eBay

keziak · ‎04-25-2020

I sell books and have recently been looking on Facebook for books to flip. I am astounded by the prices there. Almost everything is way overpriced if you use ebay closed listings as any guide. Maybe that's not a great guide. But I think it tells you something.

Many people are trying to recoup what they paid for expensive professional exam books (or homeschool). The people I've approached have said they are asking for less than new as if that had anything to do with the resale market. One informed me that the local bookstore offered more than I did. Um, the store that is closed and not buying anything? Maybe they can just hang onto the books until the store reopens but I guarantee you that place pays pennies on the dollar. I'm offering more than I really should to try to get inventory.

keziak · ‎04-26-2020

I've now had 2 people offer to meet me mid-way to sell the books. That impresses me. I've had to ask a number of people if they will ship them to me at my expense.

go-bad-chicken · ‎04-26-2020

That's always the challenge of buying via the internet for the purposes of resale.

If I'm the buyer I want to pay 1/3 of market value. If I'm the seller I want to get 2x market value. Somewhere in between lys reality.

femmefan1946 · ‎04-26-2020

I don't often buy privately.

Most people don't have enough books to make a trip worthwhile, and of those most are best-sellers, which were purchased by everyone who wanted them so there is no secondary market.
I stick with thrift stores. Fortunately I live in an elderly, prosperous area where giving Mummy's 60 year library to a thrift is common.

The one thing that really pains me this year is that the Time-Colonist Book Sale will not be possible.

Normally I go with my wheelie case and fill it up with books at 75c-$1 (Cdn- with the fall of the loonie that's 52c-71cUS) for sale at $9.99 US(~$12.99Cdn).

BTW- I find the Salvation Army is terrible about books. No organization even between fiction and non-fiction. Few books at all, actually. The StVincent de Paul is good, but have moved their stores to the suburbs. The local charities (Women In Need, Beacon) are much better. Is this a local phenomenon?

coolections · ‎04-26-2020

Ebay sellers are the same. They come here complaining they only have a 2% sell-thru rate or less. When you buy you want it for pennies, when you sell you want it for dollars. Unfortunately most buyers are not willing to pay that asking price so the stuff is listed for months and sometime for years.

go-bad-chicken · ‎04-26-2020

@femmefan1946 wrote:
I don't often buy privately.
Most people don't have enough books to make a trip worthwhile, and of those most are best-sellers, which were purchased by everyone who wanted them so there is no secondary market.

I personally have found a lot of success in the past buying privately. But you are correct in the fact that sourcing in this manner does come with a lot of schlock to wade through. More times than not these expeditions end with either me just purchasing a handful of books or taking a pass all together. But every once in a blue moon my efforts will produce a gold mine, in the way of a nicely curated collection of books, amassed over a lifetime, that still have relevancy and value in today's market.

I stick with thrift stores. Fortunately I live in an elderly, prosperous area where giving Mummy's 60 year library to a thrift is common.

Yep, I to have a few really nice honey holes like this in my local area as well.

BTW- I find the Salvation Army is terrible about books. No organization even between fiction and non-fiction. Few books at all, actually. The St. Vincent de Paul is good, but have moved their stores to the suburbs. The local charities (Women In Need, Beacon) are much better. Is this a local phenomenon?

IMO which is based on my own observations over the years is that, often times the charities that host these types of stores move them to newer locations so that they are closer to the more newly developed areas in an effort to maintain a better and higher quality of intake. Most people are only willing to drive so far in order to make a donation. So these organizations will often times move their operations to were the people in their local area, are now.

Buyers on the other hand will drive five times as far for the opportunity to find and purchase treasures at rock bottom prices.

upgradedendmills · ‎04-26-2020

Salvation Army in downtown San Antonio was my store of choice because it was 2 blocks from my workplace and I could go there on lunch. Their books were $6 for all you could stuff into a large bag. 1/2 price on Wednesdays!!!! Never had to waste any time being selective at those prices.

While other booksellers were checking individual titles on their phones, I was loading bags and boxes on pure speculation. Made really good money at it for years when I was working, Good audiobooks were the same price and I did well with those also.

keziak · ‎04-26-2020

@upgradedendmills wrote:
Salvation Army in downtown San Antonio was my store of choice because it was 2 blocks from my workplace and I could go there on lunch. Their books were $6 for all you could stuff into a large bag. 1/2 price on Wednesdays!!!! Never had to waste any time being selective at those prices.
While other booksellers were checking individual titles on their phones, I was loading bags and boxes on pure speculation. Made really good money at it for years when I was working, Good audiobooks were the same price and I did well with those also.

