I prefer to purchase my books on eBay, simply because I have fewer problems. To be fair, most purchases made from the other sites go fine, but the strict seller standards imposed by those sites often cause sellers to use deceptive practices.
I ordered some books from several sellers on June 14 on Amazon and Biblio. All but one purchase arrived quickly. One seller on Biblio did not make contact for one week. They sent a message, telling me that the books had been shipped. I received a shipping notice from Biblio. I checked the tracking number and saw that it had been cancelled after it was generated. Hmm....
The seller waited the maximum number of days that they could wait without risking having Biblio cancel the transaction. This told me that the seller was using a delay tactic. They waited as long as they could, then they created a shipping label. By having a tracking number entered, they fulfilled the on-time shipping requirement. They then cancelled the label.
Most likely, the seller didn't have one of the books on hand and needed to purchase it from another seller. I was annoyed, because I would have purchased from someone else if I had known this would happen.
As the days passed, I kept waiting to see if the tracking number would update to a valid one or whether the books would show up. I decided that July 5 was the earliest I could expect the books to arrive if the seller had to purchase from someone else first. My plan was to contact the seller on July 5 after my mail had arrived.
I then decided to delay a little longer, because I felt like the books were going to show up within a few days. Finally, they arrived today.
The shipping label showed that it was created on June 20, so at first glance, it appeared that the post office screwed up. But I knew that was not likely what had happened.
I entered the tracking number into USPS.com. The label was created on June 20, but the package was not accepted at the seller's local post office until July 3. Ah, so I was right. The seller played the delay game so that they could purchase the needed book from someone else.
Sites like Biblio require sellers to maintain a rather high fulfillment rate, and furthermore, the books must be mailed promptly. Sellers cannot avoid any mistakes, so they use delay tactics to hide when they are unable to ship on time. This has happened to me a number of times before.
At least this seller followed through.
I will say that the condition of each book does match the seller's written description. Perhaps something else is going on here. However, this seller states that they ship each day, and that is most certainly not what happened in this case. Even if I did receive the exact books as offered, something odd went down. The seller shouldn't have waited until July 3 to hand off the package to USPS.
In one past case, I purchased the only book available online from a certain seller. That book didn't arrive. When I finally asked, the seller cancelled the transaction. I think that seller didn't have the book but couldn't buy one from someone else. They were probably hoping I'd never notice that I didn't receive it.
Buying from the various bookselling sites can be problematic. eBay gets a lot of criticism, but I have far more confidence in my eBay purchases. eBay sellers usually photograph the actual item that is for sale and ship promptly. They don't play games like some sellers on other sites.
Showing posts with label Book Buying Information. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Book Buying Information. Show all posts
Friday, July 7, 2023
Seller Slight of Hand on Amazon, AbeBooks, Biblio, and Alibris
Friday, November 17, 2017
The Expectation of Low Price Regardless of Scarcity
In the Facebook groups, members frequently post about their finds, usually at a certain chain bookstore, and the books were purchased at below value. In fact, practically the only members who ever state what they paid for their books are the ones who announce that their books cost from $0.10 each up to $1.00 to $2.00 each. Sometimes a member will photograph a big stack of vintage books and state that the entire stack was just a few dollars.
I ran searches on the names of some of the people who often post about very cheap finds. Occasionally they state that a book that they purchased was priced higher than they would have liked, but they omit the price on those posts. Interesting. These people only mention prices when the books are extremely cheap.
The rest of the members almost never reveal the prices of their books, probably because they paid the actual market value. Since the only people regularly revealing prices paid are the ones who purchased the books at very low prices, many collectors now have unrealistic expectations about price. Some buyers think all books priced above a certain amount are too high, regardless of scarcity. For some buyers, anything above $5 is too high. For other buyers, anything above $40 or $50 is too high. It doesn't matter how rare a book is; they expect for the book to be priced low. They fail to understand that some books will be priced higher, due to supply and demand.
I had a copy of Vicki Barr #15, The Mystery of Flight 908, up for sale at $130. Someone was looking for a copy, and the link to my book was shared in one of the groups. Someone else immediately said that my price was "crazy." I did not take offense, because I knew that I had priced my book at the approximate value. Not only that, mine was by far the cheapest copy available for sale.
The very few others up for sale online were priced at around $500. I purposely priced mine the lowest. I'm sure I needed to price mine at no higher than $50 for my price not to have been considered crazy by many series book buyers. However, if I had priced my book at $50, it would almost certainly have sold immediately to someone who would have placed it back up for sale at $150 or higher. There was no point in me giving it away at a low price.
