you work for how much?

[keziak]

Dou you have people in your life who wonder why you are working for such low  money? Or no bedcause they keep that to themselves or you make plenty? I am married toa lawyer with decades of experience who seems to make more all the time while I seem to be stuck in the low 2000's (years) in the sense of no real inflation in book prices.

I did recently raise my minimum on Amazon a lot with the result I am making a lot less (smaller inventory). That was supposed to be a lead up to retirement one of these years. Still working as much as ever if not more! Some days I feel like at least I am nto working for The Man even  though I would probably make more.

[soh.maryl]

Off topic, but didn't you have an issue awhile back that went on for several pages here?

Did that get resolved -- just curious?  

[keziak]

I talked a lot in therapy about work. She thinks I am a hoarder (which I posed about recently). I no longer cry in my sessions which is progress! Still working long hours which isn't ideal but don't we all? I am about to finally get back my main library client ( they have closed for renovation since Dec!) so I assume that will mean I buy less on Facebook, sell more on commission (which back in the day was more lucrative). Selling down or removing a lot of stuff in my storage unit. Making progress on some of my issues!

[maxine*j]

I'll be blunt: 

You sell commodity books and faux  collectibles, like Franklin and Easton, and no one selling such is likely to earn more than a modest income (and work hard to earn that).

You never branched out into selling antiquarian or fine books, or fine bindings or important bookplates, where the money is in the book trade.

You used to post to the old Bookselles Board.  You remember that when someone asked how to earn more money selling books, the distinguished Craig Stark and the late Joe Maraglino replied:  Sell better books.

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[duffy4444]

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@keziak wrote:

Dou you have people in your life who wonder why you are working for such low  money? Or no bedcause they keep that to themselves or you make plenty? I am married toa lawyer with decades of experience who seems to make more all the time while I seem to be stuck in the low 2000's (years) in the sense of no real inflation in book prices.

I did recently raise my minimum on Amazon a lot with the result I am making a lot less (smaller inventory). That was supposed to be a lead up to retirement one of these years. Still working as much as ever if not more! Some days I feel like at least I am nto working for The Man even  though I would probably make more.

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@keziak:  

    What are you complaining about?

    Your sales are actually very healthy, and you seem to be doing a lot better than many, if not most, of the sellers here. Certainly better than I am. With 815 current listings, in just the last 90 days you have had 341 sales that total up to a ballpark figure of around $4,000, plus your Amazon sales! That's not bad at all, when a lot of sellers are justifiably complaining about sales having tanked. And of that $4,000, your shipping fees are not deducted, as your customers are the ones paying for postage. Annualize that over a year, and conservatively you're easily grossing at least $16k a year - maybe more. Even after store fees and final value fees, that's a lot better than the $2k yearly you're claiming.

   If you're only netting $2k a year, you're throwing money away somewhere else. You need to find out where the bleeding is coming from.

   Also, eBay has never stated that you could make as much as an attorney, or wouldn't have to spend a lot of time and effort with your store. For most sellers here, selling is an enjoyable exercise that supplements income or retirement. You don't have to go to years of law school or pass the ABA exam to pull in some extra income. That's a big difference.

   Be thankful for your sales successes, relax, and appreciate your income. You're on a good roll, as your sales show. You can always raise your prices a bit, too.

Cheers, Duffy

[keziak]

I'm not sure where I posted that I clear $2K a year.  who knows? 2021 was $24K which is way down from when I had my main commission so things are probably going to look up. I KNOW I cannot possibly compete with my husband.  Can't help myself sometimes. I sometimes wonder if other people have similar experiences and for better or worse this is my office water cooler. At least I have a friend who's known me since Hector was a pup, has much the same situation and willing to talk it out without looking up my sales history.

[maxine*j]

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@keziak wrote:

...I KNOW I cannot possibly compete with my husband.  Can't help myself sometimes. I sometimes wonder if other people have similar experiences...

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Ah!  So your question to others is, "Do you compete with your spouse over earnings?" What a sad question that is, to me.

I was married for 50 years to the same good man, who died five years ago.  There were times when he earned more than I did.  There were times when I earned more than he did.  There were times when he was temporarily unemployed, and there were times when I was.  There were times when we were both employed and still barely managed, financially.  It was never  a competition.  It was partnership, with the money we made put into the same checking and savings accounts.

