How has the used book market changed?

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

I have a question about the eBay market for used books.

Years ago I was reselling a lot of used books that I purchased at library sales. Typically I'd list a book in a 7-day auction with a starting bid about half the average price in the same condition on ABEbooks. I'd sell about 50% of the listings, which I considered satisfactory.

I dealt mainly in technical books on odd and obscure topics that a person with a related occupation or hobby might want to buy for use. I also sold collectible books that would appeal to the same type of people. Here are a couple of representative listings that I have right now:

Designing and Painting for the Theatre, Pecktal - HB

Design Guide to Orbital Flight, Forward by Wernher von Braun, 1962

I've been away from eBay for three years, and away from selling books for years longer. Now I'm trying to liquidate the books I have on hand. I'm listing and pricing things the same way I used to, and nothing is selling. What has changed? What do I need to do to get a reasonable sellthrough rate?

[luckythewinner]

How has the used book market changed?

People are reading fewer books. 

[gotta-have-it-collectables]

Weeks of careful thought produced a Fantastic answer!

As always... Wow!

[theteamsetguy]

@bitsofsiliconvalley ,

I don’t know where you get that idea. I drop off most of my packages in the blue mail box less than a mile from my house. I drop on average 15 to 20 packages a day and have been doing it for over 4 years with no issues.

I spoke with my local postmaster and he said they have no problem with packages with electronic labels in blue mailboxes because if there was issues they can traced really easily.

[terrycece62]

I hate the current trend b&m stores are going out of business at a fast rate 

I visited an street I used to frequent where I lived in the DC metro area and the huge bookstore closed.

I was really looking forward to going there again they always had such a great selection.

I fact entire shopping malls are closing down and stand empty because retailers are all selling online instead so it is not just books.

I am grateful there are book sellers on eBay 

I personally don't buy technical books much i am more of a visual learner when it comes to that kind of stuff  but good luck. 

Are your books priced that competes with current market?

[tree*fern]

You can schedule a USPS pickup online IF you also have a Priority, First Class, or International package going out at the same time. Select the "Other" option for Media Mail when scheduling.

Talk to your local postmaster and regular carrier about the gate and your needs for regular pickups. If you have only Media Mail outgoing, you should be able leave it in your own mailbox (or hand it to the carrier) for an unscheduled pickup. 

I sell mostly books but also misc. items, and schedule pickups nearly every day. The carriers come by around the same time every day, so it's easy to keep an eye out and hand them any unscheduled packages. Since they know I usually have a package every day, they also knock and check if I'm not already waiting at the door. 

My local USPS really appreciates and takes care of their regular pickup customers.

[bitsofsiliconvalley]

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@theteamsetguy wrote:

@bitsofsiliconvalley ,

I don’t know where you get that idea. I drop off most of my packages in the blue mail box... I spoke with my local postmaster and he said they have no problem with packages with electronic labels in blue mailboxes because if there was issues they can traced really easily.

---

Your local postmaster is ignorant of USPS policy, and you are taking your chances.

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-Can-and-Cannot-be-Deposited-in-a-Collection-Box

My household has stopped using drop boxes at all due to the danger of loss through theft (and, we suspect, carelessness and incompetence). Several letters and packages that we deposited in drop boxes were never seen again. We no longer gamble with our mail.

[theteamsetguy]

@bitsofsiliconvalley ,

I don't know where you live. Since most of packages are small and less than 2 pounds I have dropped off over 20,000 of them over the last 5 years in blue mail boxes with no problems whatsoever. Before Covid when I went to my office there was a box outside the building door. I would drop packages in the box before work,

Now that work mostly from home I have been using the nearest 2 boxes from my house with no problems either.  

[chapeau-noir]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:

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@theteamsetguy wrote:

@bitsofsiliconvalley ,

I don’t know where you get that idea. I drop off most of my packages in the blue mail box... I spoke with my local postmaster and he said they have no problem with packages with electronic labels in blue mailboxes because if there was issues they can traced really easily.

---

Your local postmaster is ignorant of USPS policy, and you are taking your chances.

https://faq.usps.com/s/article/What-Can-and-Cannot-be-Deposited-in-a-Collection-Box

My household has stopped using drop boxes at all due to the danger of loss through theft (and, we suspect, carelessness and incompetence). Several letters and packages that we deposited in drop boxes were never seen again. We no longer gamble with our mail.

