posted on October 8, 2000 04:04:20 PM new
so books are like golf shirts u never know what your going to get...you get two buyers that want the book and you get bidding... books would be easy for me to sell too hmm but would I part with any...
...of course while that is the profit I aim for, I make lots of mistakes. Undoubtedly I pass up good buys but, all in all, it works for me. Part of doing it this way is to understand a few niche markets. And a few basic principles as to the general characteristics of what does well....
posted on October 8, 2000 05:31:41 PM new
joycel - I don't think it is necessarily whether the dealer knows or not; a dealer could have the book in his shop for years, or take it to shows all over the country, and never reach the number of people who search eBay.
It's that exposure that makes the difference. I have had a small retail shop for years, but I've sold books on eBay that would never have sold in my shop, at any price.
posted on October 9, 2000 02:19:32 AM new
I appreciate many of the suggestions here, so will offer a couple in return--
First, don't think that used book dealers or antique dealers or garage salers are stupid just because they sold a book for a ridiculously low price. They know what it's worth to them, how much they invested and how anxious they are to get rid of it. It's a fair price as long as they're satisfied.
Second, I've done very well SELLING to libraries, and also to local stores. I started buying remainders and some used books on the internet, and found a lot of local-interest books that may have hit Barnes & Noble but were never distributed to smaller stores. Many libraries now have online catalogs and you can search at home to find out what they are missing. Librarians usually buy from booklists or catalogs, but there are lots of things they miss. My experience is, if you walk in with a box of books on local history, children's titles or anything the library actively collects, and tell the librarian you already know the library doesn't have these titles, you'll sell most of them on the spot. You've saved the library shipping fees, searching and ordering time.
posted on October 9, 2000 04:12:05 AM new
rhs74: that's amazing. I just happen to be a librarian and I work in the collection development part of the business.We do work with sales reps but I've never heard of us buying anything more or less on the spot. We have to place orders through major vendors and the like. Good for you, finding a library with more flexibility. We aren't even allowed to have a county credit card so we can run out to the bookstore to make emergency purchases.
posted on October 9, 2000 12:14:43 PM new
Keziak--yeah, if a county purchase order is needed, then forget it. A couple libraries near here have small endowment funds for local history, or funds from book sales that they can use without a long approval process. I look for books that the major vendors don't have--for instance I sold my local public library a box of nature & wildlife and cookbooks, things that are sold in gift stores but not offered in library catalogs. The library has strong use in those areas and was happy to get them, especially since they could look at the books before buying. Since most of the people on this thread seem to be book LOVERS, could hanging around the library be so bad?
posted on October 9, 2000 06:10:47 PM new
Just had to share my 'find' of the day.
On my lunch hour today, I went to a small thrift/junk shop that I knew sold paperbacks (mostly older OOP) for a dime each. I was doing my normal - sitting in the middle of the floor browsing through the books when the owner came up to me and said - 'You do know ALL of the books are 10 for a dollar?' I was elated! So of course I took a long lunch and bought lots of hardcover books - many first editions!!!!!
posted on October 9, 2000 08:41:02 PM new
Sounds like you have the sources pretty well covered! For a selling site you may want to check out abe.com or bibliofind. These are the major sites used by book store owners. They are a great way to list books at a fixed price, or to do an evaluation on a book you want to sell elsewhere.
posted on October 9, 2000 09:09:50 PM new
Ahhhh, this thread brings me tears of joy. Doesn't matter if you are selling books for the profit or because you love books, just keep selling them.
OK, my best place to find the best books will always be the Auctions, I moved to this location (Lancaster, Pa) because of the 20 to 50 auctions a week, ebayers paradise and books galore, my latest find was a box of 40+ 1st edition Georgette Heyer hardbacks (check my past sales) 7.00 my cost, and it was the 1st "box lot" to be auctioned, my heart was in my throat for an hour of waiting, you knowledgeable buyers know what I mean (total profit was near 800.00, maybe more, I lose track Biggest score ever was a box of John D MacDonald 1st edition hardbacks, I paid 65.00 at auction and made about 4000.00 and I kept 2 of the best ones for my daughters future.
Please note, I started the bidding between 4.99 and 19.99, even knowing what they were worth, helps some of the new collectors out, even if they don't win, they will remember you. Do what you love and you will love what you do! Always remember, you are never alone when you have a book to read!
posted on October 9, 2000 10:53:07 PM new
Boo hoo! The great library booksale I went to Saturday turned out to have a BIG problem. I started to take off the price labels the Friends of the Library put on the books, and the labels ruined many of the books!
Please, book sellers, use the labels that peel off without ruining the books!
A couple libraries near here have small endowment funds for local history, or funds from book sales that they can use without a long approval process. I look for books that the major vendors don't have--for instance I sold my local public library a box of nature & wildlife and cookbooks, things that are sold in gift stores but not offered in library catalogs. The library has strong use in those areas and was happy to get them, especially since they could look at the books before buying. Since most of the people on this thread seem to be book LOVERS, could hanging around the library be so bad?
!