How to Sell Books on Ebay “The Booksellers Guide to Increased Sales and Profits”

How To Sell Books On eBay “The Booksellers Guide to Increased Sales and Profits”

Henry Neff

First Edition, July 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Henry Neff and Buck Creek Marketing, Inc. ISBN 978-1-61539-734-1. All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, mechanically or electronically. How To Sell Books On eBay

Published by Buck Creek Marketing Helena, AL

ISBN 978-1-61539-734-1

Layout and Design by Henry Neff

Photo Credits Gretchen B Photography Helena, AL www.gretchenbphotography.com

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the author. Requests should be addressed to Buck Creek Marketing, and emailed to [email protected] .

Limit of liability/disclaimer of warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Dedication

This book would not exist without the help of several people.

Skip McGrath, who inspired me to write a book after reading his book, “How To Create and Sell Information Products on eBay”. I also want to thank Skip for editing this book and his many valuable suggestions for improving the content.

Jim Cockrum who inspired me further after reading his book, The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay”.

Janelle Elms, Visionaire of OSI Rock Stars, who taught me how to build an profitable eBay store and create effective newsletters. Janelle, is the Rock Star of eBay and On-line marketing.

Lee Hefner and Nancy Wasserman who provided inspiration and initial editing of this book.

Amanda Dove, who provided editing of this book, and kept me from making mistakes of personal preference relative to the layout and design.

My two children, Mike and Christie, who turned out to be exceptional adults and parents in their own right and gave us our two beautiful granddaughters: Hallen and Sophia.

Last and certainly not least to my wife, Patricia, who is not just my wife but my partner in life and business; without whose unfailing love, support and help, I might not be here to write this book.

Table of Contents

Introduction ...... 1 Chapter 1 Grading Your Books ...... 3 Chapter 2 Determining the Edition...... 5 Chapter 3 Writing the Headline ...... 11 Chapter 4 Taking Pictures and Photography...... 14 Chapter 5 Writing the Ad (Sales Letter)...... 17 Chapter 6 Pricing Your Books ...... 24 Chapter 7 Packing and Shipping Your Books...... 27 Chapter 8 Feedback ...... 32 Chapter 9 Offering a Return/Guarantee ...... 36 Chapter 10 Developing an eBay Store...... 38 Chapter 11 Branding Your eBay Store...... 43 Chapter 12 Marketing Your Business...... 49 Chapter 13 Finding Books To Sell...... 52 Chapter 14 Managing Your Records ...... 54 Chapter 15 Getting Started ...... 56 Appendices ...... 57 Resources...... 57 Glossary...... 59 Standard Bookseller Abbreviations ...... 66

Introduction

In How to Sell Books on eBay, the Booksellers Guide to Increased Sales and Profits, you will learn the following:

• The correct way to grade your books

• How to properly identify the edition of your book and its importance

• How to write a headline to attract more buyers

• What pictures to take, including tips on how to take better pictures

• How to write a good ad (sales letter)

• How to price and receive payments

• The best way to ship your books including proper packaging

• When to leave Feedback

• Why you must offer a return guarantee

• Why to have an eBay store

• Why to brand your eBay store

• How to market after the sale

• The best way to manage your inventory

• How to keep good records of your sales and buyers

You need this book if you currently sell books on eBay (or any other online venue) or if you would like to sell books on eBay.

What This Book Provides

This book shows you what I do to successfully sell books on eBay. Also included is a section on Resources, listing the actual tools I use everyday to manage my eBay business. The chapter on resources is not a laundry list of all the tools

1 available – it is strictly limited to the tools I use. I have tried many products in each category. The tools that I currently use are excellent and cost little (many are free) , and I include the link to locate them online.

About the Author

My name is Henry Neff, and I have been reading and collecting books since early childhood. I have sold books online since 2005. I have read thousands of bookseller’s ads on eBay and other online sales sites.

I have also read dozens of books, written by good authors, on how to sell books online. The problem with most of these books is they are less than specific. They are full of good information, but none of them provide a step-by-step guide to selling books on eBay. Thus, I became an author.

I am an eBay Top Rated PowerSeller, eBay Trading Assistant and eBay Certified Education Specialist and have been selling on eBay since April 2005.

This is my first book but hopefully not my last.

Thank you for purchasing this book. My hope is that you will find it informative, interesting and more importantly helpful in your business of selling books on eBay. This book is a living reference manual. All you need to do is opt-in to my mailing list of individuals who have purchased this book, and I will send you updates related to changes I make as I continue to improve my business.

I hope you find this book helpful. I sincerely wish you increased sales and profits!

Henry Neff

2 Chapter 1 Grading Your Books

In this chapter you will learn the proper way to grade your books. Most of the ads I read on eBay are not descriptive, and I find for many eBay sellers negative feedback comes primarily from incorrectly describing the quality of the book, also known as grading. There is a good system for grading used books that was developed by the Independent Online Booksellers Association (www.ioba.org/desc.html ). This chapter also includes the defects you must identify and why.

Describing your book as Good, Like-New, Nice Copy, etc., is not professional nor does it give your buyers a good picture of the quality of your book. There is a standard established by the Independent Online Booksellers Association (IOBA) http://www.ioba.org/desc.html that is widely used by professional booksellers. Use of this standard helps your buyers in their selection process and can result in more positive Feedback ratings for you. (There is also a link to the IOBA web page in the Resource section of this book).

Below is the IOBA standard for grading used books.

Book Grade Description Very Fine (VF) Without faults or defects; almost no book qualifies for this rating Fine (F) May show signs of having been read but no real defects or faults Near Fine Approaching Fine but with a couple of very minor defects or faults Very Good (VG) Used book showing some signs of wear on either the binding or dust jacket Good (G) Used, slightly worn but all pages intact Fair Worn book, all defects must be noted Poor or Reading Copy Sufficiently worn but all the text is complete; all defects must be noted Ex-Library Copy Always designated regardless of the book’s condition Book Club Edition Always noted regardless of the book’s condition Binding Copy Text is complete but the binding is lacking or in poor condition Remainder Marks Must always be noted Bookplates Must always be noted Previous Owner’s Must always be noted Name

Add these descriptions to your store’s custom pages. If you wish, create a link in your listing that allows the buyer to click the link and go to your store’s page for a full description (I don’t necessarily recommend this as it takes a potential buyer away from your ad). Alternately, make reference that a full description about grading books

3 can be found in your eBay store under the heading of Custom Pages (more about that later).

Use of Book Grading is detailed in Chapter 5 Writing the Ad.

In addition to grading your books, there are additional book categories or classifications that are helpful.

Use the following abbreviations primarily in your headline (see Chapter 3).

Abbreviation Description HC Hardcover or hardback SC Soft cover or paperback PB Paperback DJ Dust jacket DW Dust wrapper FE First Edition FP First Printing 1st/1st First Edition, First Printing F/F First Edition, First Printing Signed Signed by the author ARC Advanced Readers Copy FPT Freight Pass Through – Meaning the price includes shipping (I am often asked what this means; often found on the dust jacket flap next to the price)

The above abbreviations are used primarily in writing your headline. Example of a hardcover with dust jacket that is a first edition, first printing might look like this: Title Author HC DJ 1st/1st (more on this in Chapter 5) .

4 Chapter 2 Determining the Edition

In this chapter you will learn how to correctly identify the edition of your books, how to recognize first editions, and the reason this is important.

If you sell used paperbacks, this chapter is probably not relevant. If, on the other hand, you sell hardcover books, this section is very important.

Book collectors are interested in collecting First Edition, First Printings of books for their personal libraries. Here is how to identify them.

On the credits page you normally find the identification of the publisher, the ISBN number, the title of the book, the author’s name, and additional information. It is on this page that a First Edition and its printing are usually identified. The earlier the printing, the more valuable the book is to a collector.

Let’s look at a picture of the credits page for a sample book.

This page contains the following important information.

ISBN – The "International Standard Book Number", is a commercial identifier for books. The ISBN is 10 or 13 digits, and it uniquely identifies internationally published books and book-like products. The number consists of 4 to 5 parts:

1. EAN – If the ISBN is 13 digits, the number has a 978 or 979 prefix European Article Number (EAN)

5 2. Group – Country or Language Code (0, 1 = English; 2 = French; and so on; up to 5 digits) 3. Publisher – Assigned by the agency 4. Item Number 5. Check Digit – A single digit computed from other digits, if 10 it is replaced by “X”

There are many ISBN agencies worldwide; each agent has the exclusive right to assign ISBNs to publishers in their area/territory. For example, the United States agency is the only one authorized to assign ISBNs to publishers within the U.S., Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and all its territories. Once the agency assigns an ISBN to a publisher, then that publisher can assign the number to their publications. The publisher cannot re-assign, re-sell, transfer, or split their assigned numbers with other publishers.

The ISBN system was established in 1966 in the United Kingdom by W.H. Smith. It was originally SBN (Standard Book Numbering) that was used until the mid- seventies. However, the International Standard (ISO) 2108, ISBN was introduced in 1970.

Number Line – In the example above the number is 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1. This number indicates that this is a First Edition, First Printing. The lowest number shown indicates the printing edition. If this were a third printing, the number line would look like 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 . All of the following are variations, indicating First Printing:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 2 4 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 A B C D E… (in this case the lower the alphabet indication the earlier the printing)

If you sell First Edition books, it is very important to include this number in your ad (see Chapter 5) .

