What book buyers want: Amazon "buyers waiting" pre-orders

Sometimes a book is in such hot demand and the supply is so low that a “buyer’s waiting” list is formed on Amazon Marketplace. Every day, 2,000 to 3,000 buyers “pre-order” an item, hoping that a seller will come along with an available copy. Buyers indicate the title, price and condition they want to purchase a certain book at.

In some cases these pre-orders are simply a case of a buyer who wants a book at an unreasonably low price. But in most cases, the “buyers waiting” list indicates those titles where demand has outstripped supply. You can view a list of the highest-priced buyers waiting pre-orders here.

Sellers who list lots of new books for sale on Amazon Marketplace at regular intervals will stumble onto these “buyers waiting” situations. If you list a book for sale through the “Sell Yours Here” button and there is at least one buyer with a pre-order, when you reach the page to indicate your price you’ll see an orange box on the right labeled “BUYER WAITING.” There might also be a message indicating, for example, “Average pending pre-order price (based on your condition) $20.”

You can price your item at least double the average pre-order price. If it remains unsold after a week or so at that price, you can always lower it incrementally to find the exact price that will trigger one of the pre-orders.




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