Wednesday 6 March 2013

Selling 2nd Hand Books on Amazon - some lessons learned

   Long time readers will know that I am very keen on growing my second hand book business. My basic strategy is to buy joblots on Ebay and then sell off singly on Amazon. In 2012 when I moved from England to Scotland I made the decision to stop listing fiction titles as there was just too much competition. From this point onwards I've concentrated on Non-Fiction. I've bought 3 Joblots from Ebay private sellers and 1 big joblot of 1500 books from a charity trading on Ebay. This last joblot will almost double my inventory when listed. There is one problem though and that is managing space. Having 3000 books in your house takes up a lot of space. Therefore I need to prioritise my listings. This is also important as I have the further aim of joining the FBA program sooner or later. I need to identify a seller before joining FBA as I will be paying storage fees at this point, and who wants to pay storage on a dog?

   In the list below I show the last 100 titles I have sold on Amazon. Popular subjects seem to be: Art and Craft, Home, Motoring, Study, Gardening and Cookery.

   Perhaps the inclusion of Gardening and Cookery is no surprise as these are by far the biggest subjects by volume in my inventory.

   Moving forward I am going to start withdrawing "heavy" (those which would need to be sent as a standard parcel) from Amazon and sell them off as a collection only lot on Ebay.

   Wish me luck.


What is Feminism? [Paperback] [1986] Oakley, Ann; Mitchell, Juliet 

Guinness World Records 2010 [Hardcover] [2009] 

The Lion King [2 Disc Special Edition] [1994] [DVD] [DVD] [2003] 

Painting as a Pastime [Paperback] [1964] Churchill, Winston S 

Glorafilia: Venice Collection - 25 Original Projects in Needlepoint and Embroide... 

The Science of Self-realization [Hardcover] [2003] A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prab... 

Low-Carb Slow Cooker Recipes [Plastic Comb] [2004] Thomas, Kristi M. 

Triumph 2000, 2500 and 2.5 PI Mk.I and Mk.II Owner's Workshop Manual [Hardcover]... 

The Silent Witness The Mysteries Of The Turin Shroud Revealed [Paperback] 

York Notes on Chaucer's "Wife of Bath's Prologue and Tale" (York Notes Advanced)... 

Core Maths for 'A' Level [Paperback] [1990] Bostock, L.; Chandler, S. 

Vegetable Garden Displayed (Wisley) [Paperback] [1941] Royal Horticultural Society 

The Everything Private Investigation Book: Master the Techniques of the Pros to ... 

The F2 Diet [Paperback] [2006] Eyton, Audrey 

100 Recipes Slow Cooker (100 Everyday Recipes) [Hardcover] [2011] 

Build It!.... with Pallets [Paperback] [2009] Joe Jacobs 

Decoupage Kit [Hardcover] [1993] Ballantine, Belinda 

Montherlant (Writers & Critics) [Paperback] [1964] Cruickshank, John 

The Dads' Book: For the Dad Who's Best at Everything [Hardcover] [2007] Heatley,... 

Painting The Weather [Paperback] [2002] Richard Stemp 

Stars and Planets (Encyclopedias 96) [Hardcover] [2008] 

7 Weeks to 50 Pull-Ups [Paperback] [2011] Stewart, Brett 

Women's Murder Club 4: Little Black Lies (PC DVD) [Windows 7 | Windows Vista] 

The Signal and the Noise: The Art and Science of Prediction [Hardcover] [2012] S... 

Starting your own Childminding Business: How to set up high quality childcare in... 

Get a Life!: The Little Red Book of the White Dot [Hardcover] [1998] Burke, Davi... 

Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 (Nintendo 3DS) [Nintendo 3DS] 

F**k It: The Ultimate Spiritual Way [Paperback] [2008] John C. Parkin 

Catch Me If You Can: The True Story Of A Real Fake [Paperback] [2003] Abagnale, ... 

Psycho-cybernetics: The Original Science of Self-Improvement and Success That Ha... 

The Biggest Secret: The Book That Will Change the World [Paperback] [1999] David... 

The Biggest Ever Tim Vine Joke Book [Paperback] [2010] Vine, Tim 

The Cookery Year [Hardcover] [1974] Reader's Digest 

Radio Control for Model Boats [Paperback] [1970] Connolly, Philip; Smeed, Vic 

2000 AD Annual 1978 [Hardcover] [1978] Anon 

The EnglishmanS Flora. [Hardcover] [1987] Grigson, G. 

Noises Off! [DVD] [1992] [DVD] [2004] 

Mary Queen of Scots [Hardcover] [1994] Fraser, Antonia 

The Official alibaba.com Success Guide: Insider Tips and Strategies for Sourcing... 

Endgame [Paperback] [1976] Beckett, Samuel 

Mr Bean's Joke Book [Paperback] [2010] Green, Rod 

The Natural Home: Inspiration and Decoration (Small Book of Home Ideas) [Hardcov... 

Propaganda [Paperback] [2004] Bernays, Edward L. 