Many times the credit page might say First Edition or First Edition published in YYYY or First Edition Published in Month YYYY. In rare occasions a book might indicate a First Edition without a number line. 6

Paperback books are also printed with an indication of First Edition and might contain a number line. If the book was only issued in paperback, this might be important to some buyers but collectors normally are not concerned with paperback books. The exception to this is an Advanced Readers Copy, which is published in advance of the first edition hardcover and never sold commercially. In any event include this in the ad if it is available.

Book Club Editions (BCE)

Most buyers and many sellers do not know the difference between a book club edition (BCE) and a full-size edition. The following describes the differences in some detail.

Most BCE books are smaller in size, lighter in weight, and printed on lower quality paper. The book on the right in the picture below is a BCE. There are other differences in the artwork of the dust jacket, but you need both the full-size edition and the BCE edition to compare. For example, in the picture below notice the placement of the flower slightly behind and to the right of the letter "A" in Jean. It is directly above the letter "A" on the full-size edition (left book).

The BCE dust jacket usually does not include a price on the inside front flap. There are exceptions:

1. High-end Art Books 2. University Press Books 3. Textbooks 4. Some Small Press Books

The dust jacket might also indicate that it is a BCE (see picture below). Usually there is not a number line on the inside credits page. However, this is also true of full-size editions that are not first editions. 7

In BCEs the reverse of the title page might carry an advertising statement. See the statement beginning BOMC... in the picture below.

Many BCEs have a blind stamp on the lower right corner of the back cover. A circle, square, maple leaf, dot, or star blind stamped indicates a Book of the Month Club (BOMC) edition.

8 A short string of numbers printed vertically near the gutter on one of the back pages indicates a BCE.

A string of four or five numbers in a box on the back cover indicates a BCE. However, there are exceptions to this including:

1. Simon & Schuster uses an 8 digit code (month, year, FPT price) 2. McGraw Hill and Prentice Hall used boxed numbers before the ISBN became standard

9 Most are unaware that there are BCE paperbacks. A few possible indications of a BCE paperback include:

1. No price on the book 2. An alphanumeric code printed in the margin of the last printed page 3. "Printed in the USA" printed on the back cover 4. Often mistaken as an Advanced Reading Copy (ARC)

10 Chapter 3 Writing the Headline

In this chapter you will learn the best format for your headline, also called the title. eBay limits the headline to 55 characters, and it is extremely important that your headline is well written and uses as many of the 55 characters as possible.

The headline is the most important portion of your listing (ad). The key to a good headline is using keywords that buyers use to search for your book.

Using special characters, such as “L@@K,” or superfluous words such as Brand New is a waste of valuable real estate.

Think like someone browsing in a bookstore. What do you look for? I browse the sections where novels, biographies, or business books are sold.

Is it a hardcover?

Does it have a dust jacket?

What is the title?

Who is the author?

Is it on sale?

Is it signed by the author?

Throughout the remainder of this book I use The Burning Man by Phillip Margolin as an example.

11 When listing a book on eBay and using the ISBN number (let’s use the example from the picture above), you first choose the category – Fiction or Non-Fiction and enter the ISBN (0-385-48053-9). eBay searches for the book. Assuming it is found, following is the default headline eBay assigns your listing:

The Burning Man by Phillip Margolin (1996)

This is the headline most eBay booksellers use. You won’t after reading this book.

Here is the best alternative…

Examine the book and answer the following questions:

What is the title? The Burning Man

Who is the author? Phillip Margolin

Is the book a hardcover? Yes

Does it have a dust jacket? Yes

Is it a First Edition? Yes

Is it a First Printing? Yes

Does it have a number line? Yes

Is it signed by the author? Yes (The picture is not shown but this is an actual listing, and the book is signed by the author)

Here is the headline…

The Burning Man by Phillip Margolin HC DJ 1st/1st Signed

Compare that with eBay’s default headline…

The Burning Man by Phillip Margolin (1996)

With the custom headline a buyer knows instantly that you are selling a hardcover book with a dust jacket that is a First Edition, signed by the author. Which book would you look at first – and maybe last ?

12 Some eBay sellers recommend putting the entire headline in CAPS. I have no evidence that this draws more shoppers/buyers to an ad, but it can’t hurt. Therefore, an alternative custom headline looks like this…

THE BURNING MAN BY PHILLIP MARGOLIN HC DJ 1st/1st SIGNED

As this book is written I am using the following format, as it separates the title of the book from the author and does not need the use of the word “by” before the author’s name:

THE BURNIING MAN Phillip Margolin HC DJ 1st/1st SIGNED

I am experimenting using both options. In a future newsletter I will share the results. I do know that including the information on whether the book is hardcover, with a dust jacket, first edition, first printing, and signed definitely leads to increased sales.

Now that you know how to write the best headline, let’s move on to taking the best pictures.

13 Chapter 4 Taking Pictures and Photography

In this chapter you will learn what pictures to include in your listing . I provide tips for taking the best pictures and inexpensive tools to use to improve the quality of your pictures. You also learn how to include multiple pictures in your listing without incurring additional eBay fees.

There are three sections to this chapter 1. Which pictures to include 2. How to take the best pictures 3. Picture hosting

Should you use stock photos supplied by eBay? For many listings eBay includes a stock photo of the cover of your book. In my opinion, using a stock photo is deceptive. It does not allow the buyer to examine the individual volume with its qualities and defects, if any.

Ideally the book and the dust jacket are in Fine condition. If not, the mere fact that a buyer can see the minor defects provides a degree of confidence and trust in you, the seller, and your desire not to hide anything. In the chapter on writing the ad, the importance of including an accurate description is discussed in more detail.

Let’s continue imagining ourselves as a buyer in a bookstore. Having found the section of books we like to browse, we find the title of a book by the author in which we are interested. Now what does a potential buyer do?

Examine the front of the dust jacket . This is your first picture. Include a picture of the cover of the book’s dust jacket. This picture will also be your gallery photograph.

Examine the back of the dust jacket. This is your second picture. Include a picture of the back of the dust jacket.

Examine the credits page . Here is your third picture. Include a picture of the credits page. This is visual evidence supporting the full description in your ad (sales letter).

Look for a signature page. If the book has been signed by the author, this is your fourth picture. This is visual evidence supporting the full description in your ad (sales letter). It provides the buyer with the opportunity to verify the signature.

Won’t that cost more for each book that I list? No, in a minute we’ll look at a resource that allows you to avoid most of eBay’s optional fees.

Now that you know which pictures to include in your listing, let’s talk about the photography process.

Photography

This chapter is not an exhaustive how-to on photography. I’ll leave that to the photography experts. This section covers the basics and briefly describes the tools that I use for all my listing photography.

There are three resources that I recommend for the entire process.

It probably doesn’t need saying, but a digital camera is a necessity. It does not have to be an expensive camera, and it does not need to have a high-pixel capability. High-pixel images are necessary for enlarging photos. With eBay most photos are compressed for faster loading and storage. I use a Casio Exilim 8.0 megapixel camera that cost less than $100.

I recommend a lighting tent with photographic-quality lighting. The most cost- effective system that I have found is the EZ Cube Photo Studio. This system, complete with the photo tent and lights, is around $200 (see the Resource section to find this system from an eBay PowerSeller) . . Once your pictures are taken, I recommend using photo processing software for cropping and adjusting the lighting. The pictures of your books look more professional if the backgrounds are cropped. Download excellent free software from Picasa www.picasa.com (see the Resource section for a link to this software).

I do not recommend cropping out defects, such as crimping or tears in the dust jacket. This is deceitful and results in negative feedback and unhappy buyers.

15 One last piece of equipment I use is a Plexiglas easel to hold the book upright rather than laying it on a table.

This is a picture of the easel I use. They are usually available at art supply stores. Mine came from a bookstore.

This is a picture of the book resting on the easel. Since it is angled, place your camera on a tripod, raising it slightly above the book and angle it at approximately the same angle as the easel. (The photo should be taken directly of the front of the book, not from the side as the picture shows.)

Now you have as many as four pictures for your auctions. As of March 30 eBay offers up to twelve complimentary pictures and each additional picture costs $.15. Here is how to avoid those fees.

Auction Management Services

I use Auctiva ( www.auctiva.com ). This is a service which includes features that enhance all of your eBay listings. The following are just a few of the features and benefits of using Auctiva . . .

• Provides listing templates for your listing • Produces descriptions for shipping, payment, returns, about me, and other boilerplate sections (These boilerplates are included in all your listings. Write them once – use them every time!) • Provides limited photo editing • Stores photos • Stores listings • Allows scheduling of listing start times (another eBay fee avoided) • Provides you an off-eBay website that automatically includes all your eBay listings • Provides a scrolling banner in all your listings that displays for buyers your other products without requiring them to leave your ad (This is excellent for cross-selling and up-selling buyers)

This is not intended to be a training or sales manual on Auctiva. Auctiva is a powerful tool that enhances eBay listings and allows you to avoid many add-on fees charged by eBay.

