posted on November 2, 2002 07:05:47 PM new
Someone in a thread mentioned that yahoo and amazon are good places to sell certain items. Can someone please give me a heads up on what does well there? I'm going to try to phase out Ebay, or, heh, I may have to go there due to a suspension.
posted on November 3, 2002 12:13:59 AM new
Half.com is the place to sell common items. Truly auctionable items must use eBay or you will be sorry.
I recently moved many books from Amazon to Half.com. Now Amazon is the place to sell truly rare or expensive books but they charge 15% PLUS $1 so forget the cheaper stuff which sells much better on Half.com if you have the lowest price.
Which brings up some editoralizing by me:
Half.com has created a monster and may lead to the downfall of capitalism as we know it.
What I mean is because of their $.75 minimum, they have created an effecient marketplace for common used items which is harmful to everybody involved except perhaps the environmentalists.
For example take a recent book like Tom Clancy's THE SUM OF ALL FEARS. There are dozens of fine copies listed on half.com for $.75 each. So when somebody buys one, the seller gets $1.60 shipping credit while the book costs a couple bucks to ship since it is so big. So after commissions the seller makes about $.25. Half.com makes $.11. Book dealers all over the world miss another sale so they go out of business. So they can't buy a new car and the buyer of the book, who works at an auto plant, loses his job.
See what I mean? Please Half.com, raise your minimum to a couple of bucks anyways.
posted on November 3, 2002 06:19:30 AM new
75 cents-thats big buck.try one penny on amzn,many debates going on why some folks want to list books at one penny.
one explanation is that they work for printing compnay which prints paperbacks and throw the imperfect ones out.
so employees pick them up for nothing,sell for one penny and pocket the shipping difference after amzn fee.
posted on November 3, 2002 06:20:50 AM new
another explanation-people bot the book,read it and dont want it anymore,so willing to rid the book anyhow.
want another reason-lonely people seeking quality emails.
posted on November 3, 2002 07:43:49 AM new
people bot the book,read it and dont want it anymore,so willing to rid the book anyhow.
====================
This is the one that's changing the world. The masses can now recycle stuff they don't want. True there have been garage sales for a long time which is the same idea, but this will be on a much bigger scale as Half.com becomes more well known. It will hurt Salvation Army etc. too although I've noticed most thrift stores concentrate on clothing these days. Fortunately for the world, shipping a pair of used pants is too expensive to compete with getting them at the local thrift.
posted on November 3, 2002 10:34:26 AM new
It's just not Half.com that is destroying the used book market. Internet-wise, it started with ebay and the oversupply of books compared with the number of biik shoppers. The '99 Cent Club' helped bring give-away prices to ebay as well.
Other sources such as library sales where a shopper can fill a large bag for $3 weaken prices and some companies placing hundreds of books on CD ROMS at very low prices helped lower the prices and desire for books.
When I first joined ebay in late 1997 common books were getting $5 to $6 and had a 90% sell rate. Those same books now have almost no chance of selling on ebay even at $1.50 . Harder to find books would get $10-$50 and had a very good sell rate but those same books now are much harder to sell and go for a LOT less than they once did on ebay.
Books, less-than-very rare collectibles, and many other markets have suffered a lot by the popularity of ebay. The popularity is more with sellers looking to unload their stuff than buyers looking to add to their collections, collections which are oftentimes rapidly losing value.
posted on November 3, 2002 10:44:44 AM new
Look, can we get back on the main subject, what sells okay on amazon and yahoo?
I've had a little luck with selling books on ebay. I like the fact that shipping is only 1.30 for media mail rate. This makes bidders go upwards of 6-9 bucks for a book. I stay away from best sellers, they never do well. The problem with amazon is that there is no time limit. I have not had a single person interested in one of the 5 books I listed on amazon. I'm going to donate these books to the library, I don't want to store them.
I really think that if the bookstores lose money due to these auction sites, than the money isnt lost, it is just channeled elsewhere. Money doesn't dissapear from our economy, money is recycled. I never buy books full price, NEVER. It's either the library, or second hand shops. Am I hurting the economy? No. I would never have bought the books full price, just gone without that pleasure.
posted on November 3, 2002 12:20:56 PM new
"The popularity is more with sellers looking to unload their stuff than buyers looking to add to their collections, collections which are oftentimes rapidly losing value."
tooltimes, you said it. I collect a certain scientific instrument. In the past two years, the rare has become scarce, and the scarce has become common, all due to ebay.
