Which Types of Books Sell Best on eBay?

[platinum1400]

I wanted to ask other booksellers: Which types of books sell best on eBay? Paper back or hardcover? Very old books? But also some newer ones, I'm sure?

Any particular subjects that people seem to be most interested in? If non-fiction, which catagories?

If fiction, do bestsellers tend to sell? The ones that made the New York Times best seller list, I mean. Or maybe Oprah's book club, although she doesn't have that anymore. Any other 'book clubs' I should check out? Any particular authors who sell well?

Health and fitness? Diet books? Health and healing? Religion and spirituality? Biographies?

I have an interest in psychology and spirituality, so I tend to collect a lot of books in that catagory. I'm also interested in biographies of musicians and anything music-related or entertainment industy-related. I like old movies, too. I know a lot about music and films.

For several years, I was an assistant to a bookseller who specialized in 1960s counterculture type books, covering everything from psychedelic drugs to Eastern spirituality to vintage beatnik and 'hippie' literature. It was a lot of fun and I learned so much. I read almost every book before we sold it, so I do know a LOT about those types of topics. I also knew another bookseller who specialized in the 'drug antiques' catagory of books. Both of these booksellers did quite well, so I guess a lot of people out there enjoy collecting such books.

This was pre-eBay, though. Each of the sellers had his own catalog of books, which he would send out to his customers on a quarterly basis or so. Some of this was even pre-Internet, so it was VERY difficult to find these types of books anywhere else, except maybe at the local library. These booksellers were able to charge very high prices, due to the rarity of the books. But now whith the Internet, anyone can find anything----and quickly! Now people can also 'comparison shop'.

I know the world is changing and I'm trying to keep pace with it. Do you suggest that I NOT limit myself to a specific 'genre' of books---even a very wide genre?

Thanks for any input on which types of books today's collector's seem to be interested in. I don't know if I want to go out on a limb and sell topics that I really don't know much about, but I also don't want to limit myself too much.

I personally have a pretty broad range of interests, so hopefully that will help.

Thanks so much for any advice! It's great to be able to talk with other booksellers.

[bestpaperboy]

Not sure if I can help or not. As someone already commented you seem to know a lot already. 

I started on ebay more than 15 years ago and my specialty was primarly vintage magazines from the '60s and '70s along with a few books. The magazines have kind of played out and I sell mostly books along with some comics (someone once pointed out on this board that comics are books), some magazines and coins.

Here is what I know about book sales or at least think I know. Have a specialty or specialties is good advice. Over the years I have sold a lot of sci-fi and fantasty and continue to do that, when I come across salable items. I also sell coin books and know a bit about them as well. The common price guides are hard to sell so stay away from them but anything about a specialty will usually sell pretty easily.

Popular fiction can be tough. I try to sell books with some tie in to pop culture - think Star Wars or Game of Thrones. What is popular on TV. Not too long ago I listed an early hardcover (not a first) of American Gods and it sold very quickly. Alternatively I had a Star Trek memoir by Captain Kirk (William Shatner) that was in great condition but took a long time to sell. It has been pretty easy to sell Harry Potter books and Game of Throne books in hardcover with dustjackets that were in pretty nice shape. 

I think someone earlier mentioned nonfiction as a good choice. Sometimes I look for other categories to sell in besides books.  Magic books  (those are books about magic or magicians not books that disappear) sell in collectibles; in fact many books sell in collectibles. I just sold a travel book that I listed in collectibles and it went to someone outside the U.S. - go figure. I have books about golf and hunting that are both up for sale in respective sporting goods categories.  

I look for items that might be outside the everyday experience. For instance, did you know that Vincent Price authored a cookbook with his wife. Highly collectible if you can find one. Other books about or by celebrities tend to sell well. Over they years I have sold books about or by Groucho Marx, Jack Paar and others.  Just sold a book about Lucille Ball - didn't sell for much but I bought it for even less.  Circus books also sell well.

Paperback vs hardcover is an interesting question and I don't think there is really an answer. Ursula K. Le Guin is a well-known author of sci-fi and speculative books. Her first book or first successful book was Left Hand of Darkness; it was first published as a paperback and only later got into hardcover. I think the most import point is condition. Unless a book is extremely rare or highly desirable it can be tough to sell in beat-up condition. Always try for the best condition you can. However, in the case of nonfiction books, depending on the specific category, the book might be prized for its content and condition might prove to be a secondary consideration. 

[cumos55]

If a seller wants to establish a presence in a specific topic  of books.....  That seller must have atleast 30 books to contribute to some degree in that category, and then sell in that category.  The more one lists with that group of 30 books,  The greater the number of books listed in a specific theme, the greater the probability of selling in that group of books.

A seller has to know what is listed on eBay    and then find books  that will be unique on eBay  and with minimum competition.

Knowing what not to list on eBay is easy to identify....Knowing what to sell on eBay will depend on what a seller will find , and then be able to list and then sell on eBay.

Sell in one specific theme, and then list in themes that would be complementary  and then serve to fill in the empty spaces, when books in the primary theme do not sell.

I have a big primary group of books... However, even in that group there is  a sub-group of books that sells well and at super good prices.... with good demand from a relatively low number of people looking to buy these books.

[cumos55]

My replies deal specifically with non-fiction books.

Fiction books are a totally different story.

But then I do know of a book seller that can find the right group of fiction  books to sell....  but  that understanding came after many years of selling on the internet.

After a period of time  there is something that happens when one is searching for specific books at a charity sale... where shape and color is more important than reading titles.

Reading titles is the second stage when searching through a mass of books  

Many times I have  picked up a book and put it back.... only to see the book I want  right beside the book I just placed back in among the books for sale.

