March 2021 Selling Update #3

In my last post, I photographed books that I gathered together to list on Etsy.  I mentioned that some books might not get listed if I found something wrong with them.  I have had to set aside all of the hardcover Three Investigators books for now.

I had forgotten that most of them have a strong musty odor.  I had already attempted to reduce the odor by using baking soda.  I did that for around two months with no reduction in odor.  

For the record, I have never been able to get the musty odor out of any book no matter what method I have tried.

I do, however, now have an ozone generator.  I purchased it recently because of the appallingly strong scented odor of a first printing copy of Judy Bolton #1, The Vanishing Shadow, that I acquired late last year.  I want to keep it instead of the worse condition book that I have owned for years.  However, the fragrance is so strong that I find it gross.  I cannot put the book on the shelf with my other books.  Even a mild fragrance in a book bothers me. 

Many people like to cover smoky or musty odors with fragrance before selling the books.  Just be aware that quite a few of us hate fragrance as much as the other odors, so we won't see the fragrance as an improvement.  It's not natural for a book to smell like freshly laundered clothing.  The book should smell like a book.

I exposed the Three Investigators books to some ozone last weekend.  I now need to wait to see how much of the odor comes back.  I can tell that some of it is still there, but I want to see how strong it gets.  I will then treat the books again.  This process could take a few weeks.  At some point, I'll get the hardcover Three Investigators books listed on Etsy.  

I will give a report about the ozone generator, but that's a topic for another post.  I will say now that you should not purchase an ozone generator without first researching the risks. 

The good news is that every other book that I pulled to list on Etsy was listed.

Last night, I opened both stores back up.

Jennifer's Series Books on Etsy

The Etsy shop has my most popular books, primarily Nancy Drew, the Dana Girls, Trixie Belden, and the Three Investigators.  Those series do far better than any other series I have ever tried on Etsy.  The boys' series, including the Hardy Boys, typically do not sell for me on Etsy.  I have a couple of ideas about why that is the case.

Jennifer's Series Books on eBay

I also list Nancy Drew in great quantity on eBay.  The Dana Girls and Trixie Belden books that I list are ones that are harder to sell on Etsy, like international editions.

I list everything else on eBay, from all the boys' series to any series that is less popular than the core series that I list on Etsy.

I will be listing a large quantity of books on eBay in the coming days.  I do understand that when many desirable books show up for sale at once that it can be distressing if you cannot afford all of them.  Unfortunately, I cannot do anything about that.  I haven't sold in seven months, and I have cleared well over 500 of my own books from my shelves.  I have a large number of very desirable books to list.  I must work on getting them listed.

I am trying to pull books of different types so that the books might be desirable to different groups of people.  For instance, around an hour ago, I pulled out a set of Kit Hunter books, some books by Margaret Goff Clark, and some Dana Girls Swedish editions.  I hope that the books appeal to different groups of collectors.