16 Chapter 5 Writing the Ad (Sales Letter)

This chapter will take you step-by-step through writing your ad (sales letter). If you want to increase your sales and profits, this is a must read chapter. I also share tools that allow you to write a large portion of your ad once so that it is not necessary to repeat the writing . . . unless you decide to change the content, and even then you must only change it in one place.

Let’s write your ad, commonly referred to as the body or description of your listing. It is not as difficult as it might sound. In fact, for most of your listings, it takes less time than most eBay booksellers take to author less effective ads.

Below is a bulleted list of the information that should be included with any listing.

Minimum requirements:

• Title of the book • Author • Format • Book condition • DJ condition • Retail price • Edition • Printing • Number line • ISBN • Copyright date • Publisher • Number of pages • Book dimensions • Book weight • Special attributes • Comments • Terms of sale • Payment terms • Shipping terms • Refund/guaranty • Feedback policy • How to contact you

For the best results include the following:

• The story (from the DJ flap) • About the author (from the DJ flap) • Industry reviews • Endorsements/reviews • Personal recommendation/review

Below is a sample ad that I created for this book (does not include the template graphics available with Auctiva) .

The Burning Man Phillip Margolin

Title The Burning Man Author Phillip Margolin Binding Hardcover with Dust Jacket Book Condition Fine DJ Condition Very Good (not price clipped) Retail Price $23.95 ($29.99 Canada) Edition First Printing First Number Line 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 ISBN 0-385-48053-9 Publishing Date 1996 Publisher Doubleday Number of Pages 344 Book Dimensions 9.5" x 6.5" x 1.25" BCB Item Number 00098 Special Attributes Signed by the Author on the inside title page

The Story

Peter Hale is a young attorney struggling to make his own mark in his father's venerable law firm when he is presented with the opportunity of a lifetime. During the trial of a multimillion-dollar case, Peter's father, the lead counsel, suffers a heart attack and asks Peter to move for a mis-trial until he's feeling better. Peter decides this is his only chance to prove to his father that he is the terrific lawyer he knows himself to be, and he chooses to carry on with the case against his father's wishes. In his zeal to prove himself, Peter neglects his client and ends up losing everything – the case, his job, and his father.

Unemployed and disinherited, Peter takes the only job he is offered – that of a public defender in a small Oregon town. He hopes that if he can make good there, he can reinstate himself in his father's good graces. But his ambition again gets the best of him when he takes on a death-penalty case, representing a mentally retarded man accused of the brutal hatchet murder of a college coed. He's in way over his head, and it's only when Peter realizes that his greed and his ego may end up killing his client that he begins to understand what it really takes to be a good lawyer – and to become a man.

About the Author

Phillip Margolin a practicing criminal defense attorney in Portland, Oregon, has tried many high-profile murder cases and has argued in the Supreme Court.

Praise for the Author

"It takes a really crafty storyteller to put people on the edge of their seats and keep them there. But Phillip Margolin does just that. In The Burning Man, with its intricate plotting, legal intrigue, and many twists and surprises. Phillip Margolin has done it again. This is sure to be his biggest bestseller yet.” –Chicago Tribune

Include any praise for the author or book review (usually found on the back of the dust jacket).

The following are your standard policies, and as an Auctiva user, enter these once as boilerplates, also called profiles, and Auctiva inserts them into every ad. Write once – use infinitely!

• Payment Terms • Shipping Terms • Terms of Sale • About Us • Contact Us

If you use Auctiva, the listing management software inserts your standard Payment Terms, Shipping Terms, Terms of Sale, About Us, and Contact Us information. If you do not use Auctiva, you cannot include additional pictures without incurring additional eBay fees (currently $.15 per picture after the first 12 pictures). If you do not use Auctiva for listing management then insert your own information for each of the following paragraphs. I complete this by writing each section one time on a word processor and copying and pasting the sections into my listing.

Payment Terms (Below is my text at the time of this writing):

We use eBay's Secure Checkout System and we accept PayPal .

Don't have a PayPal Account? When you arrive at the PayPal screen, simply select "Don't have a PayPal Acct" on the left to direct you to options for paying with any major credit card or with a debit to your bank account.

Shipping Terms (Below is my text at the time of this writing):

We expedite your order . . . buy it fast, get it fast, and delivered safely to your door. That is part of the thrill of online shopping. All orders are shipped within 1 business day of receipt of cleared payment. We pack carefully and have enjoyed amazing feedback from our buyers regarding the care with which their items have been packaged.

We provide shipping confirmation on every order; and combine shipping for multiple item purchases whenever possible to save you money.

We wrap all books individually in acid-free paper and ship in a book box; we do not use padded envelopes

We welcome International buyers . Please email us for a shipping quote using eBay's Ask a Question format for any items you are considering, unless the shipping for your country is already on the listing. Customs, duties and taxes are buyer's responsibility.

Terms of Sale (Below is my text at the time of this writing):

Our goal is to provide you with unique and hard-to-find items at a great value combined with an enjoyable and seemingly effortless shopping experience. It is such a delight to hear from our buyer's when their items have arrived and their expectations have been met and often exceeded. We hope that we will be hearing positive reviews from you about your shopping experience.

If we have not met your expectations and you cannot give us 5 Stars in each DSR category with your feedback rating, please contact us using eBay's Ask a Question format. We appreciate you as a buyer and want you to be 100% happy with your purchase and buying experience.

Returns are accepted. Be assured with our Gold Service Guarantee . We will

20 refund your purchase price (not including shipping charges) upon receipt of the returned item(s) in the same condition as when it was originally shipped.

Thank you again, for your time and interest! Happy shopping !

About Us (Below is my text at the time of this writing):

We offer a dynamic inventory of quality items that will add pleasure to your life. New items are added daily. Visit us often to see what's new.

We encourage you to ask any question you may have regarding our products or service. You may contact us using eBay's Ask a Question format.

Special offers throughout the year, along with timely, seasonal information are offered through our e-mail newsletter. Don't miss out! Sign up today .

Now we will look at the above ad with the Auctiva Graphics, at least partially:

Let me illustrate the importance of the quality of your ad. I once received an email from a potential buyer. The book was titled All Fall Down by Lee Gruenfeld. It was a first edition, first printing and actually came from my personal library. The potential buyer wanted to know if the book really was in Fine Condition (Like New) and if the dust jacket was in very good condition, as I stated in the listing. I assured him it was and that if he was unhappy he could return the book for a full refund. To my surprise the email was signed Lee Gruenfeld. At the end of my reply I asked him if, in fact, he was the author of the book and if so why did he need to buy one from me. His reply was that he was the author and he had lost all of his copies, which he often gave to friends and was trying to replace his supply as the book was long out of print. Had I not written this ad as detailed as I had he might never have bought it.

23 Chapter 6 Pricing Your Books

In this chapter you will learn how to price your books, how to do competitive research, payment methods to accept, and the reason you don’t need a Merchant Account.

I’m not sure why a bookseller sells any book for less than a dollar. At the very least it costs either $.50 (non-store listing); .20 for a basic store listing; or $.05 for a premium store listing. Then there are eBay and PayPal final value fees. There is absolutely no way a bookseller can profit selling books for less than a dollar.

It seems there are only three reasons for selling books for $.01 or less than a dollar:

1. Buying Feedback – A seller might have interest in increasing their feedback score. This assumes feedback is positive. 2. Shipping Costs – Some sellers attempt to profit by charging excessive shipping and handling fees. A book weighing less than two pounds (includes most books) can be shipped by media mail for $2.96 including delivery confirmation. Adding a reasonable handling charge that includes packing material is acceptable. eBay has stopped the practice of profiting on shipping as they now limit the shipping charge on media items to $4.00. If you have a very heavy book (exceeding five pounds), the alternative is to use eBay’s shipping calculator. 3. Email Address – the final reason is simply to buy the email address for a customer in order to perform after-the-sale marketing directly to the buyer (eBay frowns on this practice so it is debatable if this is permissible).

Here’s a shipping example. I recently purchased several books on eBay for my wife. Since the books were to be used for information purposes and not considered collectible, we did not care whether they were first editions. We were price shopping, although we did want books in very good to fine condition (none were found to be identified correctly). We searched by title and author; then we sorted by lowest price (eBay has updated this search…lowest price is now calculated from the item price plus the shipping and handling). When we reviewed the individual listings, we chose not buy from the seller with the lowest price… Why? Because the seller’s shipping and handling was excessive. The book was priced below a dollar but the shipping and handling was $7.99. That was at least $4 more than media mail shipping. Sellers attempt this to avoid the eBay final value fee.

24 For this reason eBay at some point might begin to base its final value fee on the total sale price, item price plus shipping and handling.

Setting the price for books is a subjective skill. There are many components in a book price; the most significant of which is the seller’s cost plus profit margin. Intangible factors include whether the book is out-of-print (OOP), rare, collectible, signed by the author, etc.

