grobe
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posted on August 29, 2000 04:36:22 PM new
Could people who sell on half.com give some statistics on how fast books sell and average selling price for hardbacks, trade paperbacks, massmarket paperbacks? [For example if you have 1,000 books listed how many would you expect to sell in a month?]
Thanks.
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jmjones6061
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posted on August 29, 2000 05:01:07 PM new
I'm not sure that my experience is typical. I have been using half.com for about two months now and I have sold about 150 books. I started out with only about 200 books listed and added a few at a time. I now have about 500 books listed. I have found that mass market paperbacks sell the best. Since 8/16, I have made about 40 sales. Hope this helps.
Jane
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VeryModern
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posted on August 29, 2000 05:36:07 PM new
I listed about 150 new books - all nonfiction specialized and sell 2 or 3 a week. It's better than nothing.
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birdwatcher-07
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posted on August 29, 2000 05:54:30 PM new
I only have about 50 books listed, and sell a couple per week. Both fiction and non-fiction sell. I find that the cheapest books sell the fastest. Look around on half.com, and you'll notice that it's really a reverse auction, with sellers competing to be the cheapest, so that they'll get that coveted "buy this from blah,blah,blah" in the upper right-hand corner.
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VeryModern
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posted on August 29, 2000 06:01:06 PM new
Every time I have clicked that blah blah blah in the corner, there has been no book to buy. I decided it was a decoy.
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xifene
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posted on August 29, 2000 06:57:07 PM new
I list on half.com -- have had over 1200 item listed since I started in mid-July.
I find that 1 in 10 sell. So -- I've listed more than 1200 and have sold around 225 so far.
I don't specialize particularly (though I do find that romance paperbacks are the easiest books for me to find in pristine condition). And I list things ranging in price from .49 to $29.99 -- as well as from "Acceptable" to "Like New" condition.
--xifene--
http://www.auctionusers.org
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Murph
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posted on August 29, 2000 07:02:09 PM new
I have just shy of 500 books listed. I've been on half.com since June 29. Made two sales within 4 hours of listing my first items. And, I've averaged about 2.5 sales per day. All of my books are either trade paperbacks or hard backs.
As for the average price--like birdwatcher said, it's a reverse auction atmosphere there, so I tend to price my book at what the market can bear--if I have the only copy, it's half price (now maybe more); if I'm competing with a bunch of folks, I'll price the book low (or take it to zShops). I've had sales from $1.99 up to $39.99
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litlux
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posted on August 29, 2000 07:09:52 PM new
I am selling all manner of items on half.com. though my few books sell slowly.
I believe that the greatest action is in DVD's, followed by CD's, then Videotapes, and lastly books and laser discs. I like the process, and their discount coupon promotions have been very effective at bringing back repeat buyers.
I have listed over 1500 items since 6/15 and more than a third have sold.
Larry
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abacaxi
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posted on August 29, 2000 08:28:52 PM new
grobe -
I think it would depend on which books, and at what price.
I've sold 3 copies of an out-of-print fish-keeping book within a couple days of posting it. Harry Potter IV sold (just under Amazon list) by the time I logged off half.com and checked my email!
I dumped all the auto repair, martial arts and murdermysteries on half.com ... they were flops on eBay or had a high deadbeat rate. One karate book has already sold, and it went up Sunday.
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dixiebee
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posted on August 30, 2000 04:07:18 AM new
I have been selling on half.com since June 1 and have sold 64 books. What I sell are mostly hardcover bookstore remaindered items but have also sold a few paperback romances, self-help, etc.
At the moment I have 396 books, 8 CDs and 3 VHS movies listed.
One of the new half.com listing features I like is the "amount of last sold" so you can see what the items have been selling for so you can further gauge your pricing. Recently I was listing some paperbacks and came across a lot of those one cent paperbacks. It seems that the 50 cent to 99 cent paperbacks were listed in the "amount last sold" area.
Would it be safe to assume that the one cent sales look suspicious? Too good to be true syndrome? Just wondering what everyone else's take is on that.
As an aside to one of the regular posters here in this forum: Thanks for buying one of my books late last week!!! 
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keziak
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posted on August 30, 2000 05:04:39 AM new
Dixiebee - what was the book? wonder if it was me.
For myself, I do not have space to store a large inventory like 1000 books. I guess I have about 25-30 listed. It was deadsville and I was getting annoyed...then yesterday I sold 3!
