoo and while my sales are not brisk, the stuff does move. I have sold stuff quickly that sat for weeks on eBay. If it takes longer on Yahoo, it's still off the meter.
posted on November 8, 2000 05:28:27 PM new
Put 6 books up on Amazon 2 days ago & have sold 1 already at $12.00 profit! Yikes! Beats the heck out of Half-ass.com!
posted on November 8, 2000 06:18:18 PM new
Yes, I've listed maybe 25 so far. Sold 4. The great thing is the prices I got. Three were new, 2000 titles but the other one was an older, ex-library book.
I think this could work well for everyone as long as customers don't expect to pay Book Rate and get their merchandise in 2 days.
I also expect that the prices we will be able to command will fall pretty soon when the big book dealers show up and there is more competition to sell certain titles. But there should also be plenty of "room for everyone" if we have quality books available to list.
posted on November 8, 2000 08:36:51 PM new
I thought about doing it because of Amazon's HUGE user base (heck I'm one of them- it's one of the first places I look for things.) Maybe I'll give it a whirl too.
posted on November 8, 2000 08:39:03 PM new
What are the fees for listing on amazon? I can't find an information section anywhere.
I found the sell your item page. But I can't find a fee schedule.
posted on November 8, 2000 08:41:28 PM new
I listed four tonight -- ones I hadn't listed on eBay because of the poor prices copies listed by other sellers were bringing. I'll be interested to see if they sell on Amazon. While the commission is a lot steeper, higher prices should balance it out.
This is certainly an advantage Amazon has over eBay.
posted on November 8, 2000 08:47:25 PM new
One more thing... I share keziak's concern about buyers paying for book rate but expecting to receive their items more quickly than book rate would allow.
I noticed two sellers, both book shops, offering a "free upgrade to first class" for the price of book rate. I think that's a good idea, although the difference would probably have to be built into the price of the book.
Does Amazon make a profit on shipping for these items? Are the buyers charged a flat fee, say $3.95 or something, but Amazon only gives us $2.03, or is the buyer also charged $2.03 and made aware that it's book rate?
And is $12 enough to cover international shipping anywhere? I didn't check the "will ship internationally" box for fear that I'd end up getting stuck with higher shipping charges.
posted on November 9, 2000 05:04:59 AM new
RainyBear - great questions! Too bad there doesn't seem to be an Amazon "Damon" around to answer anything.
I think the shipping allowance for International will be fine...for surface book rate. So..if any of them buy a book for Christmas it had better be this week!
Also, when I was on Amazon auctions and using their Amazon Payments system, I could request a transfer to my bank account at any time. Right now I don't see that option. It looks like a half.com setup in which they pay out according to THEIR schedule.
posted on November 9, 2000 07:24:42 AM new
tegan: there are no fees to list the books we're talking about on Amazon Marketplace....the listing is free, but they take 15% + 99 cents, when it sells (and not until it sells.) Like I said, I built that 99 cents into my price, so I expect to come out fine.
Please note that the Amazon Auctions section has a different payment setup, which I don't know.
posted on November 9, 2000 09:55:59 AM new
(I read this last night, I just can't find the URL for it again) Amazon charges the customer a flat rate for shipping.. I believe it's 3.50.. for books.. in the Marketplace. This is per item, so there's no combining. Out of that 3.50 the seller gets 2.03 for shipping.
posted on November 9, 2000 10:34:22 AM new
Shipping Charges: I just did a "mock" buy from the Amazon marketplace--did everything but submit my purchase. The final screen shows a shipping charge of $3.49, so Amazon is making $1.46 on each purchase before their commission kicks in. The screen did specify "standard shipping" and suggested that the transit time was 4-14 days. When I mail books out from either zShop or Marketplace, I email the buyer and remind them that the item is being shipped bookrate, which can take up 21-24 days. If Amazon doesn't manage my buyers' expectations, I surely make certain that I do.
Shipping Internationally: In my estimation, the $12.00 charge for interantional shipping is EXTREMELY generous. I expect to issue a lot of partial refunds to international buyers. Most standard-size books will fit into a global priority mailer, which costs $9.00 for delivery anywhere in the world. And, it arrives within 3-5 days. It can't weigh over 4 pounds and it can't be taped within an inch of its life, but I've mailed over 50 books that way securely within the past 18 months. Books that don't fit in the mailer will be weighty or oversize, and surface bookrate for those books should be well under $12.00. I just sent a 3.5 pound book this week to Portugal for $5.67 (or thereabouts--within 20 cents of that at any rate).
One reminder for those who ship books overseas--for heavy orders, don't forget the M-bag option. An M-bag shipment is available for a box or a set of boxes which cumulatively weigh between 11 and 66 pounds. The cost is unbelievably cheap--79 cents per pound for surface shipments to Europe, and $4.50 or thereabouts per pound for airmail to Europe. I sent a 45-pound shipment to Portugal a couple weeks ago for 30-something dollars.
posted on November 9, 2000 12:35:15 PM new
Well, I'm no "Amazondamon" but I have sold books on Amazon for a couple years now. So far, I have sold 20 books and videos via the new Marketplace. Amazon customers will expect priority shipping. They are being charged $3.49 and Amazon always ships priority. $12 is extremely generous for overseas. Even if the book doesn't fit in a Global Priority envelope, Small Packets Air is also an inexpensive option. If a book is very heavy, I just don't check the "international" box.