Competitive searches are possible. Here are the sources I use to compare prices…

1. eBay’s advanced search feature for completed listings shows the price at which similar copies have sold and the shipping and handling charged for each book – I normally do not rely on this because too many eBay sellers under-price their books 2. Amazon.com www.amazon.com 3. BarnesandNoble.com www.barnesandnoble.com 4. AbeBooks www.abebooks.com 5. Alibris www.alibris.com 6. Book Finder www.bookfinder.com 7. Terapeak www.terapeak.com (chargeable subscription service)

I find that AbeBooks (now owned by Amazon) is best because it is essentially a clearing house for other online booksellers. Search by Title, Author, Binding, Edition, Signed, etc. Searches can be sorted by highest to lowest price, lowest to highest price, and several other options. I have discovered the online booksellers found on AbeBooks do a better job of describing their books than other online booksellers. For example I have found some sellers indicate a book is a first edition, first printing and a Book Club Edition…which is not possible.

How I Price Books

If the book is a recent edition (still in print) I usually price the book at 20 to 25% of the cover price. If the book is out of print and rare I use AbeBooks and search for price ranges. Once I have found books in a similar condition I usually price mine in the middle of the price range. I don’t want to be the highest or lowest priced. If I cannot find a similar book in like condition I will guess at the price, on the high side, and use the best offer feature or I will put it at auction with the cover price as my starting price.

I now use a new pricing model that is working well. I list the book at a minimum of 50% of the cover price and include free shipping. Unless the book is signed by the author and then I price the book at the original MSRP with free shipping.

When I raised my prices and included free shipping my sales and net more than doubled and in some months actually tripled my previous high sales.

Accepting Payments

If you don’t accept PayPal, you should. PayPal ( www.paypal.com ) is free for the buyer. It costs the seller a small fee for each transaction, but the benefits are enormous. Here are just a few:

• Allows you to accept immediate payments • Allows you to accept any credit card (no merchant account required) • Allows you to accept eChecks • Allows you to accept checking debits • A Premier Business Account from PayPal is a money market account that provides you with a debit card (1 percent cash back on all purchases) and currently pays about 3-5 percent interest on your balances • Allows you to automatically pay eBay Fees from your PayPal account • Provides fraud protection insurance for the buyer at no cost to either the buyer or seller eBay no longer allows you to accept Money Orders, Personal Checks, and Certified Checks, at least not publicizing it in your listing. I still accept these forms of payment on request.

26 Chapter 7 Packing and Shipping Your Books

In this chapter you will learn the best way to pack your books for shipment, where to buy packing material, and the reason you should not ship books in a padded envelope. I’ll even provide you with a little known tip on how to increase sales based on shipping.

Following is a guide I wrote for eBay. It provides a good introduction to this section.

My Packaging Policy

Here is what I do when I sell and ship a book and why.

1. I wrap all books individually in acid-free, ink-free paper . This prevents any wear to the dust jacket during shipment for two reasons. It prevents the dust-jacket from scuffing and other wear and tear during shipping. It keeps the dust jacket in place on the book and eliminates crimping or tearing of the edges. 2. I ship all books in a box . This prevents any damage to the book that could occur during shipping when using a padded envelope. I use a source for book boxes that fit most standard books, approximately 9 inches by 6 inches. Recognizing this is not the measurement of all books, this source also carries book boxes for non-standard book sizes. (See the Resources section on how to contact this seller).

Not So Effective

I’ve read another suggestion that I won't identify or quote verbatim but the advice was to use padded envelopes to keep costs down to be fair to buyers. The writer must not be aware that book boxes bought in bulk might actually be less expensive than padded envelopes. I guarantee books shipped in boxes arrive in better condition than those shipped in padded envelopes.

Regardless of the USPS’s or UPS’s attempts to be careful, a book shipped in a padded envelope arrives in worse condition than when it departed. At best only the dust jacket will suffer minor crimping.

My Buying Experience

27 I began buying online from Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. I have never received my books in anything other than a book box. In fact Amazon.com when shipping multiple books adds additional packing material to protect the dust jacket and prevent the books from shifting during shipment (so do I). I now shop eBay for my books before I look to Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble because eBay sellers almost always ship faster than either of the big guys.

The Bad News

Most eBay sellers ship in padded envelopes. Maybe they have never purchased a book online and received it with crimped edges, torn dust jackets, or even worse a book itself with bumped edges and crimped corners.

Two recent experiences left me disappointed. The first experience was the purchase of several paperback books from different sellers. One book arrived with severely crimped front and back covers. One book had a tear on the cover. One book was nearly bent in half. Sure, I could have returned the books and been refunded the purchase price. However, the cost of the book was less than the shipping and handling in both directions so why bother.

My second example is more troublesome. In addition to being a bookseller, I am also an avid reader and collector. For my collection I purchase only First Editions and preferably First Printing. I expect them to arrive in like-new condition. I recently purchased a book whose author I have collected for years. I always buy First Edition, First Printing copies of his books and I expect them to be in mint condition. My book arrived in a padded envelope. As you might guess, the corners were slightly bent, and the spine was bumped on the top and bottom. I didn’t return the book; I was just disappointed.

My Advice

When buying books online check your sellers packaging policy! If the seller ships in padded envelopes, if possible, purchase elsewhere. If buying a collectible, expensive book, insist on individual wrapping in ink-free paper and boxed shipments. Sure, you can insure the package. If the book arrives damaged, you get your money back. But you don't want your money... you want the book!

Evidence of Why Sellers Should Use Only Book Boxes

Below is the evidence for exclusive use of boxes designed specifically for books. I purchased a book on eBay and paid for Priority Mail Shipping. Here are pictures of the package as I received it...

28 This is the upper right front corner of the express mail hardcover envelope in which the book was shipped. Note the crushed and crumpled appearance.

This is the upper left front corner, nearly torn from the package and even the interior bubble wrap was ripped.

This is the lower left corner which was also torn and crushed.

This is the lower right corner. It was crushed and nearly crimped the corner of the book.

This is the lower right back corner. It was also crushed and nearly crimped the corners of the book.

This is the upper right corner of the back. It was crushed and torn.

29 Luckily, the book was not significantly damaged. There was some corner and spine bumping and some scuffing to the dust jacket but not enough to return the book. However, had this been a rare book I would have been very upset with the seller. For about $.50, the cost of a box specifically made for shipping books, this could have been avoided. Book boxes can be purchased on eBay.

This type of damage cannot happen to a box that is specifically made and sized for shipping a book. One reason this happens to even cardboard mailers (priority mail flat rate envelopes) is because the envelopes can be bent and forced into mailboxes too small for the envelopes. Boxes cannot be bent in the same way – in the worst case a delivery attempt notice is left, and the package can be retrieved at the local post office. Even if a notice is not found and delivery confirmation is purchased, either the buyer or the seller can track the package to discover it at the post office.

I have had this experience several times. As the seller I’ve checked for delivery confirmation and discovered attempted deliveries by the local post office. In these situations, I have communicated this to the buyer so that the package can be retrieved by the buyer.

Packaging Supplies

Book Boxes – I purchase my boxes from an eBay seller. Purchased in quantities of 100, they cost about $.50 per box. Each box can be folded to the exact size of a book. This seller does offer other sizes which I use for larger books and for shipping multiple books. (See the Resources section on where to buy these boxes.)

Ink Free Paper – I buy the ink free newsprint from the same eBay seller from whom I buy my book boxes. It is relatively inexpensive, and the larger sheets I use to wrap up to four regular-size novels.

Bubble Wrap – I use bubble wrap for expensive books because it offers an additional layer of protection. I use this in addition to the ink free paper.

Shipping Methods

1. Media Mail – This is my primary shipping method. Delivery time is listed as 9 to 14 days, but I find it is usually less. 2. Priority Mail – This method is slightly more expensive but gets the book(s) to the buyer in 3-5 business days. 3. Express Mail – I rarely offer this as it is cost prohibitive.

30 4. International – Use Priority Mail Flat Rate Envelopes. The envelopes are free from the USPS and can be ordered online. I offer worldwide shipping for a flat fee. As of this writing the USPS charges $12.95 for Canadian shipping and some other areas. For much of the remaining world, the charge is about $13.95. I do not offer combined shipping discounts for international purchases.

I strongly suggest offering international shipping because it increases the number of potential buyers. Books are more expensive in other countries than they are in the U.S., so international buyers are willing to pay a little more for the book and the higher shipping costs.

31 Chapter 8 Feedback

In this chapter you will learn when and why to leave feedback. The answer might surprise you.

Like it or not, eBay’s feedback system is an integral part of the buying and selling experience. The expanded feedback system implemented in 2007 makes it incumbent on the seller to work diligently to maintain a high feedback score. eBay changed the feedback system again in 2008 no longer allowing a seller to leave neutral or negative feedback.

As a Buyer – Post feedback quickly. I usually leave feedback the day I receive the item I purchase. Be specific: Item arrived quickly, in good condition, and just as described; or Professional transaction with good communication; or Item as described, shipped fast, received on time.

As a Seller – I leave feedback when I receive confirmed payment. I used to leave feedback when the Buyer left positive feedback for me. Why? First, it is the only way that I know when the transaction has been completed to a buyer’s satisfaction. Second, I believe feedback is a mutual exchange on the way both parties feel about the transaction. If a buyer does not take time to leave feedback, my philosophy is that I don’t need to take time to leave it for them. However, this is a personal preference. I went back to leaving feedback upon receipt of confirmed payment because I believe it improved my DSR scores.

If you have a low feedback score, the easiest way to build positive feedback quickly is to purchase several low priced items and pay quickly. PayPal offers the quickest method of payment. Most eBay sellers accept PayPal. Open a free PayPal account and setup to pay by check, credit card, debit card or echeck. Post feedback for the seller immediately upon receipt of your item.