Regardless, I could not price my book at just $50 since I paid more than $50 for it. Whenever a seller has scarce books up for sale, they most likely paid high prices for the books. Sellers are not able to find scarce books for just a few dollars each. I know of a high-end seller of inucabula—books printed before 1501—who spends $20,000 or more on single books and then resells them for $50,000 or more. Expensive books that are up for sale were expensive for the sellers to purchase. Never assume that the sellers purchased the books for mere pennies. Sellers have made significant investments in their inventory.
Getting back to my book, I had the book available for someone who needed it, but I priced it high enough to recover my investment and make it less likely to be purchased to be placed back up for sale at an exorbitant price. The book is now residing in someone's collection instead of being stuck in limbo for sale online. Many online sellers play "keep away" with scarce books by placing them up for sale at outrageous prices. I want to get a decent price for my scarce books, and I want them to have a chance at finding a home. Those books must be priced where they will sell, but probably to someone who needs the book.
At the same time, please understand that I do not mind dealers purchasing from me to resell. If someone had purchased my book and offered it at a higher price, that would have been fine. However, I did try to price it so that it would more likely go directly to someone who wanted to keep the book.
In a discussion in one of the series book groups, one person noted that collectors tend to price their books higher than bookstores and antique shops. This is certainly true for books that are special in some way. We know what they are really worth. We know the historic selling prices over the last 20 or more years. Unfortunately, those new to collecting do not know the historic selling prices, so they think we have priced the books too high.
International editions have become quite problematic to sell. Buyers expect the books not to cost more than other series books. In order to collect international editions, I must import the books from other countries. The seller from whom I purchase the book may price a book at just $5, but I must typically pay postage of $10 to $20 to get the book. The average international edition ends up costing $15 to $25, and sometimes the cost is much higher.
I have quite a few international editions for sale on eBay. Many of them came from purchases made over two years ago when someone's entire collection of series books was donated to a library, which then evidently sold the books very cheaply. Ultimately, the books ended up in large lots on eBay. I acquired a large number of extras as a result of purchasing some of the bulk lots. I have had some of the extras up for sale for over two years, and nobody wants them. Those books are now priced at below my cost. Even so, I have prospective buyers contact me, asking if I will reduce the prices.
I believe the problem is that because I have had so many extras from those purchases that prospective buyers perceive that the books are easy to find and should be priced cheaply. Awhile back, someone made an observation about the availability of Vicki Barr books. They believed that the international editions are much easier to find than the original editions. They were referring to my listings of international editions of Vicki Barr books. I was a bit taken aback that someone would think that the international editions are easier to find simply because one seller happens to have a bunch of them. Now that my extra Vicki Barr international editions have sold, none are available. They were never easier to find, but they were perceived to be due to my listings.
I have now sold most of those international editions, but for some reason, nobody will purchase my Danish Dana Girls books. The books have beautiful cover art and are priced below my cost. The Danish editions are my very favorite international editions, and I cannot understand why the books do not sell. Actually, I do know why. The books have been listed for over two years, so buyers think that they are easy to find. Once they sell, the books will be hard to find.
http://stores.ebay.com/Jennifers-Series-Books/Dana-Girls-/_i.html?_fsub=4477506017
I ran searches on the names of some of the people who often post about very cheap finds. Occasionally they state that a book that they purchased was priced higher than they would have liked, but they omit the price on those posts. Interesting. These people only mention prices when the books are extremely cheap.
The rest of the members almost never reveal the prices of their books, probably because they paid the actual market value. Since the only people regularly revealing prices paid are the ones who purchased the books at very low prices, many collectors now have unrealistic expectations about price. Some buyers think all books priced above a certain amount are too high, regardless of scarcity. For some buyers, anything above $5 is too high. For other buyers, anything above $40 or $50 is too high. It doesn't matter how rare a book is; they expect for the book to be priced low. They fail to understand that some books will be priced higher, due to supply and demand.
I had a copy of Vicki Barr #15, The Mystery of Flight 908, up for sale at $130. Someone was looking for a copy, and the link to my book was shared in one of the groups. Someone else immediately said that my price was "crazy." I did not take offense, because I knew that I had priced my book at the approximate value. Not only that, mine was by far the cheapest copy available for sale.
