Q&A: How can I earn a living by online bookselling?
QUESTION: I sell books on Amazon and have excellent ratings. I sell about 15 books a day and earn $2,300 a month, but that's not enough. I'm a graduate student, so I have income from instructorships, but I also have a family and children. Is there any way to increase my sales?
ANSWER: Try not to be discouraged, I think you're doing well, making more than $2,000 a month selling books part time. That's probably better than most of us are doing. And the longer you do it, the better you'll become at finding valuable books.
Lots of people are working full-time waiting tables and driving taxicabs, yet making less than $2,000 a month.
I know how it is to feel you aren't earning enough. On the other hand, I feel fortunate to earn a good living selling books, which I enjoy so much.
There's always a debate over whether things are getting better or worse, or whether it's possible to earn a "living wage." There's a raging debate on Amazon's seller discussion board on that right now. The original poster seems to be complaining about making $600 to $700 a week.
Everything is relative. I read somewhere that the key to wealth is not earning a lot, but simply spending a bit less than you earn.
The only way to do better at online bookselling is to keep doing it and getting better. Easier said than done.
ANSWER: Try not to be discouraged, I think you're doing well, making more than $2,000 a month selling books part time. That's probably better than most of us are doing. And the longer you do it, the better you'll become at finding valuable books.
Lots of people are working full-time waiting tables and driving taxicabs, yet making less than $2,000 a month.
I know how it is to feel you aren't earning enough. On the other hand, I feel fortunate to earn a good living selling books, which I enjoy so much.
There's always a debate over whether things are getting better or worse, or whether it's possible to earn a "living wage." There's a raging debate on Amazon's seller discussion board on that right now. The original poster seems to be complaining about making $600 to $700 a week.
Everything is relative. I read somewhere that the key to wealth is not earning a lot, but simply spending a bit less than you earn.
The only way to do better at online bookselling is to keep doing it and getting better. Easier said than done.
posted by Steve Weber at 7/24/2006
8 Comments:
I'd like to know how many books, CD's, DVD's, etc he currently has listed for sale on Amazon.
I disagree, and I think Steve made a statement like this before. Most of your sales come from current listings. If, you are listing, and listing saleable products at marketbearing prices, you are selling.
I currently have about 500 books, etc. that have been listed from a year ago to two months ago. These items are being reduced in price at about a dollar a week, and they still only have a sale or two a week. My other inventory is selling rapidly at the going average of 10 to 12 a day...again, dependant on actually keeping up with constantly listing new items at 30 or more a day.
The more you list good stuff at marketable prices the more you sell.
The only time I had a different experience was with the release of Alibris's pricing tool. I had over 3000 items in inventory and I let the tool reprice and then I kept up with the rest of the repricing over the next three months. I have NEVER sold so many books, before or since. BUT, many were sold at rock bottom prices that did NOT justify the time and energy bestowed on them. The rest were of course unsalable, grossly underpriced or accurately priced at market.
Recruit your wife!
Well I would like to know the same thing.
I've been selling for around 2 years and currently have almost 3000 books listed.
I don't make didly. Some days I don't even sell a book. I do sell over 40 a month, so that does justify being a ProMerchant. Best week ever was around $200.
While I don't have a lot of really rare high dollar books, I do have some pricer ones, but they don't I've done everything I know to do to get more sales, with out any success.
I put in a lot of hours, too.
Currently, I've been so busy getting my books brought into compliance with all of the new requirements, that I haven't ahd time to list new books. So that's been hurting my sales.
And I'll put everyone's mind at ease right now, while I do have a lot of books listed in the collectible category, they are first printings/first editions not junk. Nor do I sell books for $.01 in any category (those sellers irritate (I'm trying to be polite here) me too.)
However, my situation is different than most sellers, probably.
While I'm not even making close to minimum wage with what I sell, I stick at it and keep doing all I know to get my sales up, as I'm disabled and not able to work out of my home. The only reason I stick with this, is first of all I love books and secondly I haven't been able to find anything thing else to do that I would be able to do, that doesn't cost a good bit to get into.
I don't live in an area where I'm able to find many really rare books.
Most of my books are just good average books. However, I get most of them for free or for very little.
I only sell on Amazon as that is the only place I have been able to figure the system out.
Nor have I ever been able to afford a lot of the other tools and service other sellers use. don't know if I could figure out how to use them, even if I had them.
Because of my disablilties, I need things to be very simple and uncomplicated.
So while selling the books has done wonders for my self esteem due to the fact that it's something I can successfully do all by myself, it hasn't done wonders for the bank account. What I mean by successfully is being able to do without making a bunch of mistakes and totally messing things up.
So any simple ideas as to how to bring my sales up would be greatly appreciate.
The unusual books are what you should look for. Especially, nonfiction subjects that are not outdated by current technology and research. Look for the book written by experts in the fields. Unusual interests..like llama farming. Religious book sell well especially if they are scholarly.
Then list your book with details of publisher, publication date, binding, and damages.
Price your book based on it's condition, and by the prices of the other sellers that have similar ratings to yours. Then if it hasn't sold outside of a month start dropping it's price. It is either priced to high or no one really wants it (no market).
By listing direct to Amazon you can easily make adding a picture part of the listing steps. I REALLY believe this is worth the time. "A picture is worth a thousand words...". I sell more of what I list thanks to the pictures we add. By the way MOST of what we deem worth listing doesn't have a picture. {I should add here that I have a brick and mortar store. I weigh where that particular title would sell fastest and at the best price.}
Use your time and money wisely. Buy and list only what you can sell at a resonable price. Just because it is free doesn't make it worth your time. Be discriminating..your time and bank account are worth it.
If he's making only $2,000 a week, no amount of money will be enough.
Is $2300 the net or the gross? At 15 books a day that works out to $5.00 per book. Packaging 15 books per day and storing and sorting through all those low priced books is very time consuming. You need a large inventory if you're selling $5.00 books. Trying to make the same amount of money with fewer books is ultimately more efficient and satisfying, in my opinion.
I am just starting out, and with 75 books (and growing every week)listed if I sell 4 a month I am excited. However, I do want to eventually earn enough to get by. $2300 a month, if that is net income, would just about do it...
"If he's making only $2,000 a week, no amount of money will be enough."
Ha, I remember the first time we passed that thresold. Makes it difficult the next month when you don't reach the same numbers. It varies. That's the fun of bookselling.
Post a Comment
Links to this post:
Create a Link
<< Home