My feedback score is very important to me, and I work hard to maintain my 100 percent positive rating. There is one simple rule to maintaining a high feedback score – exceptional customer service .

Why is feedback important? 1. It is the only way for a buyer to establish confidence in buying from you. After all you don’t meet in person and only in extreme circumstances ever talk to a buyer by phone.

32 2. It is the principle way to differentiate yourself from other sellers. Let’s say you and Seller B are selling the same book. The price of the book is the same, the shipping & handling charge is the same, and the delivery service is the same. The only difference is your feedback score is 100 percent and Seller B’s feedback score is 98.5 percent. It is most likely a buyer will purchase from you rather than Seller B. 3. Satisfied buyers are often repeat buyers. If they buy from you the first time largely based on your feedback score and the experience is highly satisfactory, the chance that they will return is much greater.

As a seller, the key to obtaining and maintaining a high feedback score is found in eBay’s detailed seller rating system. Let’s examine the four keys to a high feedback rating.

Item as Described – This is perhaps the most important part of your rating. It is critical to describe your books (or any item you sell) as accurately as possible. In Chapter 5, I described the ideal requirements for your ad. The three most critical pieces of information are the book condition, the dust jacket condition, and the comments. List any flaws in the book in the comments section, including but not limited to the book status as an Ex-Library copy, tears or crimping on the dust jacket, writing or highlighting on the book’s pages, inscriptions, etc.

Communication – I encourage the use of eBay’s “Ask seller a question” feature as a means of communicating with buyers. This provides a record of your communications. If the question(s) you receive are applicable to the book, attach the question and the reply to your listing. The two keys to effective communication are: 1. Respond Promptly . I answer every email within 24 hours; and generally within one hour of receiving an email. Remember each communication is with a potential buyer, who is looking at your product and is inclined to buy. If you are slow to respond, the shopper simply moves on to the next seller. 2. Respond Courteously . Treat your buyers and potential buyers the way you want to be treated. Be friendly, open and honest in all your emails – remember they are recorded.

Shipping Time – This is extremely important. I ship every item within 24 hours of receiving confirmed payment. Generally, I ship the same day for orders received before 3 p.m. Central time. I send en email for each shipment that includes a delivery confirmation number. The delivery confirmation number is important. I have experienced situations in which buyers email about missing

33 deliveries. Using the delivery confirmation number, I have determined the USPS attempted delivery unsuccessfully. The shipments have been held at the post office for pick up.

Shipping and Handling Charges – I offer Media Mail and Priority Mail shipping. Most books can be shipped by media mail for $2.96 including delivery confirmation; $3.35 if the book weighs 2-3 pounds. The price of book boxes and ink-free paper adds another .50 to .75 for each book. eBay allows you to add a handling charge to your actual shipping charges to cover your additional costs. In my experience a shipping and handling charge that ranges from $3.50 to $4.00 is reasonable. The lower the cost is for the buyer, the better your feedback scores. Excessive shipping and handling charges are an indication that a seller is attempting to avoid eBay’s final value fee. At the time of this writing, I am experimenting with free shipping on selected books. I simply raise the price of the book to include the shipping costs. This results in lower profit margins unless you account for the increased eBay final value fees. Note: eBay now caps shipping on media to $4.00.

When to leave feedback – I have experimented with leaving feedback in several ways. I have left feedback immediately upon receipt of confirmed payment. I have withheld feedback until I received feedback from the buyer. My current policy is to leave feedback with the receipt of confirmed payment from the buyer. Why? Because the buyer has completed all they are required to do. I also think it helped improve my DSR scores.

What about negative feedback? Many eBay sellers believe that negative feedback is inevitable. I don’t. I believe most eBay buyers are honest and fair. Unfortunately you might receive a negative feedback at some point. Here’s what I suggest:

1. Ask eBay to remove the feedback. They will under the right circumstances. This is a time at which using eBay’s “Ask seller a question” might be important. If you demonstrate to eBay that you made every attempt to make the buyer happy and convince eBay that the negative feedback was unwarranted, they might remove it. 2. I place a courteous reply to the feedback that others might see when viewing your feedback score. 3. Don’t take it personally. Stuff happens. Move on and let it go.

I once received a negative feedback. I was shocked and very disappointed because we work very hard to maintain our 100% positive feedback and high DSR scores. 34 I immediately went to read the feedback and found an even bigger surprise – the comment was all positive. My guess was the buyer clicked the wrong button. I contacted the buyer and asked if that was what had happened. The buyer confirmed that was true. I asked the buyer if I could send a feedback revision request and they said I could. I sent the request and the buyer immediately changed the feedback to positive. What a relief!

Return/Guarantee – My return/guarantee policy is that I refund the entire payment including shipping and handling if I have not described the book accurately. The return must occur within seven days of confirmed delivery, and it must be because the item was described incorrectly. This policy has several benefits:

1. It creates confidence for the buyer. They recognize that if you offer this guarantee you are confident in the accuracy of your description. 2. Very few buyers, if any, return a book. If they do, issue the refund promptly and courteously.

Has a buyer ever asked me to accept a return for an incorrect description? Yes, twice, and here is what I did. I gave the buyer a full refund including the original shipping and handling charges – and – I let them keep the book. For a buyer it doesn’t get any better, and I did get a positive feedback rating.

In summary , the higher your feedback rating the better your prospects are for increased sales and profits. Obtaining and maintaining a high rating is simple if you do as follows:

1. Describe your book correctly 2. Communicate promptly and courteously 3. Ship quickly 4. Charge a fair and reasonable shipping and handling rate 5. Offer a 100 percent money back guarantee

DSR scores have become increasingly important. eBay created the Top Rated Seller status based on not receiving low DSR scores. As an eBay store owner and Top Rated Power Seller I receive a 20% discount on eBay’s final value fees.

35 Chapter 9 Offering a Return/Guarantee

In this chapter you will learn the reason this is important and how to use it to increase sales. This is virtually a risk-free offer, and I show you why.

On eBay a return or guarantee policy is required, but that policy can be “no returns.” If you expand online sales to other online venues, this may no longer be an option. Amazon.com requires sellers to offer a 30-day money back guarantee, no questions asked – it is called Amazon’s A to Z guarantee. Abebooks requires sellers to offer a full money back guarantee within seven days of delivery, not including shipping and handling.

The more liberal your return policy the better your chances are of making a sale. Buyers need to have some assurance that if the product is not what they expect, they can get a refund. After all, your bookstore is not down the road, and they can’t drop in to make a return as they can at Barnes & Noble or any other local bookstore.

Below is my return policy for all of my books:

We guarantee all of our books to be exactly as described, or we will refund your full payment, including shipping and handling, upon receipt of the returned book.

Here are my Terms and Conditions for all book sales:

By buying this book you agree to contact the seller within seven days of the end of the auction or remit payment within 15 days of the end of the auction, otherwise this sale is cancelled by mutual agreement and seller may apply to eBay for a refund of the final value fee per this agreement.

What do I accomplish with these policies? I build trust and confidence with the buyer. Here’s how:

1. There is no negative or threatening language in the policies. Even the Terms and Conditions are not intimidating. They comply with eBay’s sale cancellation policy, and the stages required to receive a refund of the final value fee. 2. There is an unconditional guarantee that the book has been described accurately or the buyer gets a refund, including shipping and handling.

36 3. There are no negative consequences for a return.

What are the risks to the seller? Not much. The buyer returns the book, and the buyer receives a refund. The seller has the book to resell. True, the seller is out the shipping and handling fee. However, in most cases this is only $2.96, and no negative feedback.

How often are books returned? Not often if described correctly. After all, the buyer has to pay the return postage which is usually more than $2.96 because they don’t get the online postage discount. The time allowed for the return is seven days which is long enough for the buyer to examine the book and ensure it was accurately described but not long enough for them to read the book and return as if borrowing from the library.

The more liberal your return/guarantee, the more trust you build with buyers and the more sales you make.

Here is a true story. I once sold a new book to a buyer in Canada. He was happy and left me positive feedback. A few days later I received an email from this buyer and he was very unhappy. His wife told him the book was probably not new because it had a bookmark in it. The bookmark came from the store where I purchased the book. Rather than argue with him I gave him a full refund, including shipping and told him to tell his wife how he had gotten a free book on eBay. This customer later returned and bought several other books from me. Did I have to do this? – No. Why did I do it? Well, it cost me very little money and gained me a customer who made several additional purchases. I am not suggesting you give away free merchandise. What you need to decide is if it is worth the argument to get the return or do what you think is right.

37 Chapter 10 Developing an eBay Store

In this chapter you will learn why and how to develop an eBay store. Topics include Categories, Promotional Boxes, Custom Pages, Scrolling Banners, and much more.

