posted on April 16, 2007 11:49:27 AM new
The weekly posting of the BookThinker.com has details on the new rates and how they'll affect us--especially the global rates. Very interesting stuff. I think you can access the latest newsletter (#92) by going to BookThinker.com. Free subscription and worth having.
_____________________
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
posted on April 16, 2007 02:03:31 PM new
Roadie, I can not find the article you referenced. It is not on the page I posted and a search of the site does not return applicable references. Do you receive the premium edition?
Looking at Gueen's reference, I think I'll need to bump my shipping costs by .50 and that should cover most of the increases. Except for the FRB's.
posted on April 16, 2007 02:04:25 PM new
Oh, sorry! Yes, that's the link. It's just their free newsletter that's called BookThinker. Everyone who thinks of selling books should subscribe; it's quite valuable.
_____________________
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
posted on April 16, 2007 02:08:11 PM new
Boy, this rate increase will probably slow down sales on ebay. From postage to insurance. I sure hope I get all of the changes made on my links or I will have to eat the difference.
Also did you notice the price of the different size manila envelops, now two different prices by size, and can only be so thick or an extra carge.
posted on April 16, 2007 02:23:32 PM new
I'm posting, here, yesterday's weekly newsletter, minus most of the ads. (The meat of the newsletter is below the first series of ads.) For a free subscription, go to [email protected].
The BookThinker Update #92, 16 April 2007
ISSN 1547-9501
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UPDATE ANNOUNCEMENTS
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By Craig Stark
Will BookThink's Top 10 on eBay see a sea change of winners next month? Likely so. UK sellers have consistently outnumbered US sellers on our lists for months, but that will almost certainly come to a screeching halt. As threatened, eBay eliminated all UK listing visibility on its US site at the beginning of March, and we may have seen the last of Fleming, Rowling and Tolkien - though this month (February), as you might suspect, all are well represented. Join Pamela Palmer today on her regular tour of eBay's best.
As a regular buyer of P.G. Wodehouse books, I didn't welcome eBay's action. Now I'll be compelled to run searches on two eBay websites instead of one. This isn't good news for many UK booksellers either, many of whom have enjoyed robust US sales over the years. Ostensibly, eBay made the change to eliminate many millions of non-collectible items that had begun to flood the US venue - and, to be fair, there is something to be said for this. To date, there has been at least some talk of restoring visibility (later this year) in categories that have been severely impacted by the change - notably books - but don't hold your breath. eBay has long since established a track record of bookseller unfriendliness. Contrast this with Amazon, which has introduced some remarkably effective promotional tools in recent years to increase our sales.
More bad news on the international front. Effective May 14, you will no longer be able to step up to your USPS counter, slap down an international package, and say, "Put it on a boat." As demand for international airmail services has increased in recent years - so explains the USPS - a corresponding drop in demand for surface mail has resulted, both increasing costs and decreasing efficiency.
Flat-rate (large envelope) Global Priority will become flat-rate Priority Mail International - with an increase of $1.50 for both Canada (previously $7.50) and other participating countries (previously $9.50). One wonders if the name was lengthened to suggest added value. In any case, no more Airmail as such. This now becomes something called First-Class Mail International - with another price increase, though this could well be a cheaper option for lighter packages. Rates will vary depending on weight and destination. Fortunately, Airmail M-Bags will be retained. I suspect that many postal clerks will be forced to field lots more inquires about them. Let's hope they do their homework and stop pretending it isn't an option.
On the domestic front, the news isn't any better. There will be significant increases up and down the line. Flat-rate Priority envelopes will jump to $4.60 (previously $4.05), $9.15 for flat-rate Priority boxes (previously $8.10), and there will be similar increases for First-Class and Media Mail.
How do we booksellers combat this? The same way we combat every nickel and dime increase, no matter who's bleeding the turnip. Sell better books, and you'll insulate yourself against almost anything.
Next, given the number of emails I received after last week's special FOL issue, I had originally planned to write a follow-up article this week, but two of the emails expressed different sides of the issue so well that I thought it would be best to simply publish them here with no explanation. Lots of food for thought.