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That's curious, as every single blue box I've used has stated that NON-METERED/PRE-PRINTED mail (with stamps) over 10 oz cannot be dropped in the blue box. Metered/pre-printed labels are fine - I know, I've been dropping them in blue boxes for years...well, when we had blue boxes.

But as for any blue boxes being close - the closest one to me is 3 miles round trip.  The next closest is almost 4 miles round trip. I know of no others, and I run and bike within quite a large radius around my area. 😖 I have to bike, run or drive 7 miles round trip to the closest post office.  I live in a crowded old first ring suburb with everything else within an easy and brief 1 mile walking distance.  Bleh.

[slippinjimmy]

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@theteamsetguy wrote:

@bitsofsiliconvalley ,

I don’t know where you get that idea. I drop off most of my packages in the blue mail box less than a mile from my house. I drop on average 15 to 20 packages a day and have been doing it for over 4 years with no issues.

I spoke with my local postmaster and he said they have no problem with packages with electronic labels in blue mailboxes because if there was issues they can traced really easily.

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Confirming your post......

Anything that fits in the mailbox can be sent if it HAS online postage label. If it has postage stamps, only packages under 10oz can go in the box.

From the current USPS DMM

[union-hill]

There are so many venues offering used books. That's not to say that used books are a thing of the past. You only have to look at Facebook; used books there are a top selling category.  But there are some factors that influence book sales - negatively and positively.

On the negative side, the USPS many years ago eliminated surface mail ("Economy Mail") for International customers. Many thousands of US booksellers suddenly found themselves behind the Eight ball when it came to shipping.  A less well-known situation involved publishers regarding college textbooks. These can often be purchased for less money overseas than here in the US. I'm not aware how that might affect an eBay seller, but publishers have often blocked overseas distributors from selling their titles.

I think the best guide about re-entering this market is as follows:

■ Research the areas that appeal to buyers.  Self-help books, much non-fiction, etc. Library sales can be good, but thousands of novels end up there; That tells you something.
■ Take a look at closed sales on eBay for titles you may be considering listing. The price paid is useful.  I did this for a reference set of Postage Stamp catalogs; it sold within a week of listing it.

I hope these suggestions are helpful....

[femmefan1946]

I attended the Victoria Times-Colonist Book Sale yesterday.

The line up started at 7 am ,not counting the overnight campers.

I joined the line at 9am, just after opening, and got in the door at 9:45.

Normal for this annual charity sale.

The Sale fills a curling rink, plus an downstairs area for children's books.

There are no cds or DVDs sold.

The busiest area was Science Fiction and Fantasy. The deadest was Western.

The price of paperbacks had risen to $2 and hardcovers to $3.

No difference was made between Mass Market and Trade paperbacks.

I left at 11:45 and the line was the same length as when I joined.

There were quite a few children this year for a change.

[sugarnspice777]

Become a chinese seller.

[2013grotz]

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@femmefan1946 wrote:

I attended the Victoria Times-Colonist Book Sale yesterday.

The price of paperbacks had risen to $2 and hardcovers to $3.

This underscores a TON of what I've been trying to say about books on this site.  Books are popular for most part.  Problem is people don't want to *pay* much more than what you quoted.  Given a lot of sellers that don't understand ebay selling costs, along with the ones catching shipping or fee breaks, a very large number of them on Ebay show up for those prices, which just doesn't work for a seller as you would have to PAY to GIVE the book to a buyer.

Books work, they just don't work on Ebay.

[miyasamaco]

I use book selling apps to move books...

[marnotom!]

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@bitsofsiliconvalley wrote:

My take is that people should be paying good money for many of the books I'm selling because the information in them just isn't available anywhere else. 

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Sorry to be late to the party on this, but you said in your original post that you're trying to liquidate your book inventory.  The point above seems to contradict that.  Are you trying to convert some items gathering dust into cash or are you trying to set the market?  My thinking is that those books didn't sell on the first go-around for a reason.

Do you get many international sales?  I see you do ship internationally, and this Canadian thanks you for that, but unfortunately the shipping price is a deal-breaker, not your fault, I realize.  Just as an example, one of your books that ships domestically for free by Media Mail or $30.36 by Priority has a shipping rate to Canada of over $56 by Priority International.