hwahwa
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posted on November 20, 2005 04:08:20 PM
here is an answer from the Amzn board-
Tom Stabler's post:
This question comes up about every two weeks, and there are lots of threads discussing it.
In brief:
A seller lists a book for $.01
Amazon collects $3.50 from the buyer and gives $2.27 ($.01 + $2.26 shipping allowance) to the seller.
The seller is a ProMerchant, so doesn't pay the $.99 fee.
The 15% fee on 1 cent is zero.
The seller pays $1.42 or $1.84 in postage for a 1 or 2 pound package (or less, if it is very light weight and can go First Class).
The seller cost for the book is zero, because he got it for free somehow.
The seller used scrounged packing materials, so those cost nothing, too.
The seller ends-up with $.84 or $.42 profit (or more if Expetided or International is involved).
The seller is happy with his "profit".
Amazon ends up with $1.23 from the shipping.
Amazon is even happier than the seller.
Tom
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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cblev65252
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posted on November 20, 2005 05:24:46 PM
My time is worth more than $.84 even listing just one item! I wouldn't consider that any kind of profit.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
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cashinyourcloset
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posted on November 20, 2005 05:27:57 PM
Cheryl,
It is done by people who probably don't have anything better to do. It keeps them off the streets and out of the bars, gets inexpensive books into the hands of readers, makes some money for Amazon, so all in all, it's a win-win-win.
Claude
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sparkz
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posted on November 20, 2005 06:12:23 PM
Claude,
Actually, I'd rather be in a bar than go to all that trouble for .42 or .84 cents.
A $75.00 solid state device will always blow first to protect a 25 cent fuse ~ Murphy's Law
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Roadsmith
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posted on November 20, 2005 06:36:59 PM
An answer someone gave to a previous thread about this was that he has people packing and shipping for him, and in their downtime they just list books for a penny. And any profit from that is okay with him, since he's paying them by the hour anyway.
Still sounds unproductive to me.
______________________________
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
--Martin Luther King, Jr.
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hwahwa
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posted on November 20, 2005 06:53:34 PM
and just how much does he pay them by the hour?one penny?
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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cashinyourcloset
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posted on November 20, 2005 07:16:18 PM
Just keeping the lights, computers, and heat on has got to cost more than the profit.
If you're paying them by the hour, send them home 
If it ever comes to that, I'd rather flip burgers.
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MAH645
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posted on November 20, 2005 07:35:06 PM
I'd rather cleanup after the pigs at the Salvation Army,pays a lot more.
**********************************
Two men sit behind bars,one sees mud the other sees stars.
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ebayvet
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posted on November 20, 2005 07:54:57 PM
What you've got to rememnber is not everyone has the same goals and objectives as most of the people posting here. I think there are a lot of lonely people out there, bored people out there, etc. that feel better about themselves when they are selling online. Some people have a lot of time to kill. I doubt many pro sellers are selling books at a penny, my guess is most people doing so are either losing money, or working a lot to make next to nothing. Whatever floats their boat...
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sthoemke
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posted on November 21, 2005 07:09:26 PM
I would assume that the seller ships massive amounts of books at the same time to Amazon, so actual shipping cost per book is far less lower than mailing books individually.
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carolinetyler
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posted on November 21, 2005 07:13:34 PM
My problem with the penny listing is - why not at least do a quarter or $0.99? If you see a book you want to read - you would likely pay any price under $1. People are not so cheap that they would pay $0.01 and not $0.25 for what they want to read - are they?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 Caroline
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cashinyourcloset
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posted on November 22, 2005 05:56:51 AM
Caroline,
I think buyers wouldn't mind, but I guess it has to do with the sort order of available used copies; you want your book to come first on the screen.
Claude
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pelorus
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posted on November 22, 2005 06:18:48 AM
I confess that in my early eBay days I would list things for 2 or 3 bucks (which is the same as 1 cent to me now). It seemed great to be making money in such a novel way. Then my girlfriend threatened to cut me off if kept spending so much time at the computer. It helped me realize life is too precious to spend that way.
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carolinetyler
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posted on November 22, 2005 06:36:01 AM
I didn't think of that Claude, you're right. Maybe they are just advertising their store. When I sell lower priced items it is usually just to drive people to my other auctions or my store.
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Caroline
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on November 22, 2005 07:47:49 AM
How many people convert from looking at your lower-priced items to looking at your store?
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hwahwa
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posted on November 22, 2005 08:07:35 AM
some sellers pick up those books free,esp paperbacks from overruns in the print shops,
Some buy hurts and remainders in huge lots and they want to rid those titles which are not sought after to make room for new titles.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
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fluffythewondercat
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posted on November 22, 2005 09:38:20 AM
Then my girlfriend threatened to cut me off if kept spending so much time at the computer.
Gosh, pelorus, I never knew you dated Lorena Bobbitt.
fLufF
--
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classicrock000
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posted on November 22, 2005 09:41:49 AM
LOL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beauty is only a light switch away
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sthoemke
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posted on November 22, 2005 07:44:06 PM
"My problem with the penny listing is - why not at least do a quarter or $0.99?"
A penny makes it sound like it is a too good of a deal to pass up.
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