How to Sell Books on Ebay “The Booksellers Guide to Increased Sales and Profits”
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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 Copyright © 2010 by Henry Neff 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