Buying a Home in Spain [Paperback] [2006] Hampshire, David 

Streetwise Spycraft [Paperback] [2007] Davies, Barry 

The Everyday Wheat-free and Gluten-free Cookbook [Paperback] [1998] Berriedale-J... 

The Washing Machine Manual (Haynes home & garden) [Hardcover] [1999] Dixon, Graham 

Beating Anger: The eight-point plan for coping with rage [Paperback] [2005] Fish... 

Everywoman: A Gynaecological Guide for Life [Paperback] [1998] Llewellyn-Jones, ... 

A Devil's Chaplain: Selected Writings [Paperback] [2004] Dawkins, Prof Richard 

General Knowledge Crosswords (Best Ever 320 Spiral) [Paperback] [2008] 

 (Fifty Shades Darker) By E. L. James (Author) Paperback on ( Apr , 2012 ) [Paper... 

Ken Jennings's Trivia Almanac: 8,888 Questions in 365 Days [Hardcover] [2008] Ke... 

The Little Book of Chav Speak [Paperback] [2004] Bok, Lee 

Step by Step Cake Decorating [Hardcover] [2012] Igloo 

Movies of the Forties [Hardcover] [1982] Lloyd, Ann; Robinson, David 

Pomodoro Technique Illustrated (Pragmatic Life) [Paperback] [2010] Staffan Noteberg 

Wordsearches (Easy Read) [Paperback] [2010] Igloo 

 (Fifty Shades Freed) By E. L. James (Author) Paperback on ( Apr , 2012 ) [Paperb... 

101 Things to Do Before You Die [Paperback] [2004] Horne, Richard 

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady [Hardcover] [2006] Holden, Edith 

Stand Up and Deliver: A Nervous Rookie on the Comedy Circuit [Paperback] [2011] ... 

Bedrooms (Small Books) [Hardcover] [2007] Gilliatt, Mary 

Wild Fruit by Snowdon [Hardcover] [1997] Attenborough, Sir David; Snowdon, Earl ... 

Working in Complementary Therapies: How to start a career in the new caring prof... 

Rhod Gilbert's Bulging Barrel of Laughs (BBC AudioBooks) Free Dearland Audio CD ... 

My Mermaid Make and Do Book (Sticker and Activity Book) [Paperback] [2010] Igloo... 

Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World [Paperback] [2012] Graham Hu... 

Wuthering Heights (Classics Illustrated) [Paperback] [2009] Bronte, Emily 

Enid Blyton'S Bedtime Annual 1972 [Hardcover] [1971] Blyton, Enid, Illustrated B... 

The Secret Life of the Garden [Paperback] [2009] Beardshaw, Chris 

 (ONE RED PAPERCLIP) BY MACDONALD, KYLE[ AUTHOR ]Paperback 05-2008 [Paperback] [2... 

Handbook of Classic British Bikes [Hardcover] [2001] Kemp, Andrew 

Baby and Toddler Meal Planner [Hardcover] [2008] Kim Davies 

Bodydoctor: Trust Me, I'm the BodyDoctor. [Hardcover] [2004] Marshall, David 

The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady [Hardcover] [2006] Holden, Edith 

Pesticides and Pollution (Fontana New Naturalist Series) [Paperback] [1969] Mell... 

Sparkly Girl's: Princess Playtime (Sticker and Activity Book) [Paperback] [2012] 

Law: A-level Study Guide (A Level Study Guides) [Paperback] [2003] Charman, Mar... 

Sparkly Girl's: Princess Playtime (Sticker and Activity Book) [Paperback] [2012] 

Omelettes, Frittatas and Souffles: Sweet and Savoury Recipes with Eggs [Hardcove... 

Fifty Shades of Grey [Paperback] [2012] James, E L 

The Tail End System [Paperback] [2007] Newton, Ross 

THE GIANT BOOK OF FORTUNE. [Paperback] [1994] unknown 

The Apple Source Book [Hardcover] [2007] Clifford and Angela King, Sue; King, An... 

Just Say A Few Words [Paperback] [2004] Monkhouse, Bob 

The Sensational Baby Sleep Plan [Paperback] [2010] Scott-Wright, Alison 

New Penguin Guide To Personal Finance 

Frugillionaire: 500 Fabulous Ways to Live Richly and Save a Fortune [Paperback] ... 

Vegetable Growing Month-by-Month: The down-to-earth guide that takes you through... 

Nude Painting [Paperback] [1979] Jacobs, Michael 

Social Psychology [Hardcover] [1998]

My Kingdom of Books [Hardcover] [1999]

Nicole Nobody: The autobiography of the Duchess of Bedford [Hardcover] [1974] Du... 

Once More, With Feeling: How we tried to make the greatest porn film ever [Paper... 

1000 Rock Hard General Knowledge Questions

Let's Collect Fossils (Cotman-color) [Paperback]

Whitaker's World of Facts 2011 [Hardcover]

Drama and Theatre Arts [Paperback] [1998]

Awkward Family Photos [Paperback] [2010]

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