The very few others up for sale online were priced at around $500. I purposely priced mine the lowest. I'm sure I needed to price mine at no higher than $50 for my price not to have been considered crazy by many series book buyers. However, if I had priced my book at $50, it would almost certainly have sold immediately to someone who would have placed it back up for sale at $150 or higher. There was no point in me giving it away at a low price.
Regardless, I could not price my book at just $50 since I paid more than $50 for it. Whenever a seller has scarce books up for sale, they most likely paid high prices for the books. Sellers are not able to find scarce books for just a few dollars each. I know of a high-end seller of inucabula—books printed before 1501—who spends $20,000 or more on single books and then resells them for $50,000 or more. Expensive books that are up for sale were expensive for the sellers to purchase. Never assume that the sellers purchased the books for mere pennies. Sellers have made significant investments in their inventory.
Getting back to my book, I had the book available for someone who needed it, but I priced it high enough to recover my investment and make it less likely to be purchased to be placed back up for sale at an exorbitant price. The book is now residing in someone's collection instead of being stuck in limbo for sale online. Many online sellers play "keep away" with scarce books by placing them up for sale at outrageous prices. I want to get a decent price for my scarce books, and I want them to have a chance at finding a home. Those books must be priced where they will sell, but probably to someone who needs the book.
At the same time, please understand that I do not mind dealers purchasing from me to resell. If someone had purchased my book and offered it at a higher price, that would have been fine. However, I did try to price it so that it would more likely go directly to someone who wanted to keep the book.
In a discussion in one of the series book groups, one person noted that collectors tend to price their books higher than bookstores and antique shops. This is certainly true for books that are special in some way. We know what they are really worth. We know the historic selling prices over the last 20 or more years. Unfortunately, those new to collecting do not know the historic selling prices, so they think we have priced the books too high.
International editions have become quite problematic to sell. Buyers expect the books not to cost more than other series books. In order to collect international editions, I must import the books from other countries. The seller from whom I purchase the book may price a book at just $5, but I must typically pay postage of $10 to $20 to get the book. The average international edition ends up costing $15 to $25, and sometimes the cost is much higher.
I have quite a few international editions for sale on eBay. Many of them came from purchases made over two years ago when someone's entire collection of series books was donated to a library, which then evidently sold the books very cheaply. Ultimately, the books ended up in large lots on eBay. I acquired a large number of extras as a result of purchasing some of the bulk lots. I have had some of the extras up for sale for over two years, and nobody wants them. Those books are now priced at below my cost. Even so, I have prospective buyers contact me, asking if I will reduce the prices.
I believe the problem is that because I have had so many extras from those purchases that prospective buyers perceive that the books are easy to find and should be priced cheaply. Awhile back, someone made an observation about the availability of Vicki Barr books. They believed that the international editions are much easier to find than the original editions. They were referring to my listings of international editions of Vicki Barr books. I was a bit taken aback that someone would think that the international editions are easier to find simply because one seller happens to have a bunch of them. Now that my extra Vicki Barr international editions have sold, none are available. They were never easier to find, but they were perceived to be due to my listings.
I have now sold most of those international editions, but for some reason, nobody will purchase my Danish Dana Girls books. The books have beautiful cover art and are priced below my cost. The Danish editions are my very favorite international editions, and I cannot understand why the books do not sell. Actually, I do know why. The books have been listed for over two years, so buyers think that they are easy to find. Once they sell, the books will be hard to find.
http://stores.ebay.com/Jennifers-Series-Books/Dana-Girls-/_i.html?_fsub=4477506017
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Always Check Your Amazon Seller's Feedback
Over a year ago, I detailed how I search for books online. I use eBay, Amazon, and AbeBooks as first choices when trying to build sets of books. I also check Thriftbooks, Etsy, Ecrater, Bonanza, and Google's shopping search.
In January, I decided that I definitely wanted to read the River Heights series. I had started the set and needed to acquire three titles quickly in order to read through the set in order. I had already started the set, and the books must be read in sequential order.
I needed #9 Lies and Whispers, #11 Broken Hearts, and #16 Jealousy Trap. I found #9 and #16 on Thriftbooks.com and ordered them with some other books. I found #11 Broken Hearts on both Amazon and AbeBooks. I went with the Amazon seller since the price was slightly lower.
When I purchase books solely to read, I do not need for them to be perfect. Of course, I would rather the books arrive in very good or better condition, but I mainly just want to read the book. I can deal with a book that is not in the best of condition. Therefore, I often go with the lowest price online. Typically, this is never a problem, except occasionally I encounter a flaky seller. However, that sometimes happens even with more expensive listings.