Finally, if you haven't glanced at the BookThink ads (below) recently, there are a number of new players offering some very useful services. For example, I know that some of you have been giving some thought to building your own websites recently. Each week the Chrislands' ad features a link to a different website they've helped a user build.
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BOOKTHINK ADS
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SCOUTPAL: Use ScoutPal with any web-enabled cell phone or wireless PDA and find out the Amazon Marketplace or Abebooks value of books, CD's, DVD's, Video Tapes, or any other Amazon Marketplace merchandise, while you are out bookscouting. How many times have you come back from bookscouting with essentially worthless books? How many times have you passed over a book, only to find out later, when you look it up again on Amazon, that it was valuable and in high demand? Bookscouting with ScoutPal is like hunting with Radar. More details at <http://bookthink.scoutpal.com>
MEDIASCOUTER: MediaScouter is an easy to use software program that allows you to scan books, DVDs, CDs, videos, and video games quickly. It works on a PDA with a barcode scanner and does not require an Internet connection or a cell phone. When you scan an item, accurate pricing and robust information from Amazon is displayed within one second. MediaScouter takes the guesswork out of scouting and will increase your profits. Complete "Moneymaker" packages are available for immediate delivery. For more information or to subscribe, visit <http://www.mediascouter.com>
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FIRST EDITION LIBRARY CHECKLIST: Includes a checklist of all 112 FEL titles, indications of most and least valuable titles, indications of rarest and most common titles, detailed issue points (where applicable), explanatory notes, and Stan Shelley's guide to marketing and collecting FELs. No serious bookseller should be without it. <http://www.bookthink.com/shoplst.htm#shelley>
HERITAGE PRESS BIBLIOGRAPHY AND CATALOG/CHECKLIST. Michael C. Bussacco's indispensable references for the bookseller or collector who specializes in the Heritage Press. Purchase AN ANNOTATIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY OF THE HERITAGE PRESS (4 volumes) here: <http://www.bookthink.com/shoplst.htm#heritagebibl> And HERITAGE PRESS CATALOG AND CHECKLIST here: <http://www.bookthink.com/shoplst.htm#heritagecat>
EVERYMAN'S LIBRARY CHECKLIST. Terry Seymour's complete checklist of over 1,000 Everyman's Library titles. Includes all-important serial numbers and indications of most valuable titles. Purchase it here: <http://www.bookthink.com/shoplst.htm#eml>
YARD SALERS: Yard Salers is back and with a redesigned web site. We're flipping more things than IHOP. Come join us on the new bulletin boards for a chance to win a free pack of eBay books. <http://www.yardsalers.net/>
BOOKTHINK'S QUARTERLY MARKET REPORT OF COMMON, PROFITABLE BOOKS. New! Includes 100 easy-to-find books that sell for $30 an up. Links to images and detailed annotations for each featured title. Start making more money today. $49.99 annually or $19.99 for individual issues. <http://www.bookthink.com/shoplst.htm#report>
MARCH GOLD EDITION: Part III of "Bookselling on the Cutting Edge ("How to Mine Flashpoints" is now available for purchase. If you're not a subscriber, this would be a great time to join us on the journey to bookselling success. Subscribe here: <http://www.bookthink.com/shop.htm#sub>
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BOOKTHINK'S TOP 10 ON EBAY
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February 2006
By Pamela Palmer
Which fiction and non-fiction books are winners on eBay? Each month this series answers the question and, along the way, looks at the listing strategies sellers use to bring in big bucks. In early January, we'll look back at the year and consider trends and highlights. To learn more about what's in and what's out of the lists, read our Top 10 on eBay Parameters.
<http://www.bookthink.com/topten.htm>
Feedback numbers came to the forefront in February when the self-proclaimed #3 feedback leader on eBay hit the non-fiction list. Though sellers with 6-digit feedback aren't common, neither are novices with 4 feedbacks and 3 books in the fiction top 10. And if those numbers weren't enough for one month, another seller sold 2 books, and there was a 3-way tie.
Keep the number 11 in mind too; it's the count of UK sellers on the February list. In March, we'll measure the impact of eBay's stopping automatic inclusion of UK books on the US site. Will we say good-bye to regulars such as Fleming, Rowling, and Tolkien?