An eBay store will help you maximize your business on eBay and on the Internet. With an eBay store all of your items are listed on one convenient place – regardless of format (Fixed Price or Auction). You can create and personalize your storefront with a unique web address (domain name or URL). Your monthly fee varies by type of store and gives you access to eBay tools that can be used to build, manage, promote, and track your business

Benefits to having an eBay Store:

If you are serious about building an eBay business selling books or other merchandise, you need an eBay store for the following reasons: 1. It provides the opportunity to send buyers to your store to purchase merchandise. 2. The listing fees are lower for Fixed Priced merchandise, with fees beginning as low as .03 for 30 days with automatic renewal until sold or cancelled. 3. It provides the opportunity to brand your business with a store logo. 4. It provides the opportunity to offer a store newsletter which provides additional marketing opportunities. 5. If you use Auctiva listing management services, a scrolling banner is provided on all your listings that shows all your available merchandise. 6. It provides the opportunity to create custom pages for things like your store policies, payment terms, terms of sale, and any number of other things. A store may have 15 Custom Pages. 7. It provides the opportunity to have sales promotions in which you can markdown (discount) all the inventory in specified store categories for a specified period of time. 8. It provides the opportunity to have up to 300 categories of merchandise.

Requirements for becoming an eBay store owner:

1. Have an eBay seller account, with a credit card on file

38 2. A verified PayPal account 3. Choose a subscription level: Basic; Premium; or Anchor 4. Choose a store name – the name you choose determines you eBay store URL. Think this through carefully because while you can change your store name it is not a good idea. 5. Subscribe to eBay stores 6. Set up and design your store. Making you store appealing, unique, and easy for buyers to browse and buy increases your chances for success. Adding a customer header can give your store a professional, polished look and makes it easier

Developing your eBay store:

1. List your items. All listing formats appear in your store and can be created using the standard eBay listing form, Turbolister, Selling Manager Pro or a listing management service, such as Auctiva. 2. Manage your eBay store. You can manage your listings and you can even put your store on vacation so buyers will know that shipment of purchases may be delayed. 3. Market your store. You can easily put items on sale; use email marketing to promote your store and your items; and promote your store outside of eBay.

Three types of eBay stores:

Basic Store . The monthly fee for this store is 15.95. A Basic store allows you to have 15 custom pages and up to 300 store categories. The fixed price listing fee per item is .20 for every 30 days until sold or cancelled.

Premium Store. The monthly fee for this store is 49.95. A Premium store allows you to have 15 custom pages and up to 300 store categories. The fixed price listing fee per item is .05 for every 30 days until sold or cancelled.

Anchor Store . The monthly fee for this store is 299.95. You would need an extremely high sales volume to justify this level of store; therefore I will not spend anytime discussing it. eBay Store Fees:

The following charts will compare the three subscription levels:

Building your store:

Managing your sales:

40 Promoting your store:

Tracking your success:

Recommendations and Requirements:

Now that you have built your store let’s look at Branding and Promoting your store.

Note: If you are interested in building a very successful eBay store I recommend the resource I use Profitable eBay Stores by Janelle Elms (see resource page for the link).

42 Chapter 11 Branding Your eBay Store

In this chapter you will learn the value of a brand name, where to get a custom logo, and the importance of choosing an effective store name.

Brand your store with a personalized logo. This creates brand awareness and leads buyers to your store for repeat purchases.

When you brand your store with a custom logo and obtain a unique URL (web address), there are many options for marketing your merchandise unavailable to sellers without a brand.

Here are some examples: 1. Market your books and other merchandise by promoting your store’s web address 2. Email newsletters with important information for your buyers including product promotions 3. If you use Auctiva auction management services, a web store with your unique URL may be created, and you are able to integrate all of your auction and fixed price inventory merchandise 4. Use your store name and logo in all your customer communications including invoices, shipping notices, payment reminders, etc. 5. Include labels on all your packages with your logo and store web address so that every person who handles your mail is exposed to your eBay store 6. When selling books I give buyers a custom bookmark with each book purchase; these bookmarks feature my store logo and my contact information, and I print them on photo-quality paper

The basic elements of an eBay store are:

Store Logo

This is my store logo. It is fairly easy and inexpensive to have one created by a graphic artist. You can easily insert any of the following formats: .jpeg, jpg, .png, .bmp, or .gif. The logo cannot be larger than 310 x 90 pixels – as close to this size as you can design it the better as it will take up the space allowed for the logo in the custom header.

43 Custom Header

You can select the store name (Buck Creek Books); the color scheme and the text in the header. All of the information in the line “Maintained by” is supplied by eBay.

Custom Pages

Remember if you have a Basic store you may have up to 15 custom pages and with a Premium store you may have up to 15 custom pages. The title of these pages and the content behind each link is created by you and should be used to promote your store. At a minimum you will need a Newsletter and an About the Seller.

Custom pages are valuable online real-estate available to you with your store subscription. Using them effectively will make your website more relevant to buyers and to search engines (Google, Bing, Netscape, Yahoo, etc.) and help establish you as an authority in your chosen marketing niche.

Store Search Box

This allows buyers to search you store listings using one or more keywords. For example, they may want to see all of your books by an author’s name; or they may want to search for a specific book title.

Promotion Boxes

The number of promotion boxes, the location on the site, and the type of box can be created and changed by you. At a minimum I suggest you have a Store

44 Newsletter signup box at the top. The will allow buyers and others to subscribe to your newsletters. I currently use the two shown: New Arrivals and Store Newsletter.

Store Categories

You can have up to 300 categories with 3 different levels to make it easy for your buyers to find the items they are interested in buying.

In the example at the left you will see the category Books (1348) which indicates there are 1,348 books listed for sale in my store.

When a buyer clicks on the link for Books they are taken to the next screen that shows only books I have listed for sale.

Store Category – Level 2

Notice that on this page the store categories have been expanded within the book category into topical or sub-categories, i.e., Action Adventure, Art, Photography, etc.

This allows buyers to look for books by a specific genre.

There is also something else new on the page – The left side promotional box – shows only the New Arrivals in the Book Category. This will also change when a buyer clicks on a specific genre, and can be customized with your store settings.

Below are examples of the Promotion Box for Books and the Promotion Box for Action Adventure.

45 Promotion Box – Books

Promotion Box – Action Adventure

This is a powerful way to promote your items and make it easier for buyers to find what they want to buy.

Earlier, I mentioned obtaining a domain name (URL) for your store. Your eBay store is actually a web site. The domain name eBay assigns to your store looks like this: http://stores.ebay.com/Buck-Creek-Books where Buck-Creek-Books would be the name of your store. That URL would be hard for customers to remember and use, so I bought the domain name www.buckcreekbooks.com

When you own a domain name you can either park it – make it inactive – send it to your own web site – or in this case I redirect www.buckcreekbooks.com and point it to http://stores.ebay.com/Buck-Creek-Books

Now I can use www.buckcreekbooks.com on business cards, letterhead, packing slips, bookmarks, and on the signature of all my emails. Everywhere I use it I am making it easy for potential buyers to find my eBay store while building my brand.

Newsletters

46 eBay allows you to setup one or more newsletters that you can send to previous buyers on a periodic basis, but not more than once every 7 days. The format and content of these newsletters are determined by you.

Some basic rules for using newsletters:

1. Do not use eBay’s default subject lines 2. Create an interesting subject line to increase the open rate 3. Do not make the newsletter just about selling – try to put something informative or interesting in your newsletter. 4. Always have a welcome newsletter that goes out automatically when someone signs up for your newsletter that thanks them for signing up and sets the expectations related to your newsletter content and how often you will be sending them a newsletter.

The picture below is a partial sample of a recent newsletter I sent.

The subject line read: Talavera Majolica Pottery from Buck Creek Books

Notice that the newsletter incorporates my store colors, my store logo, has clickable links to my store and two of my custom pages – 5 Star Gold Service and Book Grading and Format

47 At the end of the newsletter I have 4 listings in gallery format (two are shown):

I also incorporated up to 20 listings for books that I am selling, after all I am a bookseller:

These are just a couple of ways you can promote your store and your business. It might take another book just to discuss marketing and promotion.

48 Chapter 12 Marketing Your Business

In this chapter you will learn how to market to your buyers after the sale, how to do this at low cost, the reason it is important, how to generate a second level of income, and the reason eBay’s Newsletter is not the only tool to use.

I offer an email newsletter to buyers who purchase a book from me. This newsletter is free for buyers and has a $97 value for others who wish to subscribe.

Constant Contact www.constant.contact.com is an email service I use which has predefined templates, and offers the option to include graphics, and hyperlinks directly to my listings. In every newsletter I include several listings with the front dust jacket picture, the price of the book, the title and author of the book, and the URL at which buyers can find the book.

Included in the newsletter is a link to my eBay store where buyers can view all of my merchandise including auction items. Note: The best resource to teach you how to create effective newsletters is: Newsletters Worth Gold by Janelle Elms (see resource section).

Other methods to market your books include: 1. Add a signature line to all of your emails that includes a link to your eBay store or your Auctiva web store. 2. Author guides on items of interest and value for a general readership not just your buyers. These guides are hosted on eBay by eBay at no cost to you. In each guide, you can link to your eBay store. 3. Write reviews for books you have read or simply write a review based on the popularity of the book with a summarization of the storyline. Each review can link to your eBay store. 4. Participate in relevant chat rooms. 5. Write articles, ezines, or create videos for Facebook, MySpace and YouTube. These can link to your eBay store or your Auctiva web store. www.buckcreekbooksfanpage.com is our Facebook Fan Page used to market my eBay store. 6. Create the packing slip. I print a packing slip for every book shipped. This packing slip has my store logo, ship to information, ship from information, salient points about the book – title, author, quantity, eBay item ID, purchase price, shipping and handling charge, and a thank you paragraph. I also include a subtle paragraph soliciting five-star feedback 49 from each buyer, and I explain eBay’s Detailed Seller Ratings, including the importance of leaving five stars. 7. Create bookmarks. As a free gift I send a custom bookmark with each book. This bookmark includes my store logo and contact information. I print the bookmarks on photo-quality paper in full color.