My orders were placed on January 17. The Thriftbooks order of #9 and #16 along with other books was shipped on January 18 and 19. The Amazon order page for #11 had already updated to the status "preparing for shipment." By January 19 or 20, I began to feel like something wasn't right with the Amazon order. I actually had no real reason to feel disquiet, but I have an excellent intuition that warns me about potential transaction problems. When my intuition warns me about a transaction, I am usually correct.
I went back to Amazon and looked at the order. I clicked on the seller's name and then the feedback. I had a sinking feeling. I knew that the transaction was doomed, but I couldn't cancel it.
This is what I saw.
The feedback is great, but look at the dates. The above comments are the seller's most recent feedback comments. The seller has not received feedback in five years! Granted, most Amazon buyers do not leave feedback. I do sometimes, but I forget a lot of the time. Even though most buyers do not leave feedback, the typical Amazon seller with a storefront should have received feedback somewhat more recently than five years ago.
I decided to go ahead and order #11 from another seller. I found a listing on AbeBooks. I knew that I was risking getting two copies, but I considered it very important to guarantee that #11 would arrive in time. I couldn't wait on a flaky Amazon seller, so I ordered the book again from the AbeBooks seller.
Meanwhile, I sent the Amazon seller a message expressing my concern about the order. I don't recall what I stated, and I did not have a copy of the message sent to me. I waited one week and had not received a response. By that point, I was at least 90% certain that the Amazon seller's storefront was untended and that the order would never be shipped. Meanwhile, I received #11 from the AbeBooks seller.
Since one week had passed without response from the Amazon seller, I requested to cancel the order. This was around January 24 and was another message sent directly to the seller. The seller did not respond to the second message. Amazon would not take control of the situation until enough time had passed. I had to wait it out.
On February 17, Amazon sent an automated message. "The following order(s) placed on 1/17/2017 with ----- will be canceled if the order is not ship-confirmed by 2/23/2017." I had about one more week to wait.
Finally, on February 23, I received the long-awaited message from Amazon.
"We're writing to inform you that your order from ----- has been canceled because the seller did not confirm shipment of the order within 30 days. Sellers on Amazon must ship products within 30 days of when the order was placed, otherwise the order is automatically canceled. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't be charged for items that are canceled."
By ordering from the wrong seller, I had this order hanging over me for five weeks plus two days. If I had looked at the feedback before placing the order, I would not have chosen this particular seller.
To my knowledge, Amazon does not let sellers list books for free. It's surprising that a seller has an untended storefront on Amazon. Wouldn't it be logical not to pay Amazon to list items that one has no intention of shipping out? It could be that the seller has passed away. Regardless, I will be more careful in the future so that I can avoid a repeat of this situation.
In January, I decided that I definitely wanted to read the River Heights series. I had started the set and needed to acquire three titles quickly in order to read through the set in order. I had already started the set, and the books must be read in sequential order.
I needed #9 Lies and Whispers, #11 Broken Hearts, and #16 Jealousy Trap. I found #9 and #16 on Thriftbooks.com and ordered them with some other books. I found #11 Broken Hearts on both Amazon and AbeBooks. I went with the Amazon seller since the price was slightly lower.
When I purchase books solely to read, I do not need for them to be perfect. Of course, I would rather the books arrive in very good or better condition, but I mainly just want to read the book. I can deal with a book that is not in the best of condition. Therefore, I often go with the lowest price online. Typically, this is never a problem, except occasionally I encounter a flaky seller. However, that sometimes happens even with more expensive listings.
My orders were placed on January 17. The Thriftbooks order of #9 and #16 along with other books was shipped on January 18 and 19. The Amazon order page for #11 had already updated to the status "preparing for shipment." By January 19 or 20, I began to feel like something wasn't right with the Amazon order. I actually had no real reason to feel disquiet, but I have an excellent intuition that warns me about potential transaction problems. When my intuition warns me about a transaction, I am usually correct.
I went back to Amazon and looked at the order. I clicked on the seller's name and then the feedback. I had a sinking feeling. I knew that the transaction was doomed, but I couldn't cancel it.
This is what I saw.
The feedback is great, but look at the dates. The above comments are the seller's most recent feedback comments. The seller has not received feedback in five years! Granted, most Amazon buyers do not leave feedback. I do sometimes, but I forget a lot of the time. Even though most buyers do not leave feedback, the typical Amazon seller with a storefront should have received feedback somewhat more recently than five years ago.
