posted on December 31, 2000 07:11:18 AM new
Wow! I finally caved in and listed 20 or so items in Marketplace. I'll see what happens in a week or so.
I'm running at 2% of items with bids in auctions which is gruesome. Down from almost 20% in the spring.
I'm hanging in but I hope I don't get hanged!
How has your experiance with Marketplace been? When you mention this please mention what type of item you sell and the volume. I sell videos and volume is usually pretty high so if you sell one antique widget it's not the same type of selling!
posted on December 31, 2000 07:33:24 AM new
I sell books and videos and the Marketplace is great! I have been moving a lot of auction items over to Marketplace and even started selling some on Half.com if they were not available on Amazon but were on Half.com. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
posted on December 31, 2000 08:52:41 AM new
I sell secondhand books, and I was interested to see what would sell best: new books? Out of print? Pristine or ex-library?
I took off all but a couple of my listings for free listing day on ebay, but up until about mid-December I was cooking along on Marketplace. What makes me happy is that I could price my stuff higher than I would ask as a starting bid on ebay, but still sell.
I did have about 3-4 occasions when they alerted me that I had a buyer, but payment never was made. They didn't have a procedure in place to followup with an email such as "deal fell through, please list again". I find this a flaw.
Also, I found it prudent to email the buyer immediately to confirm that I was shipping and to remind them that their book was going book-rate, not speed mail like usual Amazon purchases.
posted on December 31, 2000 01:34:21 PM new
I recieved my first notice of sale from Amazon today but not a "PLEASE SHIP".
I thought the customer had to pay when they purchased right away?
Also, at least in the video category, you don't have to option to sell a NEW product. IE: some Disney titles are now out of print. I went to sell them as collectable but had to pick near mint and print that it was NEW in my description line??
I'll give it the month and see what the cycle brings.
Amazon also seems a bit deceptive. (surprise!) in that when I look at one of my listings it shows that the item is for sale from Amazon at a much lower price. When the customer clicks it shows that it's out of print. Why keep the link as it makes me look bad? IE: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Out of Print. Amazon used to sell it for $23.99. A customer sees that price and then my collectable price $45.13.
I just find it a goofy way to sell. Hopefully, they'll decide to let auctions run again at their natural pace or improve market place.
recieved my first notice of sale from Amazon today but not a "PLEASE SHIP". I thought the customer had to pay when they purchased right away? <
No, their credit card has to clear. You may get the ship notice soon...or never.
>
Also, at least in the video category, you don't have to option to sell a NEW product. IE: some Disney titles are now out of print. I went to sell them as collectable but had to pick near mint and print that it was NEW in my description line?? <
I think by definition these are "used" as in "already owned" materials. Seems like "new in case" or "factory sealed" or whatever does the job.
< I'll give it the month and see what the cycle brings. >
Good luck! The Washington Post today had a prediction the site will be dead by June!
< Amazon also seems a bit deceptive. (surprise!) in that when I look at one of my listings it shows that the item is for sale from Amazon at a much lower price. When the customer clicks it shows that it's out of print. Why keep the link as it makes me look bad? IE: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is Out of Print. Amazon used to sell it for $23.99. A customer sees that price and then my collectable price $45.13.<
Why does that make you look bad? This verifies that the tape is OUT OF PRINT as in they can't get it the regular way. It's their childhood favorite and YOU have one ready to go! If they want it bad enough, they'll pay what you ask.
posted on January 1, 2001 07:16:09 PM new
Hi keziak,
Do you have the url for the article??
I had two sales with please ships the first day. None today.
Somehow I think Amazon will be one of the surviviors, that is if they wake up and start to interact with the folks who can build them up.
As for the deceptiveness. When you click on one of my marketplace listings in Zshops it shows that the same item is available from Amazon for much less. Of course when the customer clicks they see that the video isn't available but that's if they bother to click??
You know, Marketing? Never say, show, or do, anything that could be seen negatively??
I also think they have to fix the postage thing. I'd rather pay a few more points in commission than the postal fee grab. It's just a grubby tactic IMO.
Other than that they've done pretty well with the interface and software loading.
I love Amazon. I really hope they get their act together!
posted on January 1, 2001 08:23:24 PM new
When you sign up for one click regardless, Ship NOW means just that, buyer thinks you have the money "Now" even tho Amazon wont release for 14 days unless you go to your account and request it to be deposited NOW which means in five business days as long there is no holiday to interferre, buyers god bless them, dont Know this, Amazon makes everyone a pawn but themselves. Funny thing is.... Amazon can take funds when I buy from them on the spot, but, cannot transfer funds to me when I sell any sooner then 5-14 plus charge accordingly. the "Ship Now" means to do so, if you want to keep your ratings.
It's called Floating.......much like kiting.