Remember that you asked.

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[powell-memorabilia]

100%!  

Low or no income spouses should worry about what they are contributing to the household and into the marriage. My wife over the last 20 years has made almost nothing. But, she is an equal part of this marriage and our household. My kids don’t love her any less because of how infrequently she works, or how much she earns.

frankly, I don’t talk much about finances to my wife. I know that she feels, at times, less because I earn almost all of the money. She knows how much my day job gets me, because she asks. But, I don’t tell her about bonuses or stock grants.  I don’t even tell her how much I clear on eBay, because it might be a bit depressing for her.

just two months ago, my wife went back to work - big change for her.  It is a great job for her - nice position in a bank.  I really don’t care how much she earns - as long as it makes her happy and fulfilled.

[duffy4444]

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@keziak wrote:

I'm not sure where I posted that I clear $2K a year.  who knows? 2021 was $24K which is way down from when I had my main commission so things are probably going to look up. I KNOW I cannot possibly compete with my husband.  Can't help myself sometimes. I sometimes wonder if other people have similar experiences and for better or worse this is my office water cooler. At least I have a friend who's known me since Hector was a pup, has much the same situation and willing to talk it out without looking up my sales history.

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  @keziak:

   Please accept my apologies for misreading your OP. It sounded like you were stating your net from sales was in the low $2,000 yearly. My bad.

   Your sales history is for the public to see here, and it shows that you are very successful as a seller. I have just over 800 items listed and wish I, and many others, were as successful as your sales show you to be. That's why I was wondering about your comment about such "low money" in your OP.

   A lot of items fluctuate in value over time, and some seem to be stagnant, as you have discovered. Book values and prices in the genre you are selling seem not to be going up, heavy competition can exacerbate that, and I can see why you are concerned. The same thing is happening to CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays. Due mainly to streaming, their prices have absolutely tanked in the last few years, and I can only net maybe 50 cents to a dollar on most, unless they are rare. So I'll stop acquiring them when my current inventory runs out. We have to keep flexible and roll with the trends.

   Once again, my apologies for misreading your OP.

Cheers, Duffy

[farmalljr]

The answer is, you sell low value items and it will yield low value returns. The only way to make more money is to sell a lot more of the low value items or start selling much higher valued items with much larger profit margins. 

Small sellers in media do not make large profit margins. I may be able to buy a record for under a buck and sell it for 10-20 dollars, but unless I am selling 100 of them a day, I'm not really making much. Margins are good, daily sales are not. 

If you want to make more money, the first thing you need to do is liquidate the inventory you have at a fire sale, recoup capitol and invest that in other inventory that has better sell through and better margins. Books, especially common books, are not something people struggling to find spare spending money, are focused on buying. 

[maxine*j]

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Yes, money is only one contribution to a marriage.  Anyone who thinks about it at all sees that managing a household, doing the major part of the childcare, providing the support that a spouse working needs, and so on, cannot believe those contributions are inferior to monetary ones. 

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[keziak]

I did ask! thanks for your insights. My husband also considers that the money he makes (plus what I make) is joint.  He did ask pointedly why I work for so little. I guess because I am so much better working for myself, plus for many years I was able to stay home with children.

[keziak]

No apology necessary. I'm not trying to compete with other sellers here. Yes, at times I feel insecure that I don't make much. In 2020 and 2021 I bought inventory like a maniac so that really took a bite on my profit/loss report for taxes. Possibly not the best approach but it did keep me afloat with my major source of income lost.

[keziak]

A couple of problems I have with the question of more valuable books include (a) where are they? I don't seem to ever find such books where I am looking. So obviously I need an idea where to look and (b) I am now selling more expensive books on Amazon. Right now it's  not so great until I manage to build up my inventory after gutting it to remove lower-price stuff. I'm hoping to get back up there maybe in a few months. That is part of my retirement strategy, switch over to higher price books. I hope the day will come when I make as much with that tactic as having lower-price books in the mix.

[gosimus]

@duffy4444 

< better than the $2k yearly you're claiming >     

I think you misunderstood what the OP said.  She said "stuck in the low 2000's (years)" meaning years not dollars.  She's saying that she's making the same as she made 22 years ago.