I decided to go ahead and order #11 from another seller. I found a listing on AbeBooks. I knew that I was risking getting two copies, but I considered it very important to guarantee that #11 would arrive in time. I couldn't wait on a flaky Amazon seller, so I ordered the book again from the AbeBooks seller.
Meanwhile, I sent the Amazon seller a message expressing my concern about the order. I don't recall what I stated, and I did not have a copy of the message sent to me. I waited one week and had not received a response. By that point, I was at least 90% certain that the Amazon seller's storefront was untended and that the order would never be shipped. Meanwhile, I received #11 from the AbeBooks seller.
Since one week had passed without response from the Amazon seller, I requested to cancel the order. This was around January 24 and was another message sent directly to the seller. The seller did not respond to the second message. Amazon would not take control of the situation until enough time had passed. I had to wait it out.
On February 17, Amazon sent an automated message. "The following order(s) placed on 1/17/2017 with ----- will be canceled if the order is not ship-confirmed by 2/23/2017." I had about one more week to wait.
Finally, on February 23, I received the long-awaited message from Amazon.
"We're writing to inform you that your order from ----- has been canceled because the seller did not confirm shipment of the order within 30 days. Sellers on Amazon must ship products within 30 days of when the order was placed, otherwise the order is automatically canceled. We're sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. In most cases, you pay for items when we ship them to you, so you won't be charged for items that are canceled."
By ordering from the wrong seller, I had this order hanging over me for five weeks plus two days. If I had looked at the feedback before placing the order, I would not have chosen this particular seller.
To my knowledge, Amazon does not let sellers list books for free. It's surprising that a seller has an untended storefront on Amazon. Wouldn't it be logical not to pay Amazon to list items that one has no intention of shipping out? It could be that the seller has passed away. Regardless, I will be more careful in the future so that I can avoid a repeat of this situation.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Book Condition Disclosures
In a message forum, someone asked about what condition issues should be disclosed when a book is offered for sale. The most popular response was "all of them." More specifically, what is most important? As I answer this, I think about what is important to me.
Musty odor is a significant flaw and must be disclosed. As a book buyer, I cannot stand books that smell musty. Exposing the book to fresh air sometimes helps, but generally, musty odor does not go away. I have bought books for my collection and had to immediately seek an upgrade due to a musty odor.
Cigarette odor should also be mentioned, although it is less of a problem. I find that cigarette odor tends to go away on its own after several months. While I dislike receiving books with undisclosed cigarette odor, I know that time will usually care of it.
Sellers sometimes try to be helpful by using a fragrance to cover the odor. This is a bad idea. What will happen is that the book will still have the original odor and will also have an additional perfumed smell. Book buyers do not want their books to smell like Febreze, perfume, or dryer sheets.
If there is any kind of writing inside the book, it must be disclosed. Even a name written inside is important. I do not care if my books have a name inside, but I once had a buyer go off on me because I accidentally did not mention a name written inside. So, I always check for a name or inscription and mention it. Sometimes, I do miss an inscription or signature, so buyers who need books with no writing should also make certain that the seller has not overlooked an inscription.
As a book buyer, I do mind if the name is written huge and in crayon, so as a seller, I make sure that I mention when a name is written rather large and in crayon. I also mention if a name is written in permanent marker that has bled through the page, since that is far worse than a neat penciled name.
If pages are ripped or creased, that needs to be mentioned. If pages are missing, that should be mentioned. Missing pages usually make a book worthless, so those books should not be sold.
A flaw that is almost never mentioned by sellers is the problem of blurred images on dust jackets and book covers. The blurring is caused by a printing flaw and can be easily missed. Since sellers tend to avoid mentioning this flaw even when the blurring is obvious, buyers must always be on the lookout for blurring of the cover art. I have seen sellers receive negative feedback from buyers for failure to disclose this flaw. Nobody wants a collectible book with blurred cover art.
Most important, have a photograph of the actual book for sale that is in focus so that we can see the book. For collectible books such as the ones I buy and sell, the buyer needs to see the front cover and spine. We do care what our collectible books look like on the shelf. The spines are as important as the front covers, and in some cases, the spines are more important.
Stock photos are a big problem. I have sometimes found my own photos used in eBay auctions. I have also found images from my website used in eBay auctions. I recall a seller taking an image of one of the hardcover Goldencraft Trixie Belden books and using it as a stock photo for a softcover edition. A buyer desiring the hardcover will be quite upset when a softcover book arrives. I have also seen sellers lift a photo of a Nancy Drew book from the 1930s and use for a book from the 1960s that is up for sale, and the two books have hugely different values. Never use stock photos for collectible books.