(Kite-ing)I'm sure amazon can explain it.=)=)
After reading that article quickly, my only comment is that I believe Amazon is currently attempting to transform itself into a more profitable company, and additionally has the smarts to do so in such a way that it will continue to exist on the Internet for a very long time.
I believe the Marketplace operation is probably very profitable for them because the individual seller does all the work and Amazon's only cost is the computer technology and programming side, Amazon has no labor cost associated with fulfilling the order and no warehouses needed to store those items, we take care of that.
I also believe they will sell off some of their unprofitable subsidiaries, and will continue to deemphasize auctions. Additional predictions are that they will ask for and get additional promotional/advertising funds from publishers to feature their new books as compared to Marketplace items. Marketplace I think will be both successful and profitable and I would not be surprised if Amazon expands it to other areas of their site for other types of goods such as software or toys.
posted on January 2, 2001 06:21:31 AM new
I read the article and frankly Amazon is always changing and evolving. I don't think Marketplace is a solution in its current form although I agree with it being profitable. Much more so than auctions.
I think they'll either close out auctions or revamp them. I don't think they'll keep them the way they are. I think it would be a shame to close them and if they have any one with any talent left on their team they'll see that they can make it work and be profitable.
They'd be the only competition to ePAY especially if Yahoo is bought out by ePAY.
Even if the economy hits the skids people will shop somewhere and Amazon is the place to do it although they really need better management.
I think they've destroyed alot of the the goodwill they built into their name over the past six months. And it's always harder to build than it is to destroy!
posted on January 3, 2001 01:49:18 PM new
I'm now down to 0% bids in my Auctions on Amazon.. how do the Marketplace things work, and what volume do you have to sell to make it worth your time?
posted on January 4, 2001 05:33:05 AM new
katiyana - basically you advertise your item [book, video] on the regular record in the Amazon database. Use title or [better] ISBN to locate the exact match. You will find a button on the screen for selling your copy. The rest is easy enough to follow. You indicate the condition and set a price within their parameters. The listing lasts for 30 days, after which they notify you that the listing has expired.
If the item sells, Amazon sends you two email. One announces that you have a buyer, the other instructs you to ship.
There is a fee for the service plus a shipping allowance that may be more or less your actual shipping cost [book rate], depending on how heavy your item is.
When I get a buyer, I send them a short email verifying that I am shipping their book. Before Xmas, I made a point of telling them that I am being reimbursed for book rate, because I had two "where's my book?" email from sellers who expected delivery in 2 days.
I find that I need a certain size inventory to generate a steady flow of sales. When I had about 50 listed, I'd get a sale most days. I only have a few on there right now so it's not generating the sales.
Finally, once you make a sale and it's recorded in your Amazon Payment account, you can either wait for it to be automatically transfered to your account, or you can request a transfer immediately.
posted on January 4, 2001 10:56:05 AM new
i juat listed a bunch on the marketplace. i have had auctions on amazon, and never sold a thing, but i saw an advantage to having your item listed below the new item when clicked on. i think amazon gets most business from selling their new books, and by haveing the little notation below stating there are "used" offerings is good for us. Im not quite sure how it benefits them though.
i have about 25 listed over at half.com, and sold several the first month, then when my inventory depleted i sold less, i just listed some more, and i do expect to sell from there. the competition is that you have to really be below what the lowest is for the condition of the item. which is identical to amazons too.
so, we shall see. these books and cds i have would not move on ebay anyway, thats why i put them on half and amazon. they are too new, and most of my business on ebay is with vintage or rare items.
has anyone out there had real good turnover so far at marketplace?
linda o
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Olde Tymey Stuff\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\"Collectors items, first editions, rare, vintage, plus some not so olde tymey stuff!
posted on January 5, 2001 04:40:47 AM new
Linda - yes, I'm "up" on Marketplace. For example, my most recent sale was for a classic dog book. I noticed that recent sales had been soft on Ebay, and there were several el-cheapo copies on half.com. So I put it on Amazon for $10 and it sold immediately.
Unfortunately, I disposed of all my inventory at year's end, so I don't have much listed, total, just now.
I believe Amazon makes a lot of money on Marketplace because they charge us stiff fees, charge the buyer more in shipping than they pay us, and we act as drop-shippers. They don't have to maintain inventory or a contract with a ventor to supply inventory.
posted on January 5, 2001 06:06:29 AM new
I'm still not impressed with Marketplace. The system forces the seller to pretty much set a high price. And the terms and conditions, especially on S&H are a bit irksome too. I am starting to warm up to the principle of what they are trying to do though.
I listed 35 items. 2 sales the first day. None since. It's almost a week. My video sales on amazon are averaging 2% of listings per week.
