Selling
I’m new to the eBay community selling books. I’ve noticed that a book might be listed for $3.50, but the cost to ship by Media Mail will be $4.63 or more, given the weight of the book. In my mind, I see a loss. What am I missing? I see this pattern often. Thanks.
9 comments
ryry-jj
·1 year agoYou need to charge for shipping. Does that mean you cant sell them? Not necessarily. But if selling at $4/book...the effort may not be worth it if you are just thinning out your collection. I'd donate them instead
ste_563299
OP1 year agoThanks to everyone in the eBay community who responded to my question. Your comments were beneficial and appreciated.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoYes, it's hard to make money in low end books unless you sell by lots.
But shouldn't your buyers be paying the shipping cost?
ste_563299
OP1 year agoThank you for your response. In an ideal world you're correct. However, since most sellers offer free shipping, sellers who charge are overlooked.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoAre you certain that most sellers offer free shipping? Or are you saying that most booksellers offer free shipping? And one would hope that those sellers who do offer free shipping are building the shipping cost into the item price.
ste_563299
OP1 year agoYes. I have listed nearly 300 books in 3 weeks. I completed a price comparison with each listing, showing that the established booksellers overwhelmingly offer free delivery. As noted above, the free delivery is not baked into the listed price. My ultimate goal is to reduce the size of my library, not to become an established, profitable bookseller. Thanks for your responses.
soh.maryl
·1 year agoAm confused. You mentioned in your first message that you "see a loss". Now you mention that your goal is to reduce the size of your library, not to become a profitable bookseller. So the loss does not mean anything to you while I assumed the opposite.
1786davycrockett
·1 year ago@ste_563299
Buy cheap or acquire for free, and sell often.
And offer inventory which most other book sellers do not provide.
Persist, and grow a large customer base.
wastingtime101
·1 year agoHi and welcome. It's impossible to compete in the used books category on low value books. The mega sellers dominate the market, they have access to lower shipping rates based on their volume, and they handle a lot of multi-item sales which also has an impact.
As long as you're selling books of higher value with enough demand to sell them and not have them sitting forever, you'll find your way in that category.