posted on January 31, 2002 04:33:23 PM new
I see many ebay and Half.com books listed "with small remainder mark." I know what a remaindered book is, but how do these people acquire them?
posted on January 31, 2002 05:11:48 PM new
Remaindered books are mostly publisher's overstock. Some people buy them cheaply enough from ordinary bookstores or get bulk lots through various means (distributors etc). I find many from regular booksales at libraries. For all practical purposes, most remaindered books are as good as new, but many have a signs of shelf or handling wear. The mark is like the cutout on CD cases: to prevent booksellers/distributors from returning them to a publisher as if they were completely new for full credit.
posted on January 31, 2002 05:30:32 PM new
You can buy them most cheaply from publishers at book shows. You can buy them from wholesalers for a markup. You can buy them from a retail store for an additional markup.
posted on January 31, 2002 06:26:09 PM new
There are also huge remainder sellers with Internet websites like Hamilton Books, and allbooks4less. However, they now sell their own books on Halfdotcom and Amazon and would be competing with you. I would only buy something from them if it's for my personal use.
posted on January 31, 2002 06:42:10 PM new
all the major discount booksellers are now selling on amzn-er hamilton,powells,strands.
some are wholesalers pretending to be retailers selling on amzn as well.
one smart retailer often asked the salesman of one distributor who is known to sell on amzn-IF YOU ARE SELLING THIS TITLE ON AMZN,I TAKE 4 COPIES,IF YOU ARE NOT ,I TAKE 10.
The major discount booksellers ,oh,dont forget barnes and noble has a mail order division which sell discount books in the mail,get better price break on volume .
sometimes if a wholesaler or a bookclub is going out of business,these guys will be asked to visit the warehouse and make an offer.deal done,fast and clean,small retailers dont even know what has transpired.
if you buy where they buy,you cant compete with them on same venue such as half and amzn unless you are willing to make less on already a narrow margin./
such is life for the small booksellers.
posted on February 1, 2002 09:35:56 AM new
It's almost impossible to know what a book might sell for on Half/Amzn when you are buying. Once a popular(bestseller) book gets remaindered the prices tend to drop like a stone. Not only are they being remaindered, but the various library sales are awash in copies which gets lowball selling of hundreds of copies at .75 on Half. Not even worth the effort.
posted on February 1, 2002 10:32:18 AM new
Book sellers can get a gut feeling of what sells at auction. Since the outlay of investment is so small the risk is often worth the gamble. Not at 75 cents each on Half but at $5/$6 each on lesser auction sites than fee-heavy eBay.
posted on February 1, 2002 10:33:54 AM new
mballai -- The trick is to have some specialized knowledge of a subject area, so you can recognize good (i.e., sellable) books that the average shmoe might not. And the good thing is that there are so many possibilities for specialization that there's room for everybody who is willing to put in the effort. One doesn't have to be trading books for long to realize that popular current books are not worth the trouble unless they are on the NYT bestseller list.
posted on February 3, 2002 10:07:06 AM new
May I suggest that remaindered books are not the only books that sell well, on ebay especially. As mentioned above, it helps to have special knowledge in specialty areas. My specialty is in sports books or railroad books(which cost a fortune at stores). This helps you know, eg, that books about Barry Bonds or Hank Aaron are not going to be in demand, yet a book about some obscure Yankee or Brooklyn Dodger will be in demand.
I have not used half.com or amazon, as most of my books are older or out of print. These are the ones that I do well with on ebay, as the highest prices go for books in short current supply.
Sources for older books: Garage and Estate Sales (my wife attends regularly and clues me in when she sees good stuff)and auctions.
My greatest find was in an auction of a bookstore going out of business that specialized in historical books. First of all, the auction was an education in itself, as it showed me what type books others were going for in areas I do not know about. Second, by the time they got to my specialty (sports), the other sports guys had left and I had no real competition other than dealers who would buy anything if it was cheap enough.
Learn to identify first editions (the ebay book chat is great)and learn to avoid book club books. Condition is everything. When I am done with my current group of auctions, I will try to share my experiences.