Here is a sample of the bookmark I currently send with every book:

Here is how I use this to market my store and business:

1. I send one with every book purchased – almost every one uses a bookmark 2. It has my store logo 3. It has a link to my eBay store 4. It has my contact info: Name, email address, phone number 5. Reminder that we sell quality hardcover books below paperback prices 6. A few categories that we specialize in

I create 8 of these to a page using Microsoft Word and print them on premium paper at a lower cost than having a printer create them.

50 Packing Slip – Top Half

This also serves as a marketing tool. It includes my logo; Name, Address, email address and where I shipped the item and what the package contains. This is a much better marketing tool than using PayPal’s default packing slip that promotes PayPal.

51 Chapter 13 Finding Books To Sell

In this chapter you will learn how to source books to sell – where to find them, and a guideline on how much to pay for them.

In order to sell books, you must have books to sell. Where do you get your inventory? How do you keep a good supply of new and/or used books? How do you keep up with your inventory?

There are several options for sourcing used books. Here are just a few:

Yard Sales – These sales are excellent places to find good, quality used books at very reasonable prices. Be sure to look over each book and ensure there are no missing pages, no markings in the book, etc.

Classified Ads – Run an inexpensive ad in your local newspaper or on Craig’s list. It can be as simple as “I pay cash for quality, used, first edition books. Call at .” – or – “Wanted. Quality used, first edition books. Call at .”

Family and Friends – They are an excellent source and often books are given for free.

Library Book Sales – This source is somewhat less reliable, but inexpensive books can be found at library sales. I don’t like this option because most ex-library books have signs of removed library stickers and in some instances the library stickers remain. If you choose this source, you must always indicate in your listing that the book is ex-library and state the actual condition of the book, including any signs of stickers or sticker removal.

Thrift Shops – These shops might be a good source. The reason I don’t like this option is that thrift stores often mark prices in crayon on the inside facing page, and these markings are almost impossible to remove. If you use this source, always indicate any markings or flaws found in the book.

Drop Ship – This is a method for sourcing books that would allow you to sell books without taking possession of the book or being responsible for shipping the books once sold. If you decide to use a drop ship supplier, I recommend using Worldwide Brands http://worldwidebrands.com/?kbid=26002 to find a dependable supplier. Find a link to Worldwide Brands in the Resource section.

52 Wholesale – A wholesaler is similar to a drop ship supplier, but you buy books in bulk lots, take possession of the inventory, and are responsible for delivery when books sell. The item cost for wholesale purchases is less than those of a Drop Ship supplier, but the upfront costs and risks are higher. Some wholesale suppliers sell mixed lots while others sell bulk lots of the same book. I recommend Worldwide Brands as a source for reliable wholesale suppliers.

When buying used books you may often find labels, price stickers, etc. These can be difficult to remove you do not know how. Actually it is very simple and here are the steps I take:

1. Use a hair dryer to remove the sticker 2. Use Skin-So-Soft from Avon to remove any glue residue. This removes the glue residue without damaging the dust-jacket.

53 Chapter 14 Managing Your Records

This chapter shows you all the tools I use to manage the record keeping process. I will provide the Packing Slip that I send to buyers (and the reason I don’t use the one from PayPal) , the spreadsheets I use to track sales, and labels I include on every package upon request, upon request.

Now that your books are listed and you’re making sales – how do you manage your sales records?

CollectorZ ( www.collectorz.com/book/?a=buckcreekbooks ) – I use the Book Collector system from CollectorZ, I log my sales information into this inventory system, including the sales date and sales price. From there, I run reports with my date of purchase, my purchase price, the sales date, and the sales price. This provides me with a quick view of my inventory, turn rate, and gross profit margin. I use this system to copy the synopsis of the book to be pasted into the Ad.

How do you track your inventory? I use a software product called Book Collector from CollectorZ. This is a PC product that is excellent. It supports bar coding with an optional scanner, or simply enter ISBNs and the system integrates with several online sources to obtain the books vitals, such as, Title, Author, Publisher, Copyright Date, Retail Price, and more. I use this system to copy the synopsis of the book to be pasted into the Ad.

The system can be customized easily to include data such as, your purchase price, the source of the book, for the sales price, the date purchased, the date sold, etc.

At the time of this writing, the cost of the software is $39.95 and includes free upgrades. Contact information for CollectorZ is provided in the Resources section.

I assign an internal SKU number to each item in my inventory. I put the SKU number in the listing, and I use removable labels from Uline (S-10432) to place the SKU number on the book. Benefits of developing a custom SKU system are following:

1. Avoid shipping the wrong book to a buyer 2. Avoid alphabetizing books on the shelf – this saves a lot of time in inventory management 3. Books are not damaged as the sticker is removed before mailing

Spreadsheet – I maintain an Excel spreadsheet on all sales. This spreadsheet contains the Title, Author, eBay Item ID, Date Listed, Date Sold, Date Shipped, the eBay fee, PayPal fee, Sales Price, Shipping & Handling Charge, Postage Cost, the Net Fee, Buyer’s Name, and Buyer’s Email Address.

Contact Database – I record the buyer’s name and email address. I currently maintain this database in Constant Contact for my newsletter.

55 Chapter 15 Getting Started

This chapter provides step-by-step instructions on how to start this business.

Now that you know how to sell books, it’s time to get started. The following are the steps to take next.

1. Register on eBay (if you have not already). www.ebay.com

2. Register to sell on eBay (if you have not already).

3. Register with PayPal and apply for Premium account. www.paypal.com 4. Obtain your books: your own inventory or from one of the sources identified in Chapter 13. 5. Determine the grade of each book. 6. Determine the edition of each book. 7. Take pictures. 8. Write the headline of searchable text. 9. Write your ad (in Auctiva or your listing service of choice). 10. Post your ad to eBay. 11. Sell your books. 12. Ship your books. 13. Update your records. 14. Repeat the process.

I realize this is slightly simplified, but the reality is – it is that easy. This is one of the best and easiest businesses to start and run successfully.

That’s it. You have the best resource available to help you get started or to increase your sales and profits selling books on eBay.

I wish you much success and enjoyment!

Henry

56 Appendices

Resources

CollectorZ – Book inventory management www.collectorz.com/book/?a=buckcreekbooks

Auctiva – Auction Management Services; includes a website that integrates your eBay store inventory www.auctiva.com

N State Packaging – Book boxes and other packing supplies eBay User ID: nstate eBay Store: http://stores.ebay.com/N-State-Packaging

PayPal – Payment processing includes all credit cards www.paypal.com

ABC For Book Collectors – The book collectors reference manual ABC for Book Collectors

AbeBooks – Online booksellers; use for price comparison and book descriptions www.abebooks.com

Alibris – Online booksellers; use for price comparison and book descriptions www.alibris.com

Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/

Barnes & Noble http://www.barnesandnoble.com/

IOBA Link to Glossary of Terms http://www.ioba.org/terms.html

IOBA Link to Book Conditions http://www.ioba.org/desc.html

57 Book Related Sites http://www.ioba.org/links.html

Janelle Elms, Visionaire of OSI Rock Stars Learn To Create Newsletters That Sell Profitable eBay Stores www.RockStarSuccess.com/henryneff

Jim Cockrum The Silent Sales Machine Hiding on eBay http://skipn.silentsale.hop.clickbank.net/

USPS – Shipping supplies; postage; delivery confirmation tracking www.usps.com

Skip McGrath’s 77 Tips For Buying and Selling on eBay Skip also sells the EZ Cube Light Tents eBay User ID: mcgrrrrr http://www.henrymcgrath.com/?kbid=1653

Photo Management Software www.picasa.com

AWeber – Contact management and email newsletter service www.aweber.com

Constant Contact – Contact management and email newsletter service www.constant.contact.com

Worldwide Brands – Educational courses for selling on eBay and single source for wholesale and drop-ship suppliers http://worldwidebrands.com/?kbid=26002

58 Glossary

The following is a work in progress. There are many sources for this glossary, among those is Carl Noe (rec.collecting.books). Additions have been made by Stephen Windwalker and others, and I have taken the liberty to add some of my own.

Academic Reprints – Items published by a photographic process for the academic market when a scholarly work, for which there is relatively little demand after its original edition, requires a new printing.

Addendum, pl. Addenda – A supplement to a book. When material needs to be added to a finished book at the time of its binding, it may be printed on a slip of paper and tipped in, or pasted in.

Advance Copy – A review copy. When a book is published, complimentary advance copies will often be sent to reviewers. This book may not be sold on Amazon, but it is often valuable to collectors.

Advance Reading Copy (ARC) – Another name for an advance copy. This book may not be sold on Amazon, but is often valuable to collectors.

Americana – A classification of books and other objects having to do with America, its people and their history.

