Selling the same book in different conditions - as Variations or as individual listings?

[liam.berlin]

Hello everyone. I think the subject describes my questions. I have ten copies of the same magazine that is now a collectible, they are all in different condition. Do I list each one separately, or should I list them as one listing with ten variations? Or is one way allowed and the other not? Thank you so much for your help. p.s. I see when I have a listing with variations I cannot add the Best Offer option? And... if I remember correctly I cannot list two items that are very similar in separate listings? Or correct me if I am wrong. I would be so happy to know the best way to list these ten books for sale. Thanks again.

[wastingtime101 · Accepted solution]

Different conditions have to be listed separately - not as variation.

[liam.berlin]

What if six are "Good" and four are "Acceptable", can this be two listings, one for good with six variations, each individual magazine, and one for Acceptable, having four variations?

[wastingtime101]

If it's the same issue then create 2 listings: 1 for good and 1 for acceptable, but they should not be variations, just multi-quantity.

If they are different issues then use variations with different listings for each condition.

[liam.berlin]

OK. I got it. I need to stay well away for variations for what I want to do. Thanks for your help. Warmest wishes from Berlin.

p.s. My last post in the community got unfortunately no reply. I wanted to know, when did the eBay chat community start... and specifically where people learn(ed) HTML to improve their listings? Where could be the best place to ask this, or is there any such thing as an archive of all of this? Many thanks again. I am sorry to bombard you with another question!

[evry1nositswindy]

Variations is not an option in the book category.

[kensgiftshop]

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@wastingtime101 wrote:

Different conditions have to be listed separately - not as variation.

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Has that changed the last few years?

A few years ago there was another post like this and one of the Blues said if they are the same item, they have to be in one listing.

I asked about an item I had 2 of, the same item, but one had stickers on it and the other one didn't and was told I had to make one listing for both items.

[albertabrightalberta]

Unless your concern is running out of your 250 free listings, for used items, they won't be identical. I would recommend listing each item separately, with very specific and definitive pictures showing each item and clear closeups showing details specific to that particular item, for example, dog-eared pages, ink on page (whatever), etc. 

You don't want to give any reason for buyers to claim NAD (not as described) because the item they receive has issues that were specific to one of the others items.

[taylor_memorial]

There is some confusion here about what the terms mean.

"Variation" is one term, "Condition" is another. Both have database fields to fill in provided by eBay. 

Condition, in most categories comes down to "New"  or "Used", with some variations on both. But we are talking books, which has a full half dozen conditions offered by eBay that sometimes loosely conform to industry standards. 

So, what I do when I list variations of books, is I delete the eBay defaults and add only one: title. 

Since everything you want to list is the same title, date, etc. the variation is "Condition" or something similary in case eBay has restricted the use of the field from that word. It won't allow two, I tried. And you get about 80 keystrokes to describe it, as well as 12 pictures each. 

Knowing that, I'd take good pictures, and use the variation label as an easier way for ME to identify the choice the customer made. If you have them in plastic bags, a piece of tape with a letter (A, B, etc), and maybe a general condition call like "good", see pictures.

You also get up to 24 "default" pictures for stuff that is the same: table of contents, covers.

As for discounts, I use volume discounts to promote multiple sales. But in your case I think you need to settle on your best price for each book. You can vary the price for all twelve so none of them are the same, which solves most of the issue of condition/price relativity.

[taylor_memorial]

I used it four times yesterday. Once today.

You are mistaken.

[taylor_memorial]

That is such a ridiculous concern. 
Each variation has it's own ISBN (which pulls in all the item specifics for each title).
Each variation has it's own pictures, limit of 12 (which until a few years ago was the upper limit for all).
Each variation has it's own 80 character listing title one can use anyway one wants.

Pictures count: if a customer wants to file SNAD and you pictured the complaint, it is their cost.

On top of all that stuff for each variation, you also get a virtually unlimited space to comment on the main listing page--which also counts in your favor if you choose to use it.

I just sold a copy of Caligula (Camus) in a choice listing for French language mmpb. All different titles, various publishers, authors, and even some translations.  Which, according to the experts on this thread, I could not do.

Lucky for me, I didn't ask the internet how or if, I just went ahead and figured it out.

[kensgiftshop]

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@taylor_memorial wrote:

I used it four times yesterday. Once today.

You are mistaken.

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Those are not variations, they are totally different books and should have their own listings.

[taylor_memorial]

I'm guessing you misunderstood.

I write "CHOICE" listings. In the case of Caligula, the listing is for "Choice French language mmpb" and a list of famous enough authors to fill the key word string.

The item I am selling is the CHOICE (live auction around here it's "choice out") of 1 or more titles available that meet the "French Language MMPB" criteria. I have french language books that are hc as well as oversized, they are not included. 

But if I left out the mmpb, I could include them. Mixed lots are an acceptable choice.

The VARIATION I offer for choice is the TITLE of the book, and I use that title field to include condition calls, author and subject if there's enough space. 

The pictures tell the story of condition.

The condition call is something on the order of "Ranges from good to very good. See pictures for details" and if something special is involved not called out in the VARIATION field, then I add that to either the condition field or the description field.

This is no different that offering a choice from a lot, which I've done for 15 years or more. 
Nor is it different, really, from offering a group of books in the same series, or by the same author, or on the same subject.  Especially when the purpose is to incentivize bulk sales with volume discounts.

The fact is, Ken, I recall that post you mentioned, and another by a not-so blue who reported on asking a question on how to use it, and this was pretty much what I remember of that post. The memory is vague, but I believe it was focused on listing a number of books by the same author, like Lee Child/Reacher.

Perhaps the lesson here is what Satnrose taught 20-odd years ago: use the keywords for what they are for; too many booksellers are mired in the ABA weekly format.

All that said, if I was using 3P software to list to multiple sites, I could not offer choice listings.