zzyzx000
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posted on September 12, 2000 04:55:10 PM
I've thought for a long time I would not object to paying a commission for my slow selling items as long as I don't pay a listing fee. So Half.com comes along and makes listing free and easy. Yet 15% is a bit much on the commission side...they sure fit into the ePay mold quickly.
Is it worth it? Let's hear how all these books that don't sell anywhere else are doing there....
Also they are very miserly about the allowance for shipping fees. You pay shipping and they give you $1.58 for the 1st book shipped and $.58 for each book after that. Then they tell you should wrap in bubble wrap and in a box. Hey, they should tell Amazon and all the big corporations the same thing if they want to get laughed at. If the book weighs over 2 lbs, that $1.58 won't cover the postage alone for book rate.
They tell you to adjust your price if the book are heavy (but they don't adjust their commission for heavy books, do they?)
Unless I hear a lot of success stories, Yahoo and Free still make the best couple on the dance floor.
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VeryModern
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posted on September 12, 2000 05:45:39 PM
I use it, but only because I am stuck with a pile of books that are way to labor intensive to list traditionally. I am basically cutting my losses.
I put about 150 books up one day and have sold about 1/2 of them in 2 months or so. All new paperbacks - not heavy so the allowance covers the postage. I ship in a plastic bag and a padded mailer - that's it. No fuss or muss.
They now allow you to list for more than 1/2 price now, but be aware many people list books there for pennies (yes, I was going to list one the other day and saw it available for 8 cents) and so if the title one of these, forget about it.
There are some comprehensive threads on this on ebay outlook - have to search - but all the info you could want it there.
In a nutshell - the commission is steep but in certain circumstances, worthwhile.
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jake
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posted on September 12, 2000 07:23:44 PM
Has anyone figured out why some people are selling books for a few cents? What is the point of doing that? May as well just throw them away.
I did buy a couple of books for .23 and .16 cents and they were in better condition than the ones I paid $2.00 for!
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akt
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posted on September 13, 2000 03:59:32 AM
I sell average of 40-50 dollars a month on half com, I know it is not much but it will make my computer and internet payment  I buy bubble wrap on auctions and then get the brown kraft paper or the large pack of envelopes to ship my books in.
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zzyzx000
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posted on September 13, 2000 08:02:39 AM
AKT:
So do you sell one book a month for $40 or 40 books a month for $1?
How much is profit?
Better yet, what's your general feeling about the site? Are buyers there? Are they paying 1/2 list or just buying the giveaway books?
The reason I'm so curious about books is because they sell so slowly on Yahoo. I know Yahoo's listing tree could not be worse, but I'm not sure that is the reason.
Yahoo seems to be a younger crowd. The young people I know don't read much...many of them can barely read at all. Yet videos sell ok here.
And Amazon isn't much better. Maybe books are going the way of the dinosaur?
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VeryModern
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posted on September 13, 2000 08:44:41 AM
they are paying 1/2 list. The 8 cent books no want wants at any price.
Oprah diet book for example. 80 zillion copies sold, so who needs one?
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figmente
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posted on September 13, 2000 12:08:46 PM
half.com seems a resounding success.
Big problem for sellers is that there exists too much supply of too many books leading to those penny sales.
Prices look much higher in music and movies, even for passee best sellers. More evidence that the audience for books is much smaller.
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CAgrrl
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posted on September 14, 2000 12:50:11 AM
Well, here's food for thought about 1/2.com. I'm a fanatic reader- I don't watch any TV, I just read, & I'm a sucker for illustrated non-fiction books. As a frequent buyer of books I've checked out 1/2.com but I have yet to buy anything there. I have found that the site is seller-friendly (as in things are easy to list) but NOT buyer-friendly. Half.com users must go into the site knowing what they are looking for in order to shop successfully there. I can only assume that many book buyers, like myself, are mostly impulse buyers. I do occasionally have a book in mind that I just HAVE to have. However, most of my purchases come about in an actual book store where the pictures lure me in & where I can take a peek at the chapters, text, etc. I frequently buy books on Ebay & (less frequently) on Yahoo. Surprise, surprise- the books I buy on Ebay usually have 3-5 scans of the photos in the book. It's harder to sell me a book on Yahoo because of the photo limit. So on half.com- forget it. Most of the time I can't even find a picture of the cover of the book. One paragraph about a book is not enough to sell me on it, and that's all a buyer has to go on when shopping half.com unless the book has a phenomenal reputation or unless the book is already on the buyer's wish list.