Fiction Top 10
February 2006
$6,068.97 Ian Fleming Signed Spy Who Loved Me James Bond Hb 1st
$5,284.17 The Lord of the Rings Tolkien TRUE UK 1STS 1954-1955
$4,390.20 Ian Fleming CASINO ROYALE 1st / 1st 1953 Jonathan Cape
$3,104.93 Ian Fleming Signed Thunderball James Bond Hb1st / 1st
$3,024.36 David Gemmell WAYLANDER 1st ed HB SIGNED+ DVD Footage
$1,983.54 Northern Lights Philip Pullman 1st/1st Point Signed
$1,963.90 Harry Potter Prisoner of Azkaban Deluxe 1/2 Signed
$1,957.10 tie Signed 1st Edition Inside Out by Nick Mason/Pink Floyd
$1,957.10 tie Harry Potter Chamber of Secrets 1st 1st Signed Deluxe
$1,957.10 tie Harry Potter Philosophers Stone Deluxe 1/2 Signed
#1
The Spy Who Loved Me
Ian Fleming
A signed copy with a known provenance took this 1st edition, 1st impression copy of The Spy Who Loved Me to the top of the fiction top 10. The UK seller, who also sold #4, inherited a large collection from his grandfather, who was in printing. The auction includes a letter from Ian Fleming about the signing. Listed as "almost as good as new," the 10-day auction with 9 photos garnered 6 bids to sell for $6,068.97.
#2
The Lord of the Rings
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
JRR Tolkien
Selling as a best offer, the trio of first edition, first impressions were listed by a UK seller with 12 photos. Two of the books are described as having very good bindings with the third in good condition. All three have the original binding and are in facsimile dust jackets.
#3
Casino Royale
Ian Fleming
The 1st edition, 1st printing of Casino Royale was listed by a UK seller in a 10-day auction with 6 photos. It was described as in very good+ condition; the seller notes this is from the 4,728 copies in this printing. After 23 bids, the book sold for $4,390.20.
#4
Thunderball
Ian Fleming
The UK seller of #1 also sold this signed 1st edition, 1st impression. Listed in a 10-day auction with 7 photos, the auction includes a photocopy of a letter to the seller's grandfather from Ian Fleming. Described as in very good condition, the book attracted 8 bids.
#5
Waylander
David Gemmell
In a change of pace from Fleming and Tolkien, #5 on the fiction list is a "very rare first edition hardback" of Waylander, "one of only 750." The UK seller listed it for 10 days with 5 photos. Included in the auction is a DVD showing Gemmell signing this copy. After 5 bids, the auction closed at $3,024.36.
#6
Northern Lights
Philip Pullman
Listed by a UK seller with private feedback in a 7-day auction with 6 photos, the signed 1st edition, 1st printing was relisted "due to a non paying bidder." Described as very good in a very good dust jacket, the book attracted 32 bids.
#7
Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling
Though the UK seller had only 4 feedbacks, he managed to sell 3 of the fiction top 10 in February. Listed "as new, unread" and signed by the author, the special edition UK deluxe clothbound edition was listed in a 7-day auction with 3 photos. It sold with 1 bid.
#8
3-way tie
Inside Out
Nick Mason
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
J.K. Rowling
In a rare occurrence, February saw a 3-way tie for #8; all 3 titles appear regularly in the top 10 fiction lists. First was a signed, first edition of Inside Out by Nick Mason. The Genesis publication was listed by a UK seller in a 10-day auction with 2 photos and attracted 9 bids. Then on February 19th, the seller of #7 saw 2 more of his Harry Potter deluxe books sell for $1,957.10, making for a stellar payday. When a new seller with few feedbacks shows up in the top 10, particularly with multiple sales, we often check to see if the sales were completed. In the case of the UK seller of Harry Potter books, each of his/her 3 top 10 auctions received only 1 bid. These were private auctions, so there is no clear way to determine if the sole bidder in each case was the same buyer or if feedback was left.
NonFiction Top 10
February 2007
$3,890.00 PROVOKE 2 EROS nude photography 1969 MORIYAMA signed !!
$3,688.00 MARC CHAGALL ILLUSTRATIONS FOR THE BIBLE
$2,087.78 Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Signed 1/250 Ltd.