I still love Amazon's platform and support though, not too mention One Click so I'm staying until they really screw things up or some other company does it better.
posted on January 6, 2001 06:18:10 AM new
I have been checking in here at the Amazon board ever since I quit listing at the auctions last year.I have seen a number of posts about Marketplace- so I went and looked at it.It looks promising. You don't pay unless you sell?Is there any advice anyone can give that would benefit the first time seller?? Any hints on how to choose what to list??I would appreciate any info!! Thanks!
Cathy
posted on January 6, 2001 01:19:25 PM new
Looks like selling music and video games on the marketplace are wide open areas. Let me know how it goes and what sells.
Read up the thread to see pretty much everything I know.
Things are slow for me, too, but given that I am only 1 week into Inventory Recovery Mode for the new year, it doesn't bother me.
Sheesh, what does bother me is that I bought a book new on Amazon last week and was socked with a $4+ shipping fee [no it didn't come Priority, either]. I would never be so brazen as to charge that kind of fee on my ebay auctions. Thank goodness I found another book I wanted on half.com so at least got a good discount on the purchase price.
posted on January 6, 2001 08:44:39 PM new
Marketplace is very odd in that it seems to go in streaks. For example, over the past seven days, I had *no* sales on five of the days but *12* on two of them. The sales came on Wed. and Fri.(!!!).
posted on January 6, 2001 09:18:51 PM new
funny you should mention that barbarake about the timing of sales... I sold 10 books on Friday and only 2 today, I can't understand the sudden shifts in volume myself.
BTW I ordered a brand new book from Amazon.com, not through Marketplace, on Dec. 26th and they finally shipped it out today per their email. Huh?? I thought they were supposed to ship it out within 48 hours. Today is Jan. 6th, this did not make me a happy camper. I submitted a complaint, I wonder what their answer will be.
posted on January 7, 2001 04:40:07 AM new
Thanks for the info! Just curious does non-fiction sell better than fiction? That is what I carry the most of.I did well at the auctions til they started to mess with the listing order.I went to the site and did an experimental list of two books. It is very easy.However one came back as unlistable-L. Saunders- The 8th Commandment. Anyone know how to figure what they will reject?Thanks!!
posted on January 9, 2001 03:17:03 PM new
Weeeell.I am not sure whether to laugh or cry.I took 2 books out of a box at random yesterday to list on Marketplace as a "see how it's done". One took. One was a reject. I get home today to an enail that says I sold my book. WOW! Next was the Ship Now! email. Then 3 emails down was a buyers regret email saying they bought the wrong book.Would I cancel the order. I did laugh!
So I get the 800 Amzn # and call for help. Marketplace help is pretty sparse.They answered my questions and I am going to get an email saying how to refund and get my fees back.While I had the person on the phone I asked why I would have had my book rejected when I listed yesterday. She explained that the top 500 sellers at Amazon can't be linked to- no Marketplace or auction links could be made of those books.
Well ----It's easy to list at Marketplace.---Someone is actually looking there.---I sort of had a sale. Am I happy?---weeeelll.
posted on January 9, 2001 04:05:32 PM new
valeriet
I wish it were true. Here is the quote from the Crosslinks section of an auction listings link.
There are two limitations:
CrossLinks are only available in the Amazon.com Books, Music, CDs, Video, and DVD stores.
Items among the top 500 in any Amazon.com store are not eligible for CrossLinks.
The Service rep told me that Marketplace was like an auction link- both are linking to a current item Amzn is selling.
I don't understand why The 8th Commandment was refused and Harry Potter was accepted!I can't imagine HP not in the top 500!
posted on January 9, 2001 06:55:44 PM new
The rep doesn't know what they are talking about. Marketplace and Crosslinks are absolutely two different things.
It looks like the reason you can't list that particular book is that Amazon doesn't carry it. I see only the 6th, the 7th, and the 10th Commandments.
--
http://www.valeriet.com
posted on January 10, 2001 05:39:22 AM new
I got an email from AMZN saying again the same thing you did. They couldn't figure why I got that error message either. She took back the statement about the top 500 and Marketplace.I think you have the right of it and the book isn't listed in the first place.
posted on January 10, 2001 06:17:56 AM new
my hunch is Amazon does not sell certain hardcover books when it would compete too much with the sale of the paperback edition, maybe they are promoting the paperback and get better profit on that particular book?
There doesn't seem to be any other reason why they would not sell the hardcover version of certain books.
posted on January 10, 2001 08:23:47 AM new
Valerie - there have been a handful of times when an otherwise perfectly ordinary book came back with some sort of message saying it could not be listed on Marketplace. Sorry, I forget the exact language. I just put it on half.com anyway, which is what I also do when the book isn't in the Amazon database anymore [usually either a foreign edition or an old edition].
