new guidelines and unique book listings

[walk4us]

 Where do you see book sales going with the new catalog requirements?

If search terms no longer yield your individual listings, how will your one of a kind book be found by buyers?  Is it time to seek out other venues for these books?  Has anyone had positive experiences with other platforms?

[1786davycrockett · Accepted solution]

This previous May, I began listing books on the Bonanza site, with about 2 or 3 sales each month since.  Slightly higher FVF, but NO charge for listings, and NO cut-off date for listings.  Unfortunately, visibility is low.  I'm also considering Etsy for my 1930s through 1970s children's books.

[taylor_memorial]

1) The announcement through ecommerce had a link to the categories where product pages will be required, and books are not in it. Not now.

2) Any book published before 1972 will not have an ISBN and unless eBay steals the way Amazon makes listings they will have a one hell of a time managing the catalog created by millions of specific listings that are peppered with key words that aren't the same. Consider the headline: "EBAY BANS BIBLE" all over the country and then take a deep breath and remain calm.

IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.

There's no harm in using ISBN to pull in some extra information that others put there, including some idea of the plotline for fiction.

3) Whether there are 6 pages of listings with small pictures and keyword titles or one page of data about a title and then 6 pages of listings with small pictures and keyword titles is hardly worth the concern. It might, maybe, drive more people away than it makes comfortable but that is how EVERYBODY ELSE DOES IT.

4) All experiences with other sites will vary.

I have sold on Bonanza, briefly--it became too much of a chore at that point in my life, so it fell away. Thinking about it but first I need my hips replaced.

I no longer sell on Amazon: not big enough to hire help and use a price-changer so sales dwindled. Finally left when the shipping matrix changed to the point of silly.

Biblio offers a free listing option and will also give you a listing tool that will also allow you to broadcast your listings to many other sites.  Barnes and Noble is also free to list and can be one of those sites. Biblio is solid. You set your own rate for postage.

When I joined, about 10 years ago (or more) I set the price for the first book at $3.50 and didn't have to change it until a month ago when the prices went up.

Alibris is a pay to play site, like Amazon and ABE. Alibris lost it's edge when Amazon broke relations with them and Barnes and Noble opened themselves to 3P sellers direct. But it is a solid collector's site, as is ABE.

I've never sold books on Etsy but my wife sold jewelry through them for a while. Now she does Facebook/Fiesta ware .