$2,074.00 Box of 2 Peter Beard Books Taschen NR
$1,691.00 AA BIG BOOK 1ST EDIT SIGNED BY BILL WILSON
$1,500.00 A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole (1980)
$1,300.00 Margin of Safety by Seth A. Klarman (1991)
$1,380.00 LET'S GET LOST: A FILM JOURNAL BY BRUCE WEBER
$1,250.00 DAVID LACHAPELLE - ARTISTS & PROSTITUTES - SIGNED
$1,227.00 BLINDS AND SHUTTERS-GENESIS PUBLICATIONS
#1
Provoke 2 Eros
Daido Moriyama and others
In a 10-day auction, the Italian seller listed the 1969 softcover photography book with 2 photos. Described as "fine condition!!! First edition. Signed by Daido Moriyama.... This is the original Japanese first edition...." After 28 bids, the auction ended at $3,890.
#2
Illustrations for the Bible
Marc Chagall
Detailing extensive flaws - "Lacks the spine and dust jacket, original lithograph boards ... are chipped and rubbed.... The original lithograph cover is defective & in fair condition ...." - the positives outweighed them with the 14 bidders who carried the opening bid of $1,500 all the way to $3,688. It was listed by a US seller in a 7-day auction with 12 photos.
#3
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela
Coming in at #3, the signed1st UK edition published by Little, Brown was among 250 copies of this limited edition in slipcase. Listed by a UK seller in a 5-day auction with 3 photos, the book attracted 4 bids.
#4
[Peter Beard: Art Edition]?
Ever seen an action that was more about the seller than the for-sale item? Took me quite a while to find enough info to guess at the title. Here's what we know from the auction: "Box of 2 Peter Beard Books." Another clue: The volume in the sole photo is part of a Taschen limited edition in a case. The photo helped confirm that this is likely Peter Beard: Art Edition. Condition is "appears brand new or factory sealed...." Listed in a 7-day auction by a US seller, it attracted 30 bids.
#5
Alcoholics Anonymous
The 1st edition, 11th printing in a special binding sold for $1,691 with 11 bids. Signed by Bill Wilson, it was described as "very good with some wear ... writing and underlining." It was listed by a US seller in a 7-day auction with 6 photos.
#6
A Confederacy of Dunces
John Kennedy Toole
"Near flawless copy" was the description of this prize-winning novel by the US seller who listed it in a 7-day auction with 3 photos. It received 1 bid and sold at the opening price of $1,500.
#7
Margin of Safety
Seth A. Klarman
Selling as a BIN, the US seller with 6 feedbacks described it briefly as, "used/read once, in perfect condition" and included no photos.
#8
Let's Get Lost: A Film Journal
Bruce Weber
Called an "ultra rare book," the 1988 softcover was described as in excellent condition. A US seller listed it in a 7-day auction with 5 photos. After 7 bids, it sold for $1,380.
#9
Artists and Prostitutes
David LaChapelle
Listed by a US seller in a 10-day auction with 3 photos, the book is described as in very good condition. It sold after 6 bids.
#10
Blinds and Shutters
Michael Cooper
The limited edition (3074 of 5000) was signed by the author and includes 12 autographs by Eric Clapton, George Harrison and others. Described as "new...never opened," it was listed in a 7-day auction with 2 photos. After 19 bids, it sold for $1,227.
By The Numbers
11 sellers were from the UK
8 sellers were from the USA
1 seller was from Italy
1 seller sold 3 books
Another seller sold 2 books
19 books were published during or after 1950
1 was published before 1950
0 book was listed for 3 days
1 books was listed for 5 days
10 books were listed for 7 days
7 books were listed for 10 days
1 sold as BIN
1 sold as a Best Offer
1 to 32 was the range of bids
3 were private auctions
Seller feedback ranged from 4 to 197,619*
The seller who sold 3 books in the Fiction Top 10 had a feedback of 4.*
11 books were sold by sellers with 100% positive feedback
Feedback ranged from 90.1% to 100% for sellers who had feedback
The oldest book was published in 1947
*feedback is noted at the time the auction is viewed by BookThink.
