Selling books on Amazon Marketplace
Amazon is the most user-friendly bookselling site for beginning sellers. Follow the “Sell Yours Here” button displayed on any product page. For a step-by-step tutorial on listing items for sale at Amazon Marketplace, see the online start guide here.
After you open your seller account, Amazon will deposit funds from your sales into the bank account you designate. You’ll also receive a shipping credit that will cover your shipping costs in most cases.
Fees. In addition to its 15-percent commission, Amazon tacks on another $1.23 per transaction, which is apparently used to cover refunds issued through its A-to-z buyers’ guarantee program. Also, a 99-cent fee applies to each sale except those made by Pro-Merchant Subscribers.
Amazon Pro-Merchant Subscription. For a fee of $39.99 a month, Amazon provides access to bulk selling tools and waives the 99-cent fee charged on Marketplace sales. For sellers with more than 40 sales per month, the subscription pays for itself.
Amazon zShops. The precursor to Marketplace was zShops, launched in 1999 to provide small businesses with storefronts on Amazon. The idea was to make Amazon a venue where practically any type of merchandise in the world could be traded. But most Amazon buyers find items through searches, and do not browse through shops or categories. The shops are not highly customizable, nor are they promoted by Amazon, so their utility is limited. The shops can be used to sell items that Amazon hasn’t authorized for sale on Marketplace. The zShops program is open only to Pro-Merchant subscribers. For items under $25, sellers pay a 5 percent closing fee.
Amazon auctions. When it launched its auction platform in 1999, Amazon hoped to lure auction fans from eBay. At the time, experts predicted that auctions might become the dominant form of online commerce. After a lukewarm response from buyers, Amazon quit publicizing its auctions. Today Amazon’s auction platform is practically invisible to buyers, and most sellers have abandoned auctions.
New in paperback: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site (by Steve Weber)
After you open your seller account, Amazon will deposit funds from your sales into the bank account you designate. You’ll also receive a shipping credit that will cover your shipping costs in most cases.
Fees. In addition to its 15-percent commission, Amazon tacks on another $1.23 per transaction, which is apparently used to cover refunds issued through its A-to-z buyers’ guarantee program. Also, a 99-cent fee applies to each sale except those made by Pro-Merchant Subscribers.
Amazon Pro-Merchant Subscription. For a fee of $39.99 a month, Amazon provides access to bulk selling tools and waives the 99-cent fee charged on Marketplace sales. For sellers with more than 40 sales per month, the subscription pays for itself.
Amazon zShops. The precursor to Marketplace was zShops, launched in 1999 to provide small businesses with storefronts on Amazon. The idea was to make Amazon a venue where practically any type of merchandise in the world could be traded. But most Amazon buyers find items through searches, and do not browse through shops or categories. The shops are not highly customizable, nor are they promoted by Amazon, so their utility is limited. The shops can be used to sell items that Amazon hasn’t authorized for sale on Marketplace. The zShops program is open only to Pro-Merchant subscribers. For items under $25, sellers pay a 5 percent closing fee.
Amazon auctions. When it launched its auction platform in 1999, Amazon hoped to lure auction fans from eBay. At the time, experts predicted that auctions might become the dominant form of online commerce. After a lukewarm response from buyers, Amazon quit publicizing its auctions. Today Amazon’s auction platform is practically invisible to buyers, and most sellers have abandoned auctions.
New in paperback: The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site (by Steve Weber)
posted by Steve Weber at 10/29/2005
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