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 Englishman’S 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]

Amazon Cash Updates

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £16.37 on 12/02/2013

#1000moneymakers

Another Good Amazon Week

   Another good Amazon week with £25.61 coming in for very little effort.

 That means I've averaged £25 per week for the last 9 weeks. I've actually found that I've been getting sales on items where I am nowhere near the cheapest price - nice. I must be building up a reputation.

   The classic thing about this business is that it is scaleable if you have enough storage space and buy correctly.

http://1000moneymakers.blogspot.com/2013/01/how-i-make-100-every-month-from-amazon.html

How I Make £100 Every Month From Amazon Without Really Trying

How I Make £100 Every Month From Amazon Without Really Trying

   This is the simplest but yet most effective money-making system that anyone will ever show you. This is true 4-Hour Work Week material. If you like books then this is the perfect business for you. I am going to assume that you have an Ebay and Amazon account already. Here are the steps:

1)      Go to Ebay and search “books joblot”.

2)      Identify joblots within a reasonable driving distance which have a unit cost of 10p or less (5p preferably). Don’t bother with anything less than 200 unit lots. Try to identify those which have Non-Fiction rather than fiction available in the picture.

3)      Make a bid.

4)      Collect your wins and list the books individually on Amazon.

5)      Put fiction in a separate pile. Put Children’s books in a separate pile. These will be sold at Car Boot sales – or back on Ebay as Joblots.

6)      In other words we have picked out the Non-Fiction as our core lines. Store these alphabetically for easy picking.

7)      Sales will come thick and fast on Amazon. With an inventory of c 1500, I see 30 sales a month, every month.

8)      Use your profits to buy more stock.

   With a rolling inventory of around 1500 books bringing in c £100 a month, it is reasonable to assume that a 3000 unit stock would bring in £200 and a 10,000 unit inventory would bring in c. £600. The only limit is space in your house and how many books you can fit in your vehicle.

   As you scale up sales can be increased by listing on sites other than Amazon. Also, once past 40 items per month you should be stepping up to the Amazon Pro-Level.

   Eventually you may find that Amazon FBA is the right thing for you.


 

How To Get Free Employees

   By the time you have a profitable and time-consuming small/ micro business you may well need employees to help you out. My first port of call would always be family. They are more likely to be trustworthy, there'll be intangible benefits and there is more chance that they will take over the business lock, stock and barrel in the future. You may well find that no-one is available to help you though. Families have a habit of not recognising the prophet in their own Living Room. This means you will have to look outside of the family unit. This is where you need to be extra careful as costs will rocket. Payroll is by far the biggest cost in UK business. Don't fret - I will show you how to get employees for free.

   Contact local secondary schools and Universities for students who are willing to be unpaid interns to gain work experience in your fields. If you are cheeky you could phone in asking for Interns in your Second Hand book business and then get your wife to ring up and ask for interns for your import/ export business. If the Uni says no then just go up and place a typical Uni flyer up on the Notice Boards. You will get a response. If you would rather write to your local Educational    Establishments then template letters are available on the net. Gumtree would be my next port of call with Craigslist and local classifieds following on.

   Keep the Intern to 8 hours or less a week in order to stay under the government radar. They'd have a cheek picking you up though as they are part of the great Intern rip-off themselves. What's good for the Goose is good for the Gander.

   Give credit where credit is due. If the Intern has done a good job then make sure to provide them with a letter of recommendation and quick references when requested. A good Intern becomes a good contact in the future. They may even be able to provide you with fresh eyes in your area.

   Following this little trick the next step could be to use "geo-arbitrage" to your advantage and follow the likes of Tim Ferriss into the world of Outsourcing. Stop off at "Our Man in India" and have a play. You will be amazed by the amount of tasks which can be outsourced for a very, very small fee. If you work out that your time is worth £30 per hour then outsourcing for less than this makes economic sense if it allows you to cash in elsewhere.


