posted on February 10, 2001 08:00:49 PM new
I have about 50 computer books I was wondering if they would sell on ebay? If I list them should I list them 1 by 1 or in a few large lots? To give you a idea of what kind I have Java, Dictionarys, C+, C++, Etc.
posted on February 10, 2001 08:33:41 PM new
I've had some luck in the past with computer books. I have about 10 that will be going for sale shortly. The only problem that I have found in selling them is the weight. They are dense and heavy. If you group them in too large of lots, the shipping becomes too high. Just put 3 on scale (random selection) and shipping would be $4.60 bookrate. That's the only problem with selling the computer books.
Of course if you group them together in 2-3 book auctions and keep them similiar, even with shipping, you can do well.
posted on February 11, 2001 04:40:55 AM new
I have a good sale rate on half.com and Amazon, but again, the weight is a problem. You get a shipping "allowance" from those sites and often it doesn't cover the weight of a heavy paperback.
posted on February 11, 2001 09:32:53 AM new
Ebay has the finest research tool there is for marketing. It's called doing a search on completed auctions.
posted on February 11, 2001 10:50:55 AM new
I have tried Half com and the shipping always cost than they give you on these books. Also I did do some searches on ebay, but I thought that I would ask a question here and that maybe some other people who sold these type of books would not mind answering my question.The searches are good but sometimes you just need to get some extra information.
posted on February 11, 2001 01:12:28 PM new
The answer is YES!!!
As mentioned they shouldn't go on half if they are heavy. I charge an average of 3.50 to ship a big fat computer book. I absolutely would not recommend shipping these over the border because the costs get pricey.
Your other problem is age. Older software books usually have a smaller market. Old is not all bad if it is a classic reference. I had an oldie fetch over $30. You might ask a knowledgeable techie if the book is such. I happen to have worked as a programmer and it makes it easy for me to figure out what's good and what's not. I also have pool of programmer colleagues I can query.
Do not underprice computer books. You will attract non-payers. Charge a reasonable minimum. Buy It Now is also very useful especially if you can ship right away.
posted on February 11, 2001 09:19:43 PM new
I've had good luck selling computer science textbooks that were obsolete editions. Just be sure to put on there that it is not the current edition. Not much usually changes in these things over the years.
I would NOT think you would do well with something like "95 POWER TIPS FOR WINDOWS 95" or some other book which specifically addresses obsolete software that not many people use anymore.
posted on February 11, 2001 09:34:27 PM new
I have books like Practical guide to computer applications for architecture & design , turbo c++, Data base , random access audio and alot of others,
posted on February 12, 2001 02:49:38 AM new
akt: I don't agree that you shouldn't ask questions here. For Pete's sake, the rest of us have picked each other's brains for months if not years. But the point is well taken that ebay itself is a valuable, though not infallible, market guide.
I, personally, have for some reason not been motivated to list my computer books on ebay. Maybe when I searched I found too much competition. But the books DO sell readily on half.com and Amazon. You just have to price to factor in paying shipping. Anything by O'Reilly is practically a sure seller.
posted on February 12, 2001 08:46:16 AM new
I sold a lot of computer books a couple of months ago. I know NOTHING about computers (except most basic of basics). I understood very little that was written in the books, so I went strictly on publishing date. Nothing older than 1999 (it was still 2K).
My books were all less than pristine, some I winced as I wrote (appears to have been run over by the forklift and then dragged a little bit). NEW books, even if ugly, sell. Just be totally honest about the flaws. List out every dent, crease, tear. I copied (into my auction) everything written on the book covers and sometimes the Table of Contents, if I thought it would help. I took pictures of every book. Tried to nake sure that the ugly ones were pretty clear about just how ugly.
With some of my first-round non-selling dogs, I doubled them up. Some groups sold, some are still going to charity.
Here is what didn't sell, twice:
Anything Linux.
Most things MAC.
Gimp
KDE
CNA/CNE
Information Systems Management (even if 2001)
Anything about basic internet use, I don't care if it was written yesterday, if sells for chump change.
What sells ( has to be latests version):
Java
Oracle
Exam Cram and other cert books
Photoshop
Broadband
Perl
NDS
HTML
If it's recent, sell them by the each. You'll get a little less than 1/2 list. I was lucky not to have lost my (xxx) selling something I knew nothing about. Computer books are where I happened to start selling on EBAY ( I lucked into a book sale of 2nds and damaged books). I've been selling books for less than a year now.