I got a 48-hour coupon from them via email late yesterday. Did anyone else get that? Wonder if people are buying due to having a coupon?
I am not sure why people are willing to sell for less than $2, considering the effort to pack and mail the things. I do like being able to buy a paperback for less than $2 though...
Keziak
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mballai
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posted on August 30, 2000 06:04:30 AM new
I decided to buy two items on half yesterday about noon. I have yet to hear from either seller. That's not a good sign. Bibliofind sellers are much faster
I sell on Yahoo and eBay and never make my bidders wait for order information for more than a couple of hours. Granted that is not typical, but it might be why half doesn't do better.
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nowwhat
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posted on August 30, 2000 07:51:49 AM new
mballai ~ Click on the seller's ID. It will tell you how many books they have sold and how long it takes them to confirm the sale. Most sellers take quite a long time from what I've seen on their info. I would also suggest reading their feedback before you order. It will give you a good idea of who you are dealing with.
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mballai
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posted on August 30, 2000 08:05:33 AM new
If it does indeed take a long time to hear from a seller I probably won't be using them in the future. I consider short cycle time to be the single most important factor in operating a business. If I don't hear from someone within 48 hours, they are clueless in my book.
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nowwhat
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posted on August 30, 2000 08:31:06 AM new
mballai ~ I agree with you. One of the problems with eBay and Half.com is that you have lots of people selling who are not very professional.
I think these are the people that are listing books at .01 and throwing them into cookie boxes, etc. The speciality of the large inventory sellers seems to be not having the book in stock. That's a real no no with buyers.
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VeryModern
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posted on August 30, 2000 08:55:30 AM new
Gotta disagree regarding half.com feedback. I confirm within an hour usually, max would be 8 hours and ship same or next day. I have sold about 40 books and have a whopping 3 fb. No one bothers.
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sweetpeafarmer
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posted on August 30, 2000 09:19:32 AM new
I currently have about 220 items (mostly books) listed and have sold 120 since I started in June. Prices ranging from .99 cents to 19.95, most falling in the $5.00 range.
Video tapes seem to sell really fast, I haven't had much luck with CDs though.
VeryModern - I agree, only 23 buyers have left me FB. I guess they figure there's nothing in it for them, so why bother?
Dixiebee - You're welcome!
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edgar34
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posted on August 30, 2000 10:18:56 AM new
For me, CDs sell almost as fast as I list them, video games are steady -- a couple a week ( and never less than half of list price), and books are hit-and-miss (some weeks quite a few and then none for a week or two).
What I don't understand is WHY bother listing things at less than a dollar? I see plenty of listings at such prices, and I just can't figure out why. I do not lower my prices to compete with these. I figure I can list and just wait my turn. So far, I have sold several items when others were listed for quite a bit less but in worse condition or with sellers who have a lower feedback rating.
Tamara
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akt
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posted on August 30, 2000 10:22:48 AM new
I started selling on half com last month so far I have sold 11 books.
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dixiebee
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posted on August 30, 2000 10:36:13 AM new
sweetpeafarmer
keziak: I think the $5 coupon has helped a lot. I know I did my part when I purchased several CDs this morning and I have sold two books in the last two hours.
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birdwatcher-07
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posted on August 30, 2000 11:06:43 AM new
Gee, I listed a book last night and 20 minutes later it was sold! It must have been on someone's Wish List and they must have been at their computer to get their email right away. It was only a $2.99 book, but it was a dog on eBay and it was fun to sell it so fast. Another copy of the book was available for $6.50, but it's still sitting there, so I guess the buyer had a maximum price in mind and my book met her criteria.
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keziak
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posted on August 30, 2000 11:39:26 AM new
I just realized that I ordered a book from them 2 days ago but have not heard that it was confirmed. Guess they have another day to do so. Anyone know what happens if they miss the deadline? Does half.com notify me?
Keziak
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heike55
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posted on August 30, 2000 04:09:15 PM new
I had haf.com cancel an order on the 3rd day since the seller did not confirm within 2 days. The books I sell are mostly HBB and have been sitting a while. Last month was different, but august has been slow.
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Lisa_B
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posted on August 30, 2000 04:15:35 PM new
Just last night I started listing on Half.com -- numerous books, CDs and a few videos my son and I are trying to get rid of from our personal collections.
So far, all three videos have sold and several books. Much better action than I would see on eBay!
I personally like their format. The SEARCH doesn't always return true results though, I've noticed.
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