Annotated – Including critical and explanatory notes.

Antiquarian – Of old, rare books, or one who deals in them.

Apocryphal – A work which is of doubtful authenticity or authorship.

Appendix – The additional or supplementary material sometimes found at the end of a book.

Association Copy – A copy that previously belonged to the author, which has been signed or annotated or inscribed with a gift inscription by the author, or someone linked to the author of the book in some way, or, sometimes, some other interesting personality.

Atlas Folio – Description of the size of a book; about 25 inches high.

59 Author’s Copies – Complimentary copies of the first edition of a book given to the author by the publisher.

Autograph – The author’s signature, typically found on the title page or the flyleaf of a book.

Backbone – A book’s backstrap, backstrip or spine.

Bar Code – The common term for the Universal Product Code.

BDS – Abbreviation for boards; refers to the stiff front and back parts of a hardcover book.

Belles Lettres – Fine arts literature (fiction, poetry, drama, etc.) as distinguished from scientific and technical writing.

Biblio – An electronic mailing list which is dedicated to news of the used book trade.

Bibliography – A list of works on a given subject or by a given author.

Bibliomane – A book nut.

Bibliophile – A book lover.

Blurb – The paragraph or so printed on the cover or dust jacket of a book which almost always explains the book’s importance.

Boards – The stiff front and back parts of a hardcover book.

Bound Galley – An uncorrected page or galley proof sent out by a publisher before publication for publicity.

Bowdlerization – The practice of censorship by publication of expurgated texts. This practice got its name from English editor Thomas Bowdler (1854-1925) who published altered editions (especially Shakespeare’s works).

Casebound – A hardcover book.

Chapbook – A small, usually paperback book of poetry or a religious tract.

Chipped – A book with cloth covering the boards.

Clothbound – A book with cloth covering the boards.

Codex – A volume of ancient manuscript.

Colophon – Either a publisher’s trademark or information concerning the book’s publication printed at the end of a book. Literally the finishing stroke.

Comb Binding – A binding similar to a spiral binding, but made of plastic, and which if flattened would resemble a comb.

Deaccessioning – Selling or otherwise disposing of books from a collection.

Deckle Edge – Rough edges which a sheet of paper has after it has left the deckle, but before it is trimmed in the papermaking process.

Definitive Edition – The most authoritative version of a work.

Desideratum, pl. desiderata – Something needed and wanted. Desiderata is a want list.

Dust Jacket – The paper cover on a hardcover book.

Dust Wrapper – The clear plastic or Mylar cover on a dust jacket.

Double Elephant Folio – Description of the size of a book; about 50 inches high.

Duodecimo – Description of the size of a book; about 7.75 inches high.

Edition – All the copies of a book made from a specific set of type (with the exception of minor alterations).

Elephant Folio – Description of the size of a book; about 23 inches high.

Embossing – A process which produces decorations raised above the surface (typically of printable material).

Endpaper – The folded sheet of paper pasted to the inside of the front of back cover and attached to the edge of the first or last page of a hardcover book during the manufacturing. Endpapers are not normally numbered.

61 Erratum, pl. Errata – A correction of error(s) inserted into a book after it has been printed.

Ex Library – A book with the library markings on it.

Ex Libris – A Latin phrase meaning – From the Library of

Even Folio – Page numbers on the left-hand pages.

FS – For Sale.

Facsimile Edition – An exact reproduction of an original book depicting the text and the book’s physical appearance.

Fair Condition – A worn book with defects such as a torn dust jacket, foxing, loose binding, etc.

Fine Condition – Nearly new, with slight signs of aging, but no defects.

First Edition – The first printing using the original type setting. There may be multiple printings of the First Edition.

First Printing – The first printing of the first edition. Usually identified by the number line on the credits page. Valued by collectors.

Flyleaf – Unprinted pages (other than endpapers) which may appear at the front or back of a book.

Folio – Description of the size of a book; about 15 inches high.

Fore Edge – The front of a book, considering the spine to be the back of a book.

Fore-Edge Printing – A form of book decoration popular in the late eighteenth century which displays a painting when the books pages are fanned.

Fortyeightmo – Description of a book about 4 inches high.

Foxed – Discolored, usually reddish-brown spots, especially the leaves of a book.

Frontispiece – Illustration which faces the title page.

Galley – A proof of a book made before the pages are numbered.

Gauffering or Goffering – Decorative, deckle edged pages.

Good Condition – A complete book with no major defects, showing normal wear and aging.

Gutter – White space between facing pages.

Headband – A decorative cloth band added to the top or bottom of a book’s spine.

Holograph – A document handwritten by the person purported to have written it.

Hornbook – A child’s primer, made of parchment, mounted on a board with a handle, protected by a transparent plate made of horn. i.p. – In print.

Illuminated – Old manuscripts and early books decorated with ornamental letters or colored illustrations.

Illustrated – Decorated with pictures or other features usually for the purpose of clarifying the content.

Impression – The number of books printed in a press run, or the run itself.

Imprint – The publisher’s and/or printer’s note usually found at the foot of the title page giving the place, date, and publication information.

Incunabulum, pl. Incunabula – A book from the “cradle” time of printing (before 1500).

Library Binding – A reinforced binding.

Limited Edition – A printing which is limited to a stated number. Often inscribed with the author’s signature and a sequence number.

Mint Condition – Term referring to a used or antiquarian book in which the condition is “like new.” This term is more proper to numismatics and philately, with antiquarians usually preferring “as new.” There is almost never a used book that would qualify for this rating.

63 Nom de Plume – Literally means penname; the pseudonym an author uses; i.e., Nora Roberts writing as J. D. Robb.

O.P. or OOP – Out of Print.

Octavo – Description of the size of a book; about 9.75 inches high (8vo).

Parchment – Animal skin (usually sheep) used for a writing material.

Quarto – Description of the size of a book; about 12 inches high (4mo).

Reading Copy – A book which has little or no value as a collectible item, but has the complete text.

Recto – The right-hand or front of a book leaf. Contrast with verso or the back leaf of a book.

Shaken – A condition characterized by very loose binding.

Sixtyfourmo – Description of the size of a book; about 3 inches high (64mo).

Stacked – A condition characterized by a shift in the binding of a book.

Thirtytwomo – Description of the size of a book; about 5 inches high (32mo).

Tooling – Decoration of a book’s cover by impression of gold leaf or other material.

Twentyfourmo – Description of the size of a book; about 5.75 inches high (24mo).

Vanity Publisher – One who publishes a book paid for by the author.

Vellum – A fine calf-skin used for writing or book manufacture; used for most ancient manuscripts.

Verso – The back of a leaf.

Very Good Condition – A complete book, as issued with very few blemishes or signs of wear.

WTB – Want to buy.

WTT – Want to trade.

Widow – A single word or partial line.

Woodcut – A block of wood which is engraved for printing or the resulting product of its use.

Zinc Editing – A photoengraving process which produces black-and-white drawings.

65 Standard Bookseller Abbreviations

Use abbreviations with caution. I suggest using abbreviations only when space is limited, i.e., the headline for your listing which is limited to 55 characters. In the body of your description, which is unlimited in length, do not use abbreviations.

ABA – American Bookseller’s Association

ABAA – Antiquarian Bookseller’s Association of America

A.E.G. – All Edges Gilt

ALS – Autographed Letter Signed

ARC – Advanced Reading Copy

BCE – Book Club Edition

BDS – Boards

BOMC – Book-of-the-Month Club

C – Small Letter “c” Before Date Indicates “circa”

CWO – Check or Cash with Order

DEC – Decorated

DJ – Dust Jacket

DS – Document Signed

DW – Dustwrapper; Clear plastic sheet around the dust jacket

Ed – Edition or Editor

EP – Endpaper

EX. LIB – Ex. Library Copy

66 EX. LIBRIS – From the Library of; Referring to previous owner; Often found on bookplates

F – Fine; Refers to the Book or Dust Jacket Condition

FE – First Edition

FFEP – Front Free Endpaper

FL – Flyleaf

FP – First Printing

FTP – Freight Pass Through; Price includes shipping; Usually found next to the price on the inside corner of the dust jacket next to the price

FRONTIS – Frontispiece

G – Good; Refers to book or dust jacket condition

HC – Hardcover; refers to book binding

IL. ILLUS – Illustrated

IOBA – Independent Online Booksellers Association

LITHO – Lithograph

LTD. ED. – Limited Edition

N.D or n-d – No Date

N.P or n-pl – No Place

O or OOP – Out-of-Print

PP – Pages; p. (then the number) for page; /pp for pages __ to __

PB or PPB – Paperback; Refers to book binding

PPD – Postpaid

67 PR – Printing

PSEUD. – Pseudonym

PUB – Published or Publisher

RFEP – Rear Free Endpaper

RET – Returnable

SLC – Slipcase

SGD – Signed

SP – Spelling

T.E.G. – Top Edge Gilt

TLS – Typed Letter Signed

TP – Title Page

VG – Very Good; Refers to book or dust jacket condition

VOL., VOLS – Volume; Volumes

W.A.F. – With All Faults

W/O – Without

About the Author

I am a Top Rated eBay PowerSeller, an eBay Trading Assistant and an eBay Certified Education Specialist and have been selling on eBay since April 2005.