Books on Amazon
I was dusting the house recently – I actually do it on occasion, though not nearly often enough – and realized that I have collected an enormous number of read-once, never-to-read-again books. Typically, I offer these books to family and friends, or donate them.
I was browsing around Amazon the other day, though, and realized I might be able to sell some of them. I decided to give it a try, and see if it was worth the effort.
Listing the books is extremely easy. Create a seller account (if you already have an account with Amazon, you’re all set). You will have to adjust some settings, such as what type of payment you will accept, the zip code your items will be shipped from, and if you have any specific returns policy. And you can specify what bank account you’d like your earnings to go to – they are deposited on a regular schedule, but not necessarily after each sale.
Now you can start listing your items. I have only had the experience of listing books with Amazon, so I can’t speak for any of the other marketplace sales.
To list a book, you can enter the book’s title, or you can enter the ISBN number from the barcode. (This is the easiest option, as a description of the book, whether paperback or hardcover, when it was releases, cover art, etc. is all selected for you.)
You can then specify the condition the book is in, and add any notes (such as, “Marginal notes and underlinging) that would be relevant to the sale. Next, you can select a price and whether you would be willing to ship priority. The system will tell you how many other used books are available for this title, and what price they start at – which helps you determine how to set your price.
Amazon gives you an allowance for shipping the book (this fee, of course, is charged to the seller). It’s in the $3.50 ballpark, which should cover most books. (Book rate for a 25 oz. Book, shipped USPS, is $2.07, for example). On the other hand, Amazon also assesses a fee.
I recently listed “Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind the DaVinci Code” (a pretty silly book, all in all). It was in mint condition, but there were quite a few available, so I offered it at $2.50. Amazon took a $2.60 commission, and credited me $3.49 for shipping. Shipping was $2.07, so I was ahead $1.42.
I also sold “Natural Cures” (another extremely silly book) for $5.00. Amazon took a $2.97 commission, and credited me $3.49 for shipping. Assuming a similar $2.00 shipping fee, I made about $3.52 net.
Well, I guess it’s better than nothing, as long as you have a quick and easy way to ship the packages! I have not calculated in the cost for bubble packaging, printing the shipping lable, and my time to prepare the package. I would guess when all is said and done, I might make a couple of dollars per book, assuming I set the price at $5.00 or more to begin with.
You can also sell books in larger lots by author or type – which might make those old paperbacks profitable!
It’s not going to get you rich, but for a book lover like me, it’s a good feeling to know that my used books are going to good homes.
I was dusting the house recently – I actually do it on occasion, though not nearly often enough – and realized that I have collected an enormous number of read-once, never-to-read-again books. Typically, I offer these books to family and friends, or donate them.
I was browsing around Amazon the other day, though, and realized I might be able to sell some of them. I decided to give it a try, and see if it was worth the effort.
Listing the books is extremely easy. Create a seller account (if you already have an account with Amazon, you’re all set). You will have to adjust some settings, such as what type of payment you will accept, the zip code your items will be shipped from, and if you have any specific returns policy. And you can specify what bank account you’d like your earnings to go to – they are deposited on a regular schedule, but not necessarily after each sale.
Now you can start listing your items. I have only had the experience of listing books with Amazon, so I can’t speak for any of the other marketplace sales.
To list a book, you can enter the book’s title, or you can enter the ISBN number from the barcode. (This is the easiest option, as a description of the book, whether paperback or hardcover, when it was releases, cover art, etc. is all selected for you.)
You can then specify the condition the book is in, and add any notes (such as, “Marginal notes and underlinging) that would be relevant to the sale. Next, you can select a price and whether you would be willing to ship priority. The system will tell you how many other used books are available for this title, and what price they start at – which helps you determine how to set your price.
Amazon gives you an allowance for shipping the book (this fee, of course, is charged to the seller). It’s in the $3.50 ballpark, which should cover most books. (Book rate for a 25 oz. Book, shipped USPS, is $2.07, for example). On the other hand, Amazon also assesses a fee.
I recently listed “Secrets of the Code: The Unauthorized Guide to the Mysteries Behind the DaVinci Code” (a pretty silly book, all in all). It was in mint condition, but there were quite a few available, so I offered it at $2.50. Amazon took a $2.60 commission, and credited me $3.49 for shipping. Shipping was $2.07, so I was ahead $1.42.
I also sold “Natural Cures” (another extremely silly book) for $5.00. Amazon took a $2.97 commission, and credited me $3.49 for shipping. Assuming a similar $2.00 shipping fee, I made about $3.52 net.
Well, I guess it’s better than nothing, as long as you have a quick and easy way to ship the packages! I have not calculated in the cost for bubble packaging, printing the shipping lable, and my time to prepare the package. I would guess when all is said and done, I might make a couple of dollars per book, assuming I set the price at $5.00 or more to begin with.
You can also sell books in larger lots by author or type – which might make those old paperbacks profitable!
It’s not going to get you rich, but for a book lover like me, it’s a good feeling to know that my used books are going to good homes.
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