Author Topic: Has Anyone Experience as an Amazon Seller, Specifically of Used Books?  (Read 3407 times)

LilyBLily

I have been consulted about the market for used books, and of course had to deliver the unpleasant news that for most books the resale market is to local used bookstores and there's very little cash to be had from them.

Has anybody set up an Amazon vendor account and sold expensive art books ($40-100 cover price) successfully? Was it difficult to separate yourself from your KDP author self? Was it a profitable venture?

And what about eBay? Or ABE? Are they better venues?

Bottom line, is a significant profit possible?
 

Post-Crisis D

I won't speak to any specific site but as a general warning, when selling anything on someone else's site, the thing to keep in mind is that, as a seller, you are not important to the site.  There are countless others ready to take your place.  Their focus is on the customer and, should there be a dispute, they have a tendency to side with the buyer, which is the site's customer.

I've seen this on another site where a couple people have gotten ripped off by unscrupulous buyers.  The buyer buys an expensive item, receives it and then claims it was "not as described."  The site instructs the buyer to return the merchandise but what they return is instead a box of junk, not at all what the seller sold.  Then, the buyer gets their refund from the site, so the seller is out the item and the money.

If such reports were isolated, I might well think maybe the seller is making it up, that they sent a box of junk and not what they indicated was being sold.  But I've seen this situation described as happening more than once and to multiple sellers.

Sooner or later the site may catch on and ban such buyers, but that won't do any good for those sellers who have gotten ripped off in the meantime.

Most of the time, you won't have a problem though.  And, if you were doing this as a business, where you're buying and selling all the time, getting ripped off by a few unscrupulous buyers is easier to absorb because of the volume of sales.  But, if you're a small-time seller with just a few things to sell, getting ripped off is a big deal, especially if you're selling things because you need the money.

Just something to bear in mind since you'll be selling higher priced items.  If you will be doing this on a regular basis, you may be better off because, as I mentioned, you'd be in a better position to absorb a bad buyer here and there.  But, otherwise, proceed with caution.
Mulder: "If you're distracted by fear of those around you, it keeps you from seeing the actions of those above."
The X-Files: "Blood"
 
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LilyBLily

Dan, that sounds nasty. I had not heard about that scam.

I have heard about the reverse, where some sellers offer items for 1 cent, expecting to make their profit on the back end, on shipping costs. Apparently buyers are unlikely to dispute the condition of a 1-cent item, and sellers do not have to refund shipping costs.

 

Post-Crisis D

Dan, that sounds nasty. I had not heard about that scam.

Claiming "not as described" is apparently the secret loophole.  If they claim an item didn't work or was broken or whatever, they'd have to have a duplicate of that item that was broken or didn't work and ship that back to the seller.  By claiming "not as described," they can return any ol' mess of junk.


I bought a book through Amazon, shipped from a book shop in the UK. It never arrived, so I reported it to Amazon. They refunded my money instantly, although I would have been perfectly happy for the seller to send a replacement book. I don't recall that even being an option.

That's like an item I bought a few weeks ago.  I went online to check the status and the status was that the package had been lost by the carrier.  (The carrier was Amazon's own delivery service.)  Now, you would think, okay, Amazon lost the package, so maybe just send out a replacement?  No.  One item they did replace but the other they couldn't because it was through a third-party seller so they couldn't be sure it was in stock or something, even though Amazon fulfills it.  So, I got a refund on that then had to re-order it.  Of course, it meant I had to order more items in order to qualify for free shipping again.  Thanks Amazon.  :icon_rolleyes:

A couple years ago, I bought a book online, not from Amazon.  After a couple weeks, I received an eMail inquiring about my shipping address because the book had come back as undeliverable.  Checked the address they had and it was correct.  So they shipped it again and I received it.  Upon receiving it, I found they had it fulfilled through Amazon.  So, presumably, the first driver couldn't find the address but the second did.

I think Amazon's going to collapse under its own weight one of these days.
Mulder: "If you're distracted by fear of those around you, it keeps you from seeing the actions of those above."
The X-Files: "Blood"
 

sandree

I have sold quite a few of my own used books on Amazon. There are some books that do well - mostly non fiction so coffee table type books might go OK. Popular fiction is mostly not worth selling - too many copies available. You accumulate a review rating in seller central - I don’t think it would affect your ratings as an author. I can’t see turning a big profit but maybe if you learned the market and hustled, you could make some money.
 
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Maggie Ann

My daughter had a problem just like Dan described with a text book she sold. So, she lost the textbook and the money. That was on Amazon. But she has since sold a ton a stuff (when she was between jobs) on ebay and did very well.



           
 

Just Copyeditors - Annie

Hi, LilyBLily,

I have never sold art books on Amazon but I have sold veterinary books and business books at up to $200 a time, used. My experience is that if someone wants a specific title and they know what it costs new, then if the used volume is in good condition, they will pay almost as much for the used volume as for a new one. In fact, in some cases, they paid as much as for the new copy, as they knew I had the volume in stock and new copies often mean a long wait.

I got great reviews for the fact I shipped urgently, which means a great deal to Amazon buyers so you'll get your premium price if you can ship fast.

I would imagine that art books are similar to business and veterinary publications, in that these books will often be on a reading list for a professional or student, so they will want that book urgently and will pay handsomely to receive a fine copy. Or even an 'okay' copy!

I've never tried selling books anywhere else; my experience tells me that if you have an expensive book, especially a hardback, it will move very quickly on Amazon. I have sold my $200 books within a week or so of the listings. I recommend you do your research on Amazon and ensure your volume isn't the most expensive. Mid-priced seems to perform fine. The annoying part is the shipping; Amazon will only reimburse X amount for shipping, and some of these hardbacks can be very expensive to mail.