As a buyer who won't buy there, you can bet that as a seller I'm sticking with the venues where I do make purchases- Ebay & Yahoo. I have heard that many people sell successfully on half.com but I have a feeling they are selling different types of books than those that I am passionate about.
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zzyzx000
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posted on September 14, 2000 12:59:53 AM
What I read when checking it out (briefly) is the seller doesn't enter anything but an ISBN #. The ad is whatever is in the Half.com computer as a description of the book. The only thing the seller does is try to describe the condition with a # rating, and choose a price 1/2 list or less.
You can always look for it on Amazon. If it's still in print there is usually a bunch of descriptions there. Then check half.com for availability (or better yet check Yahoo). I try to price my books at just about 1/2 Amazon's price so that is less than 1/2 list.
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charliegirl
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posted on September 14, 2000 09:43:33 PM
We have been on half.com for 3 months now and love it. We are over 400 listings and growing. We are going to start removing slow movers at the end of sept. We are bringing in between $100 and $150 a month. We are learning what sells and what to look for. Educational is where the money is but has to be current. Best sellers, there are too many of them normally. There are other categories that we are looking into and trying. We are adding book cases to our internet room. Old books without isbn's go on yahoo and ebay. We probably sell $500 a month in books. Old out of prints if right are better than half.com but when you buy in bulk to save money half.com is the way to take care of the left overs. It's not worth the effort for us to go under a buck. Average sell is $3.13. High was $13.00 for The New New Thing. I wont recommend for the faint of heart due to the daily shippments required.
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thedewey
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posted on September 15, 2000 02:07:44 AM
I love love love buying on Half.com! I mostly buy video games (my husband is an avid gamer), and can often get the games much cheaper on Half.com than on eBay. And the fixed shipping helps on buying, because you always know what to expect. (Love that Bargain Bin feature!)
I can't say as much for paperback books. I don't really buy those. You can get used paperbacks locally for $.50 or so, less than the shipping charge on Half.com. I can't imagine it being worth it for a seller to list, package, and ship those and only get a few cents for them. (Maybe they sell in bulk? I dunno. Any profit off the shipping charge would be minimal, at best!)
On games, music CDs, and movies, though, you can often find great deals if you're looking to buy!
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zzyzx000
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posted on September 15, 2000 07:55:33 AM
Whose talking about paperback books? I have lots of pristine hardbacks. Some recent, some not so recent in many categories. If they don't sell somewhere how do all these used bookstores stay in business?
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VeryModern
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posted on September 15, 2000 08:58:33 AM
The Bridges of Madison County.
HB, stated FE with dust jacket in pristine condition.
8 cents.
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zzyzx000
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posted on September 15, 2000 09:04:55 AM
I'd gladly pay 8 cents to NOT have to answer emails, wrap it, and take it to the post office.
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VeryModern
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posted on September 15, 2000 09:07:07 AM
NO. You can BUY that book on half.com for 8 cents. I was going to list a copy....
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mballai
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posted on September 15, 2000 11:09:49 AM
I wouldn't list there. 15%!!!! I have bought there, but I was not impressed with their service.
Packaging A+, Cycle Time D-, Label C-, Response Time F-. You'd think they ran a three day auction before completing the sale and took a weekend off before responding to each query. This was from two different vendors.
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CAgrrl
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posted on September 15, 2000 05:05:56 PM
shaking my head here. 8¢ is bad enough, but after 15% comes out of it...what are those sellers thinking?
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VeryModern
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posted on September 15, 2000 05:15:53 PM
and CAgrrl - if the book is heavy, they lose money on the shipping! Here is the killer thing though. There are people paying ebay to list these same 8 cent books over and over, thinking they are going to sell for $5-10! Same token, occasionally one of them does.
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mballai
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posted on September 15, 2000 05:28:17 PM
I cycle some of my slower books through Yahoo with automatic relisting. Actually some move within days and I ain't standing around waiting for a check from half less 15%. That's bad news.
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granee
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posted on September 16, 2000 01:15:04 AM
My July checks never arrived, much less August checks, and the NEVER answer my emails. So I put all my listings "on vacation" until I get paid.
Inexcusable customer service.
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MAH645
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posted on September 17, 2000 05:44:02 PM
I sell mostly factory sealed videos,I can get more out them on Half.Com than at the Flea Market since some list at $20-$30.One listed for $60.I sell about five a week.
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dave_michmerhuizen
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posted on September 19, 2000 05:52:44 PM
I use half for every book in the house that's already been read. Very occasionally one sells. The rest might never sell, but that's not my problem. That's what makes half nice. list it, then ignore it.
It might be different if selling books is your main gig.
ebay: [email protected]
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