posted on September 9, 2001 05:32:17 AM
I read a small article in "Publishers Weekly" yesterday about the inclusion of ABE books in half.com, which has now make half the Number Two used book site, after Amazon. [the article also characterized Marketplace as "replacing" Zshops, which I am sure would not thrill zshops owners]
Anyway, I went over to half and browsed some categories in non-fiction. Maybe the ones I chose were not typical, but WOW. The selection was very nice, and the prices were very high. Interesting how the half.com concept is just about totally gone by now. Why don't they change the name? More like "10% off or twice the original price.com" for a lot of stuff. Of course, this is ABE stock and you see the same think in Marketplace these days. Also, tons of remainder dealers.
It's just really interesting, because just a couple of years ago, folks would only have found most of these books by (a)using "high tone" antiquarian booksites or (b) sending away for the Hamilton Books catalog. Now it's all there, mixed in with stuff the "amateurs" are trying to sell. You know, the people that half.com was supposedly created for.
It feels like all the books in the world are becoming available at a keystroke. But are there enough buyers out there? I'm still only buying for re-sale, myself. I borrow my reading from the library. My only recent purchase was a romance for $1.30 on ebay.
posted on September 9, 2001 06:16:19 AM
The merger with Abe.com took place about a month or so ago. If anything the high prices their seller request for their books has done nothing but help my sales. I sell books full time and make a very comfortable living from them.
When I first heard about the merger I was very concerned. Not anymore, my sales are still brisk.
posted on September 9, 2001 06:56:31 AMkolonel22 What kind of books do you sell on half.com, if I may ask? I have had close to 60 books listed at half for a while now and only 1 has sold. Which tells me I need to change what kind of books I have there.
posted on September 9, 2001 07:06:36 AM
I am getting fewer sales, but higher prices as I adjust to the new notellingwhatyouwillpay.com
The only disturbing note about half is that their automatic electronic bank deposits (which they forced us to accept) has enabled them to slow down their payments. Just got an email that the September 1 payment for books sold Aug 1-15 won't appear in my bank account until later next week.
Having cash flow or management problems no doubt. (Cash flow seems unlikely, but ebays recent announcement to sell another million shares of stock makes you wonder what they are up to - depriving sellers of income so they can hoard money perhaps?) There is no excuse for such a cavalier attitude towards their sellers reiumbursements. Not even an explanation or apology! Guess this mistreating sellers means they have been totally absorbed into the ebay culture.
[ edited by litlux on Sep 9, 2001 07:10 AM ]
posted on September 9, 2001 09:00:35 AM
litlux: Wow, direct deposits are now slower than checks? I just received my check for the Aug 1-15 period in the mail on Friday 9/07.
posted on September 9, 2001 09:44:17 AM
rainbowman11,
I sell the everyday easy to find low cost flooded market type books such as Tom Clancy, Danielle Steel, Steven King, John Grisham, Richard Preston, etc.
You have to turn over a lot of inventory on Half.com to make money. I found my niche in the everyday mass-market paperback and hard cover book category a long time ago. I sell low due to the competition on Half.com but sell enough books to make it more than worth my while. I try and add 400+ additional listings per week and am always adding to my inventory. I also supplement my used books with remainders. The remainders are great because they are new books and you are able to buy them at low cost and sometimes (if the book is a good one) sell them at huge profit margins. I recently bought a huge lot of remainder classics that have been selling like hot cakes. I didn’t think people were into the classics anymore.
posted on September 9, 2001 10:29:36 AM
Half is still paying me about 7 biz days after the close of a period. New sellers need enough volume and the ability to wait out three or four periods to make money. Once you get feedback, your sales will rise--average feedback is less than 25% of your sales. My service level seems higher than most and that helps.
Keep your overhead low: one sale from the books I bought yesterday will pay for all of them and the rest will be pure profit.
posted on September 9, 2001 11:37:46 AM
How can ABE compete with the bargain basement prices crazy sellers are offering on Half? Most ABE books are priced sky-high! Who in their right mind would pay astronomical ABE prices unless they're the only ones offering a particular title?
posted on September 9, 2001 01:30:56 PM
Well, why would anyone pay to belong to ABE if they had books that are so common they command miniscule prices? What I mostly noticed was the expansion of the selection on half.com now. Used to be they would have dozens or hundreds of records under a category, but no available copies. The selection is now awesome.
kolonel - I always enjoy reading your posts because you have such a clear idea of how to approach your business. I feel like on half.com I flounder. I won't list for low prices, but my "mid range" stuff doesn't move. The Amazon sales are steady but these days I am surprised when I hear from half.com. I wonder if readers think of half.com first when they want an inexpensive paperback? In that case it would be a viable market. The only paperbacks I carry, I list on Marketplace.
I don't know who would shop the site for a $60 ceramics book though.
