Know the Audience You Are Targeting.
Your first instinct may be to just buy whatever books you can get your hands on and then start selling them on your website. In the short-term this may work but really you might need a better long-term plan. While it is true that selling a wide variety of books will allow you to market to a larger customer base it also subjects you to greater competition. More competition can mean reduced sales price. Perhaps specializing in a certain book category would be best for you when you want to sell used books online. While you would be targeting a smaller market you could become known as a specialist for these books. You can conduct research in forums and eBay pulse to determine what readers are looking for and which books are the most popular.
Sourcing Used Books
Used books are all over and finding great prices to buy used books can be done if you try. Many times people will actually give their used books away once they are done with them. Go to places as flea markets, consignment stores, charity shops or online auctions or even approach family and friends to find used books. When you purchase the used book for resale remember not to overpay. Unless this is a valuable book use $1.00 as a ceiling price. Keep in mind that you might have to offer free shipping depending on your competition.
Where to Sell Used Books Online
There are several options to choose to sell used books online. Here are a few of these online services:
1. eBay.com- the largest online auction site where it is very easy to list books for sale. Many potential buyers search eBay when they are looking to buy used books. Due to the recent fee reductions for selling media, your cost of selling books has been reduced.
2. Half.com- it actually concentrates on selling used books as well as DVD’s, CD’s and video games. The listings are fixed for price and they are classified by product condition. Half.com could likewise be a source for purchasing books for you to sell.
3. Amazon.com- you can list your inventory of used books for sale along with the new copies of this book that Amazon is selling. You pay a fee if you sell the book.
4. Bookbyte.com- is a great site for selling used college textbooks. The sale of textbooks can generate more money because of their being technical in nature. A requirement is that the textbook be current and not old.
5. Textbooks.com and Valorebooks.com- are similar to bookbyte.com for as a site for selling used college textbooks.
6. Biblio.com is a site for the sale of rare and out of print books. Biblio will provide access to worldwide customers for these unique books. You provide the details for your book inventory and potential buyers will be able to search by title.
Selling Your Used Books Inventory
If you really want to find success when you sell used books online then you should try to sell books that are in good condition. When your books appear new then you can get premium price. If your books were published in the last 30 years they should have an ISBN number or what is equivalent to a registration number assigned to each book. If you list your books on eBay, just type in your ISBN number for the description and most of the times eBay can provide you with all the information about the book. You can look on eBay’s completed listings to see what your book has been selling for or you can go to Amazon.com to find the price being asked for this book.
Make sure you take good photos of the book, list the benefits of the book and design an ad that will be attractive to buyers. You are going to have to sell quite a few new books to turn a good profit but it has been done by sellers who are willing to dedicate the time and vigor.