[jcornisellbooks1]

If it is rare and there is appeal to a specific group of buyers which you can target with the right category ( not always in books) and keywords, my experience is that you're ahead of the game. 

I followed other sellers, still do, to see what niches worked best for specific books. 

Example:

I had a rare book on  Native American artifacts called  bird-stones, very limited copies ever produced, numbered and signed by both the author and  another noted collector. If I can find  the title I'll share it here. 

It is considered the seminal book on the subject and even though there are not tons of bird stone collectors, it drew great interest. 

It was difficult to get EBay to allow it in the category for Native American Indian collectibles. But that's the category I targeted. 

Maybe I was just lucky. But it sold and for a very decent price. 

You do get a feel for what books get the most  interest from EBay buyers. I'm still surprised by some auction or Buy it Now results. 

[jcornisellbooks1]

I tried to edit my reply. The book was Birdstones of the North American Indian;: A study of these most interesting stone forms, the area of their distribution, their cultural provenience, possible uses, and antiquity.  Author: Earl Townsend

[iart]

I'm rowing against the tide here. I appreciate other booksellers experiences but I think most are missing the main answer.

The books that sell are the ones that eBay thinks will sell, and so they give them higher visibility. This is what their entire search engine; Cassini, is all about. And with the recent upgrade of their Seller Hub Growth section, this is only going to become moreso.

Using eBay's best practices (like free shipping), keeping a good feedback store, paying your eBay bills on time and countless other standards gives some sellers better exposure and more sales.

Sorry, we don't have the miracle answer here. We do well, but not great. We've studied Cassini for years and it's constantly changing. It's a battle to try and keep up with it.

[rixstuff]

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@rixstuff wrote:

Cheap ones.  I believe that all books have value and have bought many here myself over the years but please dont ask $40 for the same book the other 200 sellers with teh same thing are offering for $2.99.

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Actually I mean list it for whatever price you want but dont grossly overprice it then come to the boards complaining that nobody will buy it.

[taylor_memorial]

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@iart wrote:

The books that sell are the ones that eBay thinks will sell, and so they give them higher visibility. This is what their entire search engine; Cassini, is all about. And with the recent upgrade of their Seller Hub Growth section, this is only going to become moreso.

Sorry, we don't have the miracle answer here. We do well, but not great. We've studied Cassini for years and it's constantly changing. It's a battle to try and keep up with it.

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To some extent, that's true.

But if you've got the only copy of something then you are going to be at the top of that search list regardless of your metrics provided the searcher is using your keywords.

I, too, swim against a lot of tides. I keep my metrics up, or try to, and I do well enough, I guess. I'm satisfied with the money coming in for the effort it takes.

Today, I sold copy of a 19th century survivor's story of Andersonville. 1869 if memory serves.

It had no spine but masking tape. No back board. No back free endpaper. The front board was soiled enough it was hard to make out the illustration. A binder's copy. I got $20 + S/H. Comps were 10-20x that, in good condition.

It's a hot topic: civil war, not as hot as it was a few years ago, but strong. And a major issue in the war.

It had been there a while, not surprisingly.

So I shipped today:

A lot of 5 Barbie Golden books.
A lot of 2 Margaret Wirt novels published by Goldsmith.
A coffee table book about nymphs and fly tying. (Azon)
The Andersonville book.
A "We Were There" book on the Pony Express. (Azon)
A "the Story of " book on Pocahontas. (Biblio)

What kind of conclusions can be drawn from that list?

There was a time a few years ago I'd have thrown out all three of the shipments that sold on eBay because they all came in on auction lots that I made a good profit from on the books I bought the lot to get.

[ozarkjoe]

look at what has sold in the past 2 months, especially for good prices, and notice patterns.  

Unique, special, rare, nice looking, famous, infamous, useful, etc.

[rmanco413r]

Reputation among peers plays a great role in attracting buyers. How long you've been selling, the quality of your products, your description accuracy and, of course, your buyer feedbacks. Your location is even a factor. I know other dealers that don't care or get repeat buyers. I especially care bout repeat buyers. Also, if you are trying to sell a $500 book and have no others in that price range, buyers in that price range are reluctant to buy. Buyers want to know that you know books...especially the basics. Cassini doesn't bother me at all. I've been offering free shipping for some time and that has helped sales. But, book sellers must do their homework and know what price point is competitive. If you have the only copy of something (or think you do), you have to go to auction prices, second editions or national libraries for information. From my 15 years experience selling, one thing for sure about selling rare books is that buyers may be even rarer. Good luck and do your homework.

[dreambooks]

Ebay buyers are cheap.

I listed an item for $9.50 free shipping and there was no other listing of the same item on ebay. A buyer offered me $7.25 with message " no counter offer please!". LOL. Anyway I accepted his offer. That says how cheap they are nowadays.

[lamberdavenpor0]

You basically answer yoir own question with a question. The interest you are into have a huge audience already. Life coach = self help book. Spirituality all help types of publication.  In addition, dont forget to add with selling books clorhi

[socrates349]

In my experience what sells best are rather uncommon collectible books that one is willing to price substantially less than the asking prices of other sellers.  {And many buyers will still contact you with even lower-ball offers). 

[picture*books]

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@lyceumdreams wrote:

347,000 sold listings. Take a look and see what sells. The best way to increase your market knowledge is to study the market.

http://www.ebay.com/sch/Antiquarian-Collectible-/29223/i.html?LH_Complete=1&LH_Sold=1&rt=nc

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Here's a slight modification, books sold on eBay for over $300, sorted by most recent first.

I had to put the word 'books' into the search terms else the query wouldn't work.