Also, Amazon auction pros do not have to pay the 99 cent fee.
As to giving shipping refunds, although I sometimes give refunds for overcharges on auctions, this arrangement of fees is standardized by Amazon and we are expected to ship whether we get paid too much or too little. I believe it will all balance out.
posted on November 9, 2000 01:02:53 PM new
valeriet,
Thanks for the reminder on small packet air--I had forgotten about that option.
One of the reasons I've enjoyed selling on zShops is that it's extremely easy for overseas buyers to purchase from me--indeed, about 25% of my zShops sales have been overseas over the past two years.
I'm somewhat concerned that by listing my items in the Marketplace that I'll be cutting myself off from those overseas buyers--the shipping is just too much. By comparison, on zShops, most of my surface rate charges are $5.00 and the global priority cahrges are $10. Overseas buyers on the Marketplace cannot expect or anticipate that sellers will ship global priority, although I certainly will.
As for shipping refunds, my domestic buyers won't get any. The least I pay for shipping is $1.13, just 90 cents less than I get paid. My shipping supplies cost about 50 cents per package, so that will even out in the end. In the event I get an overseas buyer, though, I will certainly refund shipping overcharges, since I feel that those charges are unconsciousably high.
posted on November 9, 2000 01:43:00 PM new
It will be interesting to see what happens in the next few weeks if Amazon buyers are assuming they are getting Priority shipping. My West Coast buyers could well end up waiting a month for their books to show up, based on recent trends I've been seeing. I hadn't thought about emailing them directly, but maybe I should to be pro-active, rather than get irate email in 10 days when the books are still en route.
posted on November 9, 2000 02:17:03 PM new
Thanks guys. I just listed my first lot of books there.
How long does it take before they show up in search?
This is a great place for those books that take a while to sell.
posted on November 9, 2000 03:12:08 PM new
tegan - they say listings will show up within 24 hours. The ones I listed last night came up in search this morning.
posted on November 9, 2000 03:45:34 PM new
Well I have put some books up on Amazon and it felt like I was giving myself a raise. OTOH, I listed one on half that was on someone's waiting list and had an instant sale for twice what I had planned to ask for, so that was sweet.
posted on November 9, 2000 10:25:04 PM new
Hey there, I just bought a book from a seller on Amazon. Amazon didn't have the first edition of a book I wanted, and lo and behold I found a seller on there who had three whole copies of it. Yay! And it's so much cheaper than Amazon's old "search for out of print" service.
Amazon is where I go, not only to buy books but also to just research them, so I think it's great for more sellers to have more books over there.
________
I never had one, and I didn't want one, and I don't, so now I do...
posted on November 10, 2000 10:13:05 AM new
Anyone have a percentage of how much stuff moves on Amazon. I run at least 50% on eBay, and at least 10% on Yahoo (higher over time). What's the deadbeat level over there?
posted on November 10, 2000 10:35:02 AM new
I started this thread on November 8th in the late afternoon. By this morning, November 10th, I've already had three sales. Two out of the three were books that had already failed to sell on Half.com after sitting there for two months at least. I'm excited!
posted on November 10, 2000 10:35:14 AM new
mballai - with the Marketplace listings there are no deadbeats because the buyer pays Amazon with a credit card right away, and the seller gets paid semimonthly by Amazon.
posted on November 10, 2000 10:35:42 AM new
I have been listing books all day on both half and Amazon depending. They are obscure textile books and I am finding that half's data base is not as extensive as Amazon's is. Not by a shot.
At least 1/2 the titles are not on half at all, where as I am clocking in about 90% on Amazon. Finding the book in their database I mean, not necessarily do they have a copy available.
Since I am not interested in taking 300 pictures of many of these books, it's terrifically lucky that Marketplace came about. We sold on Amazon last Christmas and just KILLED - so perhaps it'll go like that again. From the sound of these posts, it seems they still have a large number of book buyers.
I would appreciate hearing more about how books people are listing are moving on Marketplace as opposed to half. Apparently the listing runs out in 30 days, so if the things aren't moving do you go another round or move 'em??
posted on November 10, 2000 10:57:39 AM new
I need some advice from experienced book sellers.
How do you price when you can't find a comparable on the web? No copy listed anywhere, Addall, etc. I am in this situation for the 4th time today. The particular book I am working with now is about couture sewing. I can pull it up on Amazon by the ISBN, but not the title and they have it listed for the cover price ($27.95) and a note that they will search OOP sources for it.
So...
Do I price this book for $27.95, or $50 since no one else has one on offer? Must I auction and take the chance it sells for $9.99, or is it worth $9.99??? If I go the Amazon route, is the book "used" or is it "collectable"?
Thanks for any insight.. and the exact title is "Designer Techniques - Couture Tips for Home Sewing" Kenneth D. King The pictures in it are campy fashion shots, really a masterpiece.