We have a large Salvation Army here. However a friend has had a commission relationship with them. He is able to skim off anything worth reselling before the books (and other stuff) hits the floor. He doesn't operate with a high profit margin either, so it's not like he would pass on $20 books or whatever.

Today my girl asked me if I'd tried a large new Goodwill in town. Unfortunately it's out of the way. There is a smaller store I pass regularly but while they have some books they are nice-looking, no value, and way overpriced. It could be they ship all of the donated books off and get back selected books for the store.

I have my own commission with the public library; we get good donations all the time. They are closed. The bookstore is closed. I am interested to see if people who would donate or try to sell books will put them on FB instead. So far it's been interesting but I have to school myself not to get my hopes up on items in case I can't close the deal. So far today I was in talks about some Abeka homeschool books but the lady wanted $50 at the least and they are going for $25 at the most here. So, no deal.

upgradedendmills · ‎04-26-2020

There are always options. Just depends on how serious you get about exploring them.

keziak · ‎04-26-2020

I"ve been exploring hard. One option that hasn't panned out yet are book lots on ebay. I haven't found any that can be broken out into single books with resale value.

go-bad-chicken · ‎04-26-2020

Try checking your local Craigslist on a daily basis.

@keziak wrote:
@upgradedendmills wrote:
Salvation Army in downtown San Antonio was my store of choice because it was 2 blocks from my workplace and I could go there on lunch. Their books were $6 for all you could stuff into a large bag. 1/2 price on Wednesdays!!!! Never had to waste any time being selective at those prices.
While other booksellers were checking individual titles on their phones, I was loading bags and boxes on pure speculation. Made really good money at it for years when I was working, Good audiobooks were the same price and I did well with those also.
We have a large Salvation Army here. However a friend has had a commission relationship with them. He is able to skim off anything worth reselling before the books (and other stuff) hits the floor. He doesn't operate with a high profit margin either, so it's not like he would pass on $20 books or whatever.

Today my girl asked me if I'd tried a large new Goodwill in town. Unfortunately it's out of the way. There is a smaller store I pass regularly but while they have some books they are nice-looking, no value, and way overpriced. It could be they ship all of the donated books off and get back selected books for the store.

I have my own commission with the public library; we get good donations all the time. They are closed. The bookstore is closed. I am interested to see if people who would donate or try to sell books will put them on FB instead. So far it's been interesting but I have to school myself not to get my hopes up on items in case I can't close the deal. So far today I was in talks about some Abeka homeschool books but the lady wanted $50 at the least and they are going for $25 at the most here. So, no deal.

Consider checking the books for sale category, on a daily basis on your local Craigslist.

https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/d/books-magazines/search/bka

Also consider creating a "I Buy BOOKS" Want Ad on your local Craigslist. You will have to wade through a lot of schlock, but eventually you will find some gold as well.

https://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/d/wanted/search/waa

keziak · ‎04-26-2020

Yes, thank you. I ran an ad like that but for just one week. Here in Northern Virginia people ask for a lot for books but probably that's just a reason to keep checking. I need to establish a routine for checking Facebook and maybe CL every day.

go-bad-chicken · ‎04-26-2020

@keziak wrote:
Yes, thank you. I ran an ad like that but for just one week. Here in Northern Virginia people ask for a lot for books but probably that's just a reason to keep checking. I need to establish a routine for checking Facebook and maybe CL every day.

Its a grind but it does work.

moondogblues · ‎04-27-2020

"BTW- I find the Salvation Army is terrible about books. No organization even between fiction and non-fiction. Few books at all, actually. The StVincent de Paul is good, but have moved their stores to the suburbs. The local charities (Women In Need, Beacon) are much better. Is this a local phenomenon?"

Do you have Goodwill where you are? They are the WORST! Mega bucks for common garage sale 1.00 books...I hate them. 7 to 8 dollars each book...arghhhh. Of course they are closed now. Good.

moondogblues · ‎04-27-2020

I see someone beat me to that observation...lol.

keziak · ‎04-27-2020

@moondogblues wrote:

Do you have Goodwill where you are? They are the WORST! Mega bucks for common garage sale 1.00 books...I hate them. 7 to 8 dollars each book...arghhhh. Of course they are closed now. Good.

Same here. I am sure they have a system to remove any books with value. Though once I happened to hit the store when they had a bunch of religion books. The prices are an issue though.

A friend in another town has described going to a local thrift and filling a shopping cart with books costing 40 cents each. She dodged my question, though, if all those books had good value.