What exactly is the deal with "Amazon used"? I can see that there are sellers there listing books. Are they the same as zshops? I am guessing the items in "used" also show up in the regular Amazon database...but items listed for free under Marketplace do NOT show up in "Used"?
What is the difference, if any, between having a zshop and a Marketplace "merchant" account? [is that the right name?]
Also, I checked a regular Amazon record, with one of my copies on it. It said there were 3 copies available, but when I clicked on the "buy used" button on that screen, only one of the copies came up. Was that a listing in the "Used" part of Amazon? That copy was the most expensive listed, BTW.
Are they basically trying to funnel business to the sellers who pay monthly fees?
posted on June 27, 2001 07:44:45 AM new
here's another example: I found a book in the Amazon database, where it said "buy used from $93". I clicked on USED and that was the lowest price. But right on the same screen you can click on zShops and get it for $40.
To me this implies that zShops and "used" are not the same??? Why are they supporting three different ways to sell books?
posted on June 27, 2001 09:57:20 AM new
amzn bot bibliofind ,so i believe you can go from amzn to bibliofind,may be thats what they mean by 'USED'.
amazon marketplace is for new,used,out of prints books,dvd and videos only,no listing fee,pay a stiff commision and transaction fee when item is bot,seller must use one click for processing credit cards.
zshops can sell anything ,fixed fee of 39.99 per month for up to 4000 items.
now here is the twist-
if you have many books on marketplace and get tired of relisting after 30 days if not sold,then for 40 dollars a month,amzn will relist your books for you after 30 days,waive that 99 cents transaction when book is sold(commision still apllies),and you can list in auction free.
also you get a zshop storefront for you marketplace items,which means a list of books where buyer can search .
(not sure if you can add non books,dvd to your zshopfront??)
amzn also will offer for a fee to list your book at higher visibility than other books .
so the whole pecking order goes like this-
when a buyer click on detail page of the book,you see the amazon info,then marketplace books(higher visibility for those who pay a fee),then scroll down further,you see same book available in zshop.
in a nutshell,whoever pays most to amzn gets the most visible slot.
posted on June 28, 2001 04:49:12 AM new
good summary, hwahwahwa.
Hi keziak.
The Pro Merchant account fee of $39.99 per month allows you to sell any item, including books, at no listing fee in z-shops. The final commission on a sale is much lower than Marketplace.
Each dealer has to decide for themselves how best to sell and promote their books. If you look at the Amazon seller connection board you will see many discussions by all the sellers of the various ways they are selling and the problems they encounter. Some sellers use Marketplace only, some Z-shops only, and some use a combination.
I think the seller's opinions are as varied as the ways Amazon gives you to sell.
posted on June 28, 2001 08:27:46 AM new
even if you do not intend to list any item on amzn auction or intend to sell up to 4000 non books,dvd etc in zshop,40 dollars a month paid to amzn will free you from relisting your books on marketplace and save you 99 cents transaction fee when book is sold.
so if you are selling 40 or more books on amzn marketplace right now,signing up for that service means you dont pay that 99 cents transaction and you get amzn to relist for you.
it can be a chore to relist books every day when that 30 days period expire
one question,i notice big discount booksellers can add QUANTITY ON HAND for each title,how do they do it??
posted on June 28, 2001 03:37:57 PM new
Thanks guys. But I still don't understand what the "Used" catagory is since it appears to be different from Zshops. I'll check the boards over there I guess.
posted on June 28, 2001 06:35:15 PM new
Used = a Marketplace listing for a book from a private seller like you or me, for a book that (obviously) is not new, and is not classified as Collectible which gets it's own separate page of listings from the normal "used" books.
you are correct that the page of used books are not Z-shop listings. They are Marketplace listings.
it is possible, if you have a ProMerchant subscription to list a book both as Used and in Z-shops at the same time. If it sells, both ways the book shows up is automatically shown as sold/closed so you cannot sell it twice. However, you get twice the exposure of the same book.
I'm sorry it's not clear but it's the Amazon way that makes it unclear.
posted on June 29, 2001 09:37:04 AM new
a marketplace seller who pays 40 dollars to have a pro merchant account ,i dont think gets a z shop like the regular zshop !
because there will be a problem with paying amzn commision,marketplace is 15% less rebate of 2.20 for shipping (amzn collects 4.85 from buyer for shipping ) while zshop is 5 % and less.
the way it works now,if a book is available from amzn store,market place sellers (used and new) and zshops-amzn gets the most exposure,then marketplace ,then zshop.some buyers would miss that this book is available in zshops if he does not scroll further down.
he may get a better price buying from zshop as shipping could be less than what amzn charges which is 4.85 and he can use other forms of payment.
an item listed in Marketplace does get more exposure, it has rapidly become 85 - 90% of my sales....... and I've dropped from 1200 auctions to 800, and now have 2000+ on Marketplace! My Marketplace items are also shown in zShops, I think you're right that you have to pay the $39.95 a month to get that exposure.......
On domestic shipping (Marketplace) Amazon charges the buyer $3.49 and passes $2.20 to the seller, keeping a 'commission' of $1.29 PLUS 15% of whatever your sale was...........= 15 cents on a dollar item, $1.80 on a $12.00 item, $5.10 on a $34.00 item, $15.00 on a $100.00 item,
it starts to be painful to 'share' your sale with Amazon but you just have to figure it into the sales price you set.
posted on June 30, 2001 02:28:13 PM new
Evidently I am not the only one who can't figure out what is happening at Amazon. I have had a zShop for several months and was doing a bangup business. I haven't done the Marketplace stuff yet. Suddenly my zShop sales have dropped to ZIPPO! What should I do?
posted on June 30, 2001 04:25:18 PM new
bklover1,
depends what book you have,some books are just rare and/or out of print.
the big retail discount booksellers dominate marketplace right now,but they move thier inventory fast because they have thier own website and outlets and mail order business.
there is a note on the page which said search auction and zshop,and they will find your book.
posted on June 30, 2001 05:39:23 PM new
the big guys who have their websites and stores and mail order catalogs discover or were invited to particpate at half.com and amzn marketplace.
they must find amzn an attractive place to sell their books even though it cost a lot ,that 15 %.
on their own site they charge 3.50 to 4.50 for an order,now they are just getting 2.20 per book/
books are low margin commodity the way they sell them,how long will they keep paying amzn such high commision?
they either have to tell themselves this is really marketing and advertising as they use amzn to gain new customers who will come to their site and bypass amzn OR they have to raise prices.
it will be interesting to see how it unfolds??
small guys like us are getting the squeeze,can we lower our price to compete with these big guys??
can we play this waiting game and wait for them to sell all their books first?there is such thing as inventory holding cost??
what can we do?
please do not mention half.com ,that is not a viable alternative .
posted on June 30, 2001 05:57:56 PM new
hwahwahwa, how do we know they only pay 15 percent commission. I've often wondered if they have a special deal.
sometimes I'm willing to hold onto my First Edition copy of a book for a long time, and hopefully the remainder sellers will run out their copies after a while, and then mine will sell. It depends on the book and how much shelf space I have at the moment what decision I make.
posted on June 30, 2001 08:31:19 PM new
i know the independant booksellers association won a case against branes and noble and certain publishers for favorite treatments in returns and discounts,i think it is returns.
so i would think amzn cannot give these discount booksellers better deals than it gives us,it may assist them in bulk loading and be more responsive in customer service.
i know with one seller,there is alreay price discrepancy for the same title listed on its own site and on amzn.
i do not have a lot of shelf space,these books can add up in cost-dollarwise.
