Sending offers

[taylor_memorial]

Y'all find this a useful tool?

From time to time I've used it, Well, twice, in what psthomas used to call the "horse latitude" days of bookselling: deep summer before the back to school rush.

I use best offer religiously and find about 60% of my customers avail themselves of the service.  I also offer a discount for multiple purchases but this does not seem to attract any buyers. I've used it for reading copies.

I also have a number of "Choice" offers. These seem relatively popular. If the customer understands my description--or reads it--they ask for books x, y, z and etc. and get a price based on the asking price for the first one and a reduced price for each additional from the lot: leveraging the media rate bump of $0.50 a pound to make a larger sale and move stock. About 50% over all ask before the buy and I get a windfall based on the discount structure offered if they don't.

My results for sending offers are not good. Maybe 10-15% are taken.

[bugler1998]

Taylor:  I have actually had pretty good experience with making an offer.  Maybe 1 in 10.

But I am not clear how ebay puts potential buyers on my list to make offers to.  Surely watchers make the list.  But I am often a watcher of items I have no interest in buying.  Such as items I use to price compare, or items I use as a listing template.

Who else?  Not sure.

I do not sell commodity books often, but if I do my fixed price is about at the bottom, so I have no room to drop.

My best luck has been with scarce local history books.  Sometimes I might find a scarce paperback book that comparative pricing shows I could sell it for $40 or more.  If it has been out a few months what do I have to lose by dropping the price by $5 to $10.  I still have sold a book that I likely paid $1 or less for.  And a 3000 percent profit is nice.  $100 or more books are harder for me to unload this way.

I have a leather bound 1st edition Black's Law Dictionary listed for over $2,000.  I have a hard time pricing it. as while I know it is in nice shape, it looks like there is a nice repair to a cut on the leather spine.  What is it worth?  Don't know but it is definitely nicer than the $1200 ones out there.  So I am afraid to offer the $800 discount I could probably live with, knowing I paid $40 for it at an otherwise overpriced estate sale.

Knowing what I know about your inventory, unless you are listing books for prices over what others are selling them for, hold steady.  If they want the book they will buy it somewhere and rarely does a discount help if your price is reasonable already.

[taylor_memorial]

I think the era of high end reference books is about done: the internet is just too handy.

The dictionary is an artifact, useful for wall decor in an office but . . . the spine is what you see.

I have a set of 19th century books that are the most in depth look at Rome I've ever seen. 16 volumes, about 320 pp each, with tons of chromolithographs.  It's sat for years.