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7470247

A Quick Way to Make Money via the Kindle by Sharbing

   Did you know that there is currently no Kindle books on Sharbing? If you have any sharbing experience then you need to type it up and load it onto the Kindle ASAP. Amazon talk you through everything you need to do. Just click the "Self Publish with Us" option at the bottom of the home page. You don't need to go through War and Peace. Just do a quick chapter on how to prepare (and include your Betfair referral code). Do a chapter on the Maths behind sharbing. Do a chapter on the actual procedure and rules and then do a summary of your successes. I'm sure 9 out of 10 sharbers could do this better than me.

   A business cliche is "Find a need and fill it". Someone needs to do a Sharbing Kindle book now! At the moment the only relatively close title I can find is:



But this is too cheesy and American to be counted as competition.

Get off your arse and make cash now! You could write the book in just a couple of hours and have it bringing you in cash within a couple of days!

By the way, my Betfair referral code is VC6F3UGNL

I am loving my Kindle

Kindle Paperwhite, 6" High Resolution Display with Built-in Light, Wi-Fi

I can't tell you how much I am loving my Kindle. Before using it I thought it was going to be a bit unnatural and clumsy. In reality it is even better than paper as it is so light. I can also increase the font size so it is like reading a large print book. Even better is the range of titles which are available on Amazon for free. I've been reading mine in bed every night for the last two weeks and I've not even had to recharge the battery.

The kindle is the future. I need to cash in!

Welcome to "1000 Things I'm Doing to Make Cash"

   If you are a first time visitor then welcome to my Blog! "1000 Things I'm Doing to Make Cash" is the place to come if you want to find unusual and interesting ways of turning a buck. We try to do this in an interesting way. Hopefully you'll get a laugh at some of the offbeat stuff, and we sometimes throw in the odd dirty pic too.

   We specialise in Amazon, Ebay and Betfair, with each of these income streams bringing in thousands of pounds! We know about Propery and Publishing too. Get in touch via the addresses given at the top of the blog.

   After 3 years, 700 posts and TENS OF THOUSANDS of visits you can't go wrong with 1000 Things so bookmark us now.

    Here is some pics to thanks for the hits......

Amazon Cashflow........

   More cash in from Amazon this week. I've just listed a couple of hundred books in the last 48hours so I should see a pick up for the next fortnight or so.

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £21.78 on 27/11/2012.

A message to "The Hub"

   Long time readers will know my love of local resuse centres. In Alloa we have "The Hub". Here is a note I have recently sent them touting for Amazon stock.

Hi,




I note that the number of books you are carrying has increased greatly from my last visit. I have a small Amazon business and would be intersted in buying stock from yourself in bulk. At the moment I buy 500 to 1000 books at a time. Does this sound good to you?



Kind regards,



Ross Taylor.

Secrets for Sale.....

   People who say "Don't judge a book by it's cover" are probably right, on the other hand we are all guilty of doing it - and of judging a book by it's title too. I'd wager you that a book with any of these titles would sell. Note that you could knock up a half decent book pertaining to these titles in one night easy.

Titles:

• Make Money from driving
• Have a flat stomach in 3 months
• Fight back against hair loss
• Cash from your Camcorder
• How to win the UK Lottery
• Self Hypnosis made easy
• Winning at casinos
• How to obtain a second passport
• Speed reading made easy
• Develop your own super memory
• Your own profitable import agency
• Low capital home business ideas
• Slash your tax bill
• Complain and win every time
• The secrets of mind mapping
• Improve your IQ
• Short story writing for profit
• How to avoid paying parking tickets and speeding fines
• Story Sparks plot ideas for creative writing
• Convert used cooking oil to run a 6kw silent diesel generator (God I'd buy that myself!)
• Tax tips for the Self employed
• Make money at home with cake decorating
• Earn £100s per week using your digital camera
• Live on farmland without planning permission
• Glamour nude wedding photography
• Make a million from hypnosis
• Pyschology for beginners
• How to make money while you sleep
• Learn Spray tanning
• How to earn from life coaching
• How to remove gold from computer boards
• How to spray paint your car
• How to make £1000 in 1 week
• How to get laid 365+ times a year using hypnotic techniques
• How to write an ebokk in under 1hr
• A Traders guide to self discipline
• How to make $385 in one day using Ebay