A statement of overall condition is good, but make sure that a good photo of the book is present so that buyers can make a final determination.
What is most important to you when buying books?
Musty odor is a significant flaw and must be disclosed. As a book buyer, I cannot stand books that smell musty. Exposing the book to fresh air sometimes helps, but generally, musty odor does not go away. I have bought books for my collection and had to immediately seek an upgrade due to a musty odor.
Cigarette odor should also be mentioned, although it is less of a problem. I find that cigarette odor tends to go away on its own after several months. While I dislike receiving books with undisclosed cigarette odor, I know that time will usually care of it.
Sellers sometimes try to be helpful by using a fragrance to cover the odor. This is a bad idea. What will happen is that the book will still have the original odor and will also have an additional perfumed smell. Book buyers do not want their books to smell like Febreze, perfume, or dryer sheets.
If there is any kind of writing inside the book, it must be disclosed. Even a name written inside is important. I do not care if my books have a name inside, but I once had a buyer go off on me because I accidentally did not mention a name written inside. So, I always check for a name or inscription and mention it. Sometimes, I do miss an inscription or signature, so buyers who need books with no writing should also make certain that the seller has not overlooked an inscription.
As a book buyer, I do mind if the name is written huge and in crayon, so as a seller, I make sure that I mention when a name is written rather large and in crayon. I also mention if a name is written in permanent marker that has bled through the page, since that is far worse than a neat penciled name.
If pages are ripped or creased, that needs to be mentioned. If pages are missing, that should be mentioned. Missing pages usually make a book worthless, so those books should not be sold.
A flaw that is almost never mentioned by sellers is the problem of blurred images on dust jackets and book covers. The blurring is caused by a printing flaw and can be easily missed. Since sellers tend to avoid mentioning this flaw even when the blurring is obvious, buyers must always be on the lookout for blurring of the cover art. I have seen sellers receive negative feedback from buyers for failure to disclose this flaw. Nobody wants a collectible book with blurred cover art.
Most important, have a photograph of the actual book for sale that is in focus so that we can see the book. For collectible books such as the ones I buy and sell, the buyer needs to see the front cover and spine. We do care what our collectible books look like on the shelf. The spines are as important as the front covers, and in some cases, the spines are more important.
Stock photos are a big problem. I have sometimes found my own photos used in eBay auctions. I have also found images from my website used in eBay auctions. I recall a seller taking an image of one of the hardcover Goldencraft Trixie Belden books and using it as a stock photo for a softcover edition. A buyer desiring the hardcover will be quite upset when a softcover book arrives. I have also seen sellers lift a photo of a Nancy Drew book from the 1930s and use for a book from the 1960s that is up for sale, and the two books have hugely different values. Never use stock photos for collectible books.
A statement of overall condition is good, but make sure that a good photo of the book is present so that buyers can make a final determination.
What is most important to you when buying books?
Monday, June 20, 2011
How People Try to Find Books
I always appreciate comments, because the comments get me to think more about a topic or remind me of certain information. When I wrote about Google Product Search, a reader questioned whether buyers would just go directly to sites that sell books rather than using Google. I made the following response.
People who think like me just type in the series name and book title when trying to find a book to buy. Many of my visitors do exactly that, and I cannot read their intent. They could be trying to buy the book, but they could also want a summary of the book or general information. Other people form their queries as questions or use certain words such as "buy," and in those cases, the intent is very obvious.
I took screen captures of the data that included at least some queries for which the intent is obvious. There is no way that I can show you all the data, because more than 13,000 search terms were used in the last five months to reach my website. This will give you an idea.
If any of the screen captures are too hard to read, click on them to see a larger version.
Since the queries regarding where to buy books caused those people to visit my website, you can see the importance of my site having links to my Bonanza booth, Jennifer's Series Books. Here are my main sources of traffic to my Bonanza booth over the same five months.
Direct traffic is the highest and includes widget traffic, which means that people who reach Bonanza via my widgets on my website or either blog end up counting as direct traffic. Each widget is like a piece of Bonanza inserted into my website.
Between the unattributed direct traffic from widgets and the traffic that is attributed to my website, I have a large amount of traffic reaching my booth through my website. If I can also get my individual items to rank high in Google's results, I have an even greater chance of bringing more buyer traffic to my booth. The goal is to reach those buyers who have no idea where to buy