EDITED to add: I believe a significant profit is possible, to answer the question. It is not difficult to obtain used books that are in demand, by buying offline and then turning them around on Amazon. There is no correlation between your seller account as a used bookseller and your author account, so they are not going to affect each other. I'd say that if someone has a ready supply of high-end used art books, Amazon is a great place to sell.

Annie.
« Last Edit: April 04, 2019, 06:34:45 AM by Just Copyeditors - Annie »
 
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lorio

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I started selling used books before publishing my own. There was never any connection between my Seller Account and my Author Account.

I worked in bookstores years ago, including Powell's, so I kind of knew what sold. I've really enjoyed the business of searching for good books to resell.

I always promise (and do) send the book the next business day. I only sell books in excellent condition. In my experience, it's textbooks like Catholicism in 14th Century Hebrides or something obscure like that that sell for the highest prices. (Fake title!) Or good titles without a lot of other sellers.

I never bought many art books to resell. Recently, my old beau (a retired art critic who accumulated 2,500 art books over his career)) asked me to sell them for him and we'd split it down the middle, but I live across the country from him now  and...it would be TMI to explain. Anyway, he gave some of these art books to a friend to sell on Amazon and is unhappy because this guy told him only a few have sold in the last six months. You can always check the book rank is to see how frequently any art book is selling. Doesn't mean you won't sell yours. If I come upon a great book in very good condition and it has little competition, I take it even if it doesn't sell often. I'm patient.

My understanding is Amazon bought EBay. (Now you can have your product "Sponsored" on EBay for a fee, but when it comes to books, it doesn't make much sense to me. Personally, I'm always looking for the lowest book cost. I don't care if it's Sponsored.) Last I looked, EBay takes 12.9% of your total and Amazon at least 17% and sometimes a lot more. I list on both sites. But -- and I haven't checked this for a long time -- if you sell like 40 books a month on Amazon, you can pay them a flat fee every month and they won't take a chunk out of each book you sell.

I think Amazon bought Abebooks, too. There you have to pay a fee every month to list books whether or not you make a single sale, so I've never gone with them.

As for dealing with customers, in the last seven years, there have been very few that had issues. Under 10. If the book wasn't as described, I'd give them a full refund and let them keep it.

You always have to submit a tracking number, so you can keep track of when the buyer gets it. Only once did I feel scammed and it was for like $5.95 plus $3.99 shipping. I can't remember how it was resolved, but I always favor the customer figuring it's the cost of doing business to lose a little money sometimes. In that one case, I wrote their name down so that if they ever tried to buy from me again, I'd suddenly be out of inventory.

I'd love to hear how your art books sell, if you decide to sell them.

lorio

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Just thought I'd add that, yes, bottom line, you can make a profit--although what might be a significant to some won't be much to another. It depends on a bunch of things like how much you paid for the books, if 237 other people are selling it for a penny plus shipping (they can do this because they pay Amazon the monthly fee, although even so their profit is slim), how popular the book is and so on.

For my friend, the art critic, he paid nothing for those art books, so any money he makes will be a profit and if he doesn't mind waiting years, he'll make good money. (About ten years ago, I had a used bookstore come in and give a quote for the 2,500 books. They offered $10,000, which wasn't enough for my friend. Recently, he had another bookstore come in, but they wanted to cherry pick and he wants all of them gone.)



okey dokey

I used the reseller account to sell my New books.
Did very well.
For my $19.95 non-fiction book, I ended up with about $17. And Amazon paid me in 14 days.
I did it to take control of my distribution.
 
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bookworm

Re: Has Anyone Experience as an Amazon Seller, Specifically of Used Books?
« Reply #10 on: April 12, 2019, 03:02:34 AM »
I won't speak to any specific site but as a general warning, when selling anything on someone else's site, the thing to keep in mind is that, as a seller, you are not important to the site.  There are countless others ready to take your place.  Their focus is on the customer and, should there be a dispute, they have a tendency to side with the buyer, which is the site's customer.

I've seen this on another site where a couple people have gotten ripped off by unscrupulous buyers.  The buyer buys an expensive item, receives it and then claims it was "not as described."  The site instructs the buyer to return the merchandise but what they return is instead a box of junk, not at all what the seller sold.  Then, the buyer gets their refund from the site, so the seller is out the item and the money.

If such reports were isolated, I might well think maybe the seller is making it up, that they sent a box of junk and not what they indicated was being sold.  But I've seen this situation described as happening more than once and to multiple sellers.

Sooner or later the site may catch on and ban such buyers, but that won't do any good for those sellers who have gotten ripped off in the meantime.

Most of the time, you won't have a problem though.  And, if you were doing this as a business, where you're buying and selling all the time, getting ripped off by a few unscrupulous buyers is easier to absorb because of the volume of sales.  But, if you're a small-time seller with just a few things to sell, getting ripped off is a big deal, especially if you're selling things because you need the money.

Just something to bear in mind since you'll be selling higher priced items.  If you will be doing this on a regular basis, you may be better off because, as I mentioned, you'd be in a better position to absorb a bad buyer here and there.  But, otherwise, proceed with caution.
As a buyer who's bought lots of used books, I've found that Amazon always sides with the buyer. But eBay usually sides with the seller, even when the seller is a crook. I don't shop on eBay any more for that reason. The prices and shipping times tend to be the same on both sites.
 

Dormouse

Re: Has Anyone Experience as an Amazon Seller, Specifically of Used Books?
« Reply #11 on: April 13, 2019, 05:10:12 AM »
My understanding is Amazon bought EBay.
eBay is a public company quoted on NASDAQ

I think Amazon bought Abebooks, too.
They did. Over 10 years ago now.