More King Human

   Here are some more random King Human notes:

• Never buy a Gambling system.
• Writing for the Kindle is the future.
• Use Amazon widgets on your blog.
• Build a rare books knowledge base and post wanted ads for what you are looking for.
• Write an Ebook on how to write an Ebook.
• Buy pallets of returned goods. Pick out the best for Ebay and sell the rest via Car Boots.

King Human

   I've mentioned Avril Harper a lot on this forum. Other than Avril another Internet Biz Opp spin merchant that I like to follow is a Youtube Vlogger called "King Human". As per Avril I have a strong suspicion that much of his posts are there to promote Clickbank links. Apart from that though there are occasional gems and points of interest. One of his recent posts of interest was regarding his system for the Antiquarian Book business:

1) Go to Ebay - Books - Antiquarian & Collectable
2) Go to completed listings under £1000.
3) Find a Sold item with > 10 bids
4) Trawl the net to find that product at 50% or less of the Ebay sold price

This system sounds stupid but in his vid he shows how many books selling on Ebay can be had elsewhere, for example Abe Books, at half the price.

I pay more tax than Starbucks!

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your current account (ending in 771) in the amount of £29.05 on 16/10/2012.

Richard Booth - My Kingdom of Books

   I recently sold my copy of Richard Booth's "My Kingdom of Books" on Amazon. As I wrapped it up to send I was reminded what an absolutely fascinating life is described within its pages.

   In a nutshell Richard Booth started selling the dusty tomes from his family's bookshelves in the backwater (and I can say that as a regular visitor) of Hay and Wye in the Welsh Marches. As his business grew he started to go far and wide buying job lots of books. His ever increasing stock pile meant he had to find more premises and he even invented the "Honesty Bookshop" where books are stacked up outside with a tin box for donations alongside. Over time other booksellers gravitated towards Hay. Today it is a thriving rural community - and an excellent place to visit. Richard began to know as much about developing rural towns as he did about selling books. Many of the views he puts forward in the book are the same sort of things that Mary Portas tells the government and big firms (for a fee) nowadays. Keep it local, keep it friendly but professional, bigger doesn't always mean better.

  I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to get started in the second hand book business or even anyone interested in how business can thrive away from the crack-riddled drug dens of the inner M25.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Booth

I'm an Amazonian...

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your bank account (last three digits 771) of £28.90 on 11/09/2012.

New Amazon Payment

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your bank account (last three digits 771) of £13.92 on 28/08/2012.



That makes total payments for August at £59.37. I think there is a good chance I will have a +£100 month before Chrismas.

What you must always remember when reading these Amazon posts is that I have not bought stock for well over a year and that in total I have spent less than £200 on stock. That small investment has repaid me three-fold at least so far, with lots of mileage left to go.

Cash in from Amazon from sales of my own books

   My Maths book continues to sell a few copies per month. Pretty much everything else has dried up.

Payment made to: ROCK HARD BOOKS(ROCFZ)


Our Supplier No.: 11910749

Supplier site name: ROCFZ

Paid to bank: Hidden for security

Paid to account: Hidden for security

Payment number: 3402728

Payment date: 28-AUG-12

Payment currency: GBP

Payment amount: 14.44

Recent Amazon Cash

   Amazon rolls along. Here is my two most recent receivings:

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your bank account (last three digits 771) of £8.55 on 14/08/2012.

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your bank account (last three digits 771) of £21.85 on 21/08/2012.

The Amazon Cash keeps rolling in

Dear uncommonadvice@googlemail.com,

We initiated a transfer to your bank account (last three digits 771) of £15.05 on 07/08/2012.