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
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Two Viewpoints on FOL Sales
Hi, Craig,
I just read Steve Weber's article "Will Technology Kill the FOL Sale?" and I wanted to comment. I live just outside a very large metro area and inside of two hours to another very large metro area. As you can probably imagine, there are many, many FOL sales to be found here. There are usually 3-5 in reasonably short driving distance on any given weekend. Thanks to sites like Book Sale Finder, everyone is finding these sales. I have no problem with that. The technology use though is a problem at the smaller sales. I wanted to tell you about two recent experiences.
The first sale was a very small sale of 1,500 books. It started at 1:00 pm Friday afternoon. For whatever reason it was scheduled to run until 5:00 pm, reopen Saturday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm and have a $2.00 bag day on Sunday ... as if there would be any of 1500 books left. The sale was to be held in a meeting room area of a very large library. I arrived at 12:30 to find 30+ people in line for this little sale. They would not let any sale attendees into the library for fear of disturbing the "regular" patrons. I thought about leaving, but then I thought, how bad could it be? Well, it was very bad! They only used one meeting room. It was about 15 feet square, I kid you not! It was total pandemonium on entry. Dealers threw coats over entire tables. People were crawling under tables to get past people guarding the couple of little aisles. In the midst of it all were two dealers trying to scan books. Good luck! I got 8 nice looking books in the history section in about 10 minutes of cla
wing my way past people and got the heck out to pay. As I looked behind me I saw at least 50 people crammed into this tiny little room, all holding a stack of hardbacks as though their very lives depended on it. I don't think the two guys scanning had a prayer. What were they thinking at such a small sale?
The next sale I went to promised 10,000 books. It was in a very, very small community. I took my business partner. She had never been to one of these. I tried to prepare her for what to expect. We got there about 15 minutes before the doors opened to find perhaps 120-150 people in line. A lot of people, obviously locals, brought their children, including babies in strollers. I looked at my friend and I told her that this was going to be ugly. She said I was being a pessimist. I just gave her my wait-and-see look. The doors opened and in we went. The sale was in 3 rooms and the back half of a narrow hallway. The front half of said narrow hallway was the checkout area. The hardback room was total bedlam. I installed her next to a bare spot of wall with a box and told her I would drop things in it and just to guard it. I managed to snag two very nice sets of books and a few more hardbacks in a tour of the room - or at least the areas I could get to. There was a young woman in one corner
scanning children's books very slowly. She must have been getting paid by the hour and not by the book. She wasn't finding much. When I got back to my partner, she was fending off a dealer with a scanner who was ogling my box. I shooed him away. She told me he was the third one to have a go at my box. She was in shock. I told her, "Take the box to the hallway; I'll meet you there in a few minutes. I'm going to the 'better books' room."
The better books room must have looked very nice when it was first set up. It looked like they had neatly displayed everything. Books were flat on the tables rather than spine up. It was a long narrow room - perhaps 30 feet - that was probably actually a storage area. They laid tables end to end and there was just enough room to either side for two people to squeeze past each other. Of course, no one was allowed to move past anyone else lest they get something first! There were gentlemen on each side of the table scanning. I managed to snag two books near the front that the scanning crew did not seem to think were worthy and then I gave up on that room. I poked my head into the paperback room but I couldn't get into it. I found my friend in the hallway only to have to go through checkout-line hell with people trying to squeeze past to get around the abandoned strollers, around the dealers scanning in the hall, in an effort to get from room to room. On top of it all, the checkout syst
em was very awkward. Books had to be counted and totaled at one table and then paid for at another. This was not, of course, posted so people were scrambling every which way and shouting that they were here first and so forth. It was horrible.
In both of these cases, dealers hoarding books and scanning them made things difficult for those of us who move fast and work on wit, but they made the experience for the "regular" FOL sale patrons terrible. What I see happening if the scanners aren't banned at the small sales is a loss of the patrons who would come and buy from the local community. That could have very serious impact on those same patron's future donations.
I think libraries do need to set "Rules of Engagement" at the FOL sales. Further, I think these rules need to be posted not only at the sale, but also on the library's site (if any) and on Book Sale Finder, as you suggested. It's sad that we have come to this over what used to be a nice, civil, community event. Gone are the days when we could chit-chat with the volunteers about the books we chose, and here are the days when they tiniest FOL sales attract mega-sellers with no manners at all who are only looking for a fast profit.
