posted on July 18, 2001 04:44:32 PM new
Never realized how many times I stopped by the Amazon "water cooler" to listen to the moans and groans, the trials and tribulations, of my fellow dealers.....
Selling books, music, videos, art on the internet...Thank you for your business! Marilyn
posted on July 18, 2001 05:12:08 PM new
Hi Marilyn
This is Margaret Craig - Cyber Solutions
I know how you feel, I did not realize how many times I checked the board. I find myself lost. I miss it terribly. I have had a great week , except that the payments are pending way too long, other than that sales have been great and may turn out to be an above average month so far
posted on July 19, 2001 05:48:36 AM new
Hi everybody. Junebug Books checking in. I am junebugbooks2 here.
I miss everyone on the Amazon board too. Moan, moan, whine, whine, share, share. We can do it all here too.
My sales are still very slow at Amazon. But they are also slow on ABE and everywhere else. I guess there are many vacationers right now. This is my fourth summer in business and all my summers have been fairly slow for book sales.
It's a good time to list, list, list and go back and edit other listings.
I find that I am having to go back and reevaluate my 3000+ listings. Some of the earlier listings (with the lower numbers) have been listed for a very long time and the prices no longer reflect the reality of the marketplace. Also, many of these listings do not include the ISBN numbers and that is needed now to sell most effectively (the newer books).
So I am editing, editing, editing. And taking stock, and evaluating what I do and how I do it to see if I can improve.
But, yes, I really miss our Seller's Connection board! We built it up over the past few months into something very valuable, helpful, and comforting for us sellers. I am looking forward to having the board back.
In the meantime, I am here.--Donny
Donny B. Seagraves
Junebug Books
www.junebugbooks.com
posted on July 19, 2001 08:33:15 AM new
The weekend had me worried as it was very sloooowww for me, but then on Tuesday and Wednesday the sales poured in. Luckily for me the new house is very near the main post office here in town, and it is open until 9:00 at night. So both nights saw me over there at 8:30. I checked my sales this morning, and although they are not like the past two days, there are still about 12 items between the two accounts.
I keep my books in Sterlite containers, numbered. I try to go over them at least twice a year by culling the unsalable titles, updating the prices. I get amazed at the difference in the books, too, which is markedly visible evidence that I have matured as a bookseller. The older boxes contain a lot of fiction, a lot of MM PB, while the newer boxes have a lot of non-fiction, a lot of Tr PB's, and the vintage titles.
Selling books, music, videos, art on the internet...Thank you for your business! Marilyn
posted on July 19, 2001 11:14:28 PM new
That sure is a cute dog on the Seller Connection error page.
Hey, folks! Still hanging in there. Super slow sales. The competition is horrendous. I've gone back to update a bunch of business books and the marketplace is saturated. Beautiful hardcovers going for under $4.
posted on July 20, 2001 03:59:18 AM new
yes, the word is out and sellers seem to be rushing to Amazon to list. Supply is high and prices are falling. I have books, videos, and CDs that probably will never sell because I listed them months ago when prices were higher - maybe a few will get picked out. Because of time limitations, I'll probably leave them at original prices for a long time rather than go back and lower the prices - just too many to change. But, now as I list, I'm being a little more competitive but rarely as low as some other sellers.
I don't know about you guys and girls, but I'm getting more stubborn about only making $1 or $2 a sale. I guess it was ok when I had the time and willingness to package a bunch every day. Now, I am getting more picky with what I buy and list.
pcalton
Perry Calton [email protected]
http://www.pcalton.com
posted on July 20, 2001 06:42:19 AM new
I agree with your stragedy - basicaly leave prices on the volume we have as they are - buy more carefully (and hope new items are one of a kind when we list) - and price more competitively, but no low balling.
Overall I am noticing that the folks we usually talk with on seller's discussion are pricing very responsibly - and not giving items away...It is not worth the time and effort to handle things, just to give them away...
posted on July 20, 2001 07:54:44 AM new
first, are you folks posting here in Marketpace or the auctions? Just curious.
Perry, I think the $1-$2 have to be a total loss simply due to the time it takes to package and move them out.
