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From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

 

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .

 

 Most new bookdealers burn out within three years...

  

[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


A theme a day.


I've become convinced that when you can line up a group of books on a specific theme and list them all in one day you build up a critical mass of energy, matter and interest that improves the marketability of every single book in the group.


[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints


@lludwig wrote:

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Don't get snippy with buyers who ask questions ....

 

 

 [Blackarrowbooks]

 


And stay away from Snide, a first cousin of Snippy.

 

From an eBay listing, for an under-described book with one so-so photo:

 

"All our books are from a real Bookshop, not some doofus with a computer."

 

 

Message 122 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Don't let anybody tell you that what you are doing aint "real work".


[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Booksellers' Hints . . .

 

Always play the wild card.


Ok, let's deconstruct that.


An eBay auction is a gamble, a hand to play against the house. If you play your cards right, you almost always win. But if you play poker with wild cards, it's not really poker. It's no longer a game of skill plus chance, but a game of pure chance. Anything can happen.


In the eBay game, a wild card is an item without a known value. It could end up high or low depending on chance circumstance. Examples are books that are so unusual as to be almost unique, books with unusual inscriptions, books that nobody can make heads or tales of. This is where a feel for books comes into play. There are plenty of rare books out there that nobody gives a goodgoddam about. That doesn't make them valuable. What you have to do is figure out what might make the item desireable and play it for all its worth. You may be surprised......


One more thing- Don't ever use a BIN on such an item. Let it roll.


[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Researching improves your researching.


Think of it as honing a knife. The Internet is the greatest font of knowledge ever invented. The mega-search engines [google, yahoo, ixquick, altavista, etc.] are its sharpest tools. And there are engines within engines: ancestry, abe, addall, catnyp, melvyl, loc, karlsruhe, copac, opac, britannica, etc.


But the time! In the beginning, you will often spend more time researching a book than the book is worth. But that's ok, it's a learning process. As you curve along, you will know more and more where to look first.


[Satnrose]

 

 


[Addendum from Libreria:] 

 

Just because it comes out of your computer, doesn't mean it's true or correct. Lots of good -- and bad -- information out there. As with any kind of research, it's best to check more than one source.

 

 


[Addendum from Lludwig:]


Just because it comes out of a book, doesn't mean it's true or correct. Lots of good--and bad-- information can come from a variety of sources: computers, books and experts.

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Review some of your old inventory from time-to-time. Book prices change over time and you may find the description of the book requires some modification as well. Book selling is a continuous process.


[Ctbooks]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Overwhelmed with books? Tight on shelf space? Can't decide where to start or what to list?


1. Start with the large and heavy books.


Getting a couple of them listed and moving them from the "unlisted to the listed" pile will not only give you the feeling that you have accomplished a lot, but once they sell it will free-up more space than moving out several small books.


2. Shop your shelves as if you were in a thrift, FOL, GW etc.

 

Select the books that catch your eye and would be ones that you would buy again. These will be more interesting to you to list.


[Lludwig]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Don't get overwhelmed with bad books.


The #1 problem with most bookstores is that they become overloaded with stock that is overpriced and/or inferior. A false solution is to have a %-off sale, in which the leftovers become even more unsalable.


The difference between a bad book & a tough-to-sell book is that the latter just needs to find the right customer.


Take what you know is inferior and trade up at another bookstore, or donate it to an FOL, etc.


Life's too short to sell bad books.


[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Overwhelmed with books or other stuff?


Try the 3 bin method.


One bin is for stuff you will keep, one for stuff you know you will get rid of and the third is for ??? - not sure.


The "not sure bin" may end up the largest. Do not to look at it for several days.


Then do the 3 bin system again.


[Bookdelle33]

Message 129 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


Always look at everything.....


....or at least try to. Whether an estate sale or yard sale or book sale or auction or catalog or bookstore or antique mall or.....


If you find something really great, look thoroughly at everything else, esp. ephemera.


Ephemera does better on eBay than at any other venue.


Ephemera is "ephemeral", it wasn't meant to last: broadsides, pamphlets, handouts, ads, etc.


In a bookstore and FOL sales, they often get overlooked, in an auction they often get clumped together in a few lots, but on eBay they can soar!!!


[Satnrose]

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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

When you donate unsold items to your local FOL, thrift, etc, delete the listing in "My Ebay" from your unsold items so you won't be tempted to relist them at the end of the month or on other promotion free listing days.

Message 131 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints


From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


If you are just beginning to learn how to buy books, it would behoove you to:


* Avoid bookclub editions and paperbacks and coffee table books.


Taking guesses on first edition fiction will usually get you burned. You need to familiarize yourself with the names of the more collectible authors.


Same with children's books, but you can take more risks. Buy any old kids book with a dj or interesting illustrations.


Nonfiction books have to be interesting and specific in subject. Look at the index and the bibliography.


Textbooks should be fairly new and advanced in study. For example, basic electronics is out, power electronics is good.


Most leatherbound books in good shape are sellable, but they can be as ordinary as white bread. If they're in bad shape, don't buy them unless you're pretty sure there is something special about them.


But there's really no shortcuts. You have to develop a feel for sellable books by buying and selling them.


[Satnrose]

 


* [Lludwig's Note: As with many things there are exceptions to that rule of thumb.]

Message 132 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

Buyers of art and decorative arts reference books want the best edition, not the first edition.  A revised and enlarged edition will kill the market for the first edition.

Message 133 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .


You are eBay.


When somebody says they bought a book here, they don't say they bought it from a good seller, they say they bought it on eBay. And when they get burned, they don't say they got burned by a con on eBay, they say they got burned by eBay. Everytime you sell something great for a good price in an honest transaction, you make it more possible for a crook to take advantage of some poor unsuspecting schmoe. And everytime a crook on eBay takes a schmoe, it makes it harder for you to do business.


[Satnrose]

Message 134 of 353
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Re: From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints

From the Collected Works of Bookseller Hints . . .

 

You need to have at least one big sale a month.

 

 

 Of course, it's a all a matter of perspective.

 

It all depends on what your definition of "big" is, is it not?


[Satnrose]

Message 135 of 353
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