Thanks for listening, Craig!
Michelle Shemenske
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Hi, Craig,
I read Steve's article on the FOL sales. Boy, has behavior at FOL's become a sore subject. Between "no electronics" and "no hoarding," I feel that the FOL organizers will soon have "no sales!"
Darlene and I have been doing book sales for some time. Over the past few years I can honestly say I have never witnessed some of the alleged boorish behavior that has been reported.
Sure, it's aggressive. To be sure, that first 45 minutes can be an all out battle to find that lost treasure that'll make your month. But I have never seen table-sweepers, sheets-pullers, aisles-blocking strollers or ex-NFL linebackers at work. We hit between 45 to 65 sales a year.
We have become good friends with sellers all over the east coast and mid-west. Some friendships have soured a bit over differences in buying philosophies - your brain vs. a PDA - or pulling, sorting and returning. By and large, though, we see a lot of the same people sale after sale.
Reading Book Thinker has made us much better buyers and in turn better sellers. Electronics have made our knowledge go further and faster. For example, we attend a really big sale in Pennsylvania each year. It's intense, busy and exciting. It used to take us the better part of two days to work the sale. We now do it in one. Maybe a couple of hours the next morning.
The electronics we use help us go through books we are pretty sure about, but not 100% positive. We do like to pull a bunch and then sort. However, in a sale of 500,000 books we might pull over the course of 8 hours maybe 500. That's one tenth of 1%. We will return a good 45 percent of those to the tables usually within the first four hours. I really can't buy into the no-hoarding philosophy.
Even sellers who pull three times what we do are still pulling a very smaller percentage. It just looks like a big pile of books! The complaint that hoarders take books out of circulation that other local buyers may actually want does not hold a lot of credence with me. The local people are the ones that donated these books in the first place; they didn't need or want them to begin with!
When dealers respect the books, the sale sponsors and each other, unwanted books are promptly returned for others to buy. We have even returned books to tables we didn't take after those dealers have long sailed into the sunset for the day.
FOL sponsoring groups should realize that dealers will buy mountains of books, even on the first day, even when the prices are higher, even when the crowds are bigger, if they can work with as few constraints as is reasonably possible. When FOLs make it obnoxiously hard for dealers to work, then their sales go down.
In congested sales, where there is not a lot of room, some reasonable regulations are needed. Most dealers we know respect that, deal with it and continue to return year after year. In sales where there is ample room to work but the sponsoring group has put up the "you pick it up - it's yours" sign, dealers will buy very little. Can you imagine your local supermarket manager telling a customer that the grapefruit she just picked up to examine for freshness MUST be purchased? Or the ground beef, or the tomatoes?
In a post I placed on one of the chat rooms I suggested that FOLs could eliminate some of the hoarding problems and orphaned books by charging dealers a holding fee. The dealer would pre-register and pay a steep fee to rent a space in the gym, or arena, or someplace at the sale to work. The dealer can take as many books as that area can hold. If the unwanted books are returned and the area is clean and clear, the fee is returned. If the area is abandoned, so is the deposit. Dealers get a place to work, no hassles, and FOL might pick up some extra cash.
However, my biggest complaint is the FOL sale that charges a steep pre-sale entry fee to get in but has let the sale volunteers go through the day before to take some free books as a thank you! If you're going to charge me a special pre-view fee, then don't let the help get first choice.
Dealers need to be respectful of the FOLs and their goals, other sellers and the book business. Sponsoring groups need to remember that they are in business to sell books. When the two can meet with few constraints it's a wonderful system!
Take good care.
Ted Paul
Oak-Creek-Books
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_____________________
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
posted on April 18, 2007 01:57:50 PM new
LOL, sorry for the excess info! The postage stuff is at the top. I know there are booksellers here, so I thought people might want to see the rest of the newsletter.
_____________________
Dogs have owners, cats have staff.
is now available for purchase. If you're not a subscriber, this would be a great time to join us on the journey to bookselling success. Subscribe here: <http://www.bookthink.com/shop.htm#sub>