How to Make Money Selling Books Online on Amazon.com

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Would you like to make money selling books?

Hi! I am a bookseller on Amazon.com and Ebay.  I started off selling mainly on Amazon, and have been on that marketplace the longest, so here is a compilation of tips, links, resources, and other useful information.

It's EASY to start selling on Amazon.com 

and that's why it's a good place to start.

You can sell lots of things on Amazon: books, CDs, DVDs, movies, toys, and even electronics, if you are approved. Actually, you can (try to) sell almost anything on their website.

However, it's easiest to sell items that are already on Amazon, such as most books. All you need to do is click on the "Sell Yours Here" button on the page of the item you want to sell. The button is in the right hand column, just a bit below where you would add the item to your cart.

It's important to start out on the right foot. When you sell on Amazon, you are selling on a worldwide marketplace of high stature, and it's important that you provide excellent customer service so that you will receive stellar feedback and build an honest reputation.

How to Price Books so that they will sell pretty fast... 

If you don't care how long it takes your book to sell, or if you'd rather make more money on it than sell it for cheap, go ahead and price it at whatever you want.

Here are some tips that I think help me price my books in a way that attracts buyers.

Note, some books won't sell fast no matter how much you price them at, because the demand is low. It is very normal for some books to take a year or longer to sell.
  1. Look at what other sellers are selling the book for, and consider the condition of your book. If it is in poor condition, price it lower. It is is in like new condition, price it a bit higher.
  2. Consider the price of New versus Used. Many people would rather buy new books. Pricing a used copy at least a few dollars lower than a new copy is a good idea.
  3. Consider availability. Sometimes Amazon says that they have a book available but it says "Will ship in 3-6 Weeks." In those cases, you can often price your book higher than Amazon's price, since you have the book available to ship right away.
  4. Consider feedback ratings. If your feedback rating is higher, then you have the advantage over some sellers and may be able to price higher.
  5. Consider shipping costs. Amazon, and sellers that use the Fulfillment by Amazon program, offer free shipping on books over $25. If you do not use the Fulfillment by Amazon program, then, your buyers are always charged shipping costs. Furthermore, some buyers are part of Amazon prime, which means that if they buy from Amazon, they receive free or discounted shipping. Therefore, you may need to price at least $4+ dollars lower than Amazon's new price.
  6. Consider other venues. Many buyers do comparison shopping. Consider checking out what your book costs on other websites through sites such as Addall.com New Book Search, Addall Used and Out of Print Book Search, and Campusi.com
  7. Consider price psychology. For example, people are more likely to buy something that costs $19.99 than $20 because the price looks better.

The Ultimate Resources for Selling on Amazon 

Amazon Seller Community
Discussion boards for Amazon sellers. Learn from thousands of fellow sellers.

If you are new, read the "Help for New Sellers" bulletin board and use the search function to find the answer to your question. Most new sellers have the same questions, so more than likely your question has been answered.

The Seller Soapbox is a great place to keep on top of current changes to Amazon and other interesting industry news.
Survival on the River
Earthmom's guidelines to selling on Amazon.com, with some very practical information.

How to look up book prices on your cell phone 

You can use almost any modern cell phone to look up the value of a book while you are "out in the field." I used to use Scoutpal, and have also read many good recommendations for ASellerTool.com Basically you use your cell phone to connect to their service for a low monthly fee. Then you just type in the ISBN number and it will return the current selling prices on Amazon.com.
ScoutPal
1 Week Free Trial; Very reliable; Also allows you to search by LCC (helpful for older books).
A Seller Tool
Starts at $5/month, you can use it on your cellphone or PDA/Scanner.

G1 Google Phone has Application for Barcode Scanning 

This video shows how a G1 Google Phone can be used as a barcode reader, which makes a great scouting tool! The program is currently free (Shop Savvy). It uses the phone's camera to scan the barcode, and then the program searches the web to display the lowest online cost. It searches places like Amazon, Half.com and so on... It even retrieves reviews and then, if you want, you can click through to the website.

This method is a speedy way to look up what a book is worth!
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How to Print Shipping Labels Online 

and why should you?

1. It's more professional than hand-written.

2. It will likely arrive at its destination faster. (Computers can automatically sort your package)

3. Electronic Delivery Confirmation is cheap!

4. If you are mailing at least one priority or express mail package, you can request carrier pickup and never leave the house.

5. No special labels needed! Just use glue sticks or tape to attach the label to your package, but do NOT tape over barcodes!
Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_ship-now
Go to the above link to print your shipping label on Paypal. If you are not already signed into your Paypal account, you will be prompted to login.
Advantages: It's FREE, and you can print Media Mail, U.S. First Class, U.S. & International Priority, & Express.
Disadvantage: You can not print First Class International mail.
Click N' Ship at USPS.com
This is the post office's official website. You can print postage for Priority & Express Mail, U.S. and International. You can NOT print Media or First class mail. The international priority mail labels are easy to print out through Click & Ship.
Stamps.com
Get Up to $25 in FREE Postage!
Endicia
Save time by printing pre-paid shipping labels from your desk, ready for pickup & customized with your branding; Streamline your fulfillment by integrating order management & tracking shipments online; and more.

 

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