It's true that prices are falling on many books, but it's just as true that huge numbers still command great prices because they just aren't that available. From time to time I do some work searching half.com for "ebayable" books and it's VERY hard because the prices are...too high!
So the real challenge is finding a steady supply of those desirable books. I lucked out this week, found a large batch of brand-new, just-published hardcover current affairs books at a local thrift. They are all selling fast at $10-$20 a piece.
posted on July 20, 2001 08:08:34 AM new
when I had all day to sell and package 50 to 100 packages, $1 to $2 profit per sale, that was ok and sometimes fantastic when $5 and $10 profits were mixed in the batch. I could average about $100+ a day profit on Marketplace sales.
now, that I have much less time because of some other work I'm doing, I'm not willing to work an additional 8 hours for an average of a hundred bucks.
I am a bookseller who pays on the average 25 cents per book and less when I buy large lots. I do not feel I am knowledgeable about the value and sale-ability of books that would cost me more than $1.
I leave that kind of buying and selling to you bookhounds who know what your doing.
pcalton
Perry Calton [email protected]
http://www.pcalton.com
posted on July 20, 2001 08:15:21 AM new
Good morning folks. That cute dog is a corgi, the same as the Queen of England's pooches.
JoAnne, I sell a lot of business books. When I list them, I search Addall and then price the book in accordance with the condition, based on Addall. Sometimes I am higher, sometimes lower. I don't look over the prices on Amazon by other vendors, but I do look at the number of offerings. If there are more than 10, I just list the book on ABE. My reasoning is that with more than 10, lowballers will come into play. Most times I am not the low seller on Amazon, but I still sell enough to satisfy me. I try to review the books that have not sold twice a year. I cull them, check prices, check condition. At that point I try to figure out why some of the better titles have not sold. Most times it is because the number of offerings has risen to the point where my book is buried. The sellers who kill me are the ones who sell 1 cent lower than the next lowest seller. Lately I am being slammed by feedback from the Amazon 30-Day letter, so I know the buyer's are not basing their buying on just feedback....
Selling books, music, videos, art on the internet...Thank you for your business! Marilyn
posted on July 20, 2001 08:35:14 AM new
I lowered a lot of prices last night. I mean, I've got to SURVIVE! I have some unusual books that I can't find listed anywhere, and I hesitate to list them, because I don't know what they're worth. So I have a little stack of rare books that aren't getting listed. I've been listing more on Abe, as well, but they also have large spreads on pricing. I'm rambling here. I'm tired; just got up. Got to take the motorhome in this morning for another $400 credit card infusion. Then I think I'll drive it off a cliff.
posted on July 20, 2001 09:04:20 AM new
Joanne, get the motor home moving toward the cliff and be sure to JUMP OUT! before it goes over.
I have accumulated about 3,000 books, movies, and CDs that I will not or cannot list on Marketplace. They are either priced too low by other sellers or Amazon does not have them in their catalog or Amazon will not allow Marketplace listings on the items.
Maybe I'll take a look at other venues when I get the time.
posted on July 20, 2001 12:51:57 PM new
JoAnne, I have also used http://www.bookfinder.com for pricing. Sometimes the books show up there and not on Addall. Also, Pacific Book Galleries runs auctions, with real, live people at their auctions bidding. They might be able to help you. They confirmed the price on the LeRoy Nieman's Horses that I mentioned earlier. And Powell's is on line on Amazon. They have extensive listings in their Oregon B&M store. They might be able to tell you what they are selling a similar title for. I used to hold on to my older, rarer titles until I realized I could be a book dealer or a book collector. I could not be both. I support three of us here by selling strictly over the internet. While some of the books I love, all are purchased for resale. So I am the short-term owner of those titles. It doesn't do you any good to pay for a credit card interest rate while you admire a $200 book you own. Don't give them away, but track them down, price them, list them.
Selling books, music, videos, art on the internet...Thank you for your business! Marilyn
I deleted your post since it seemed that you were promoting anther site by giving it's URL. If you wish to discuss other sites without danger of seeming promotional, you might check out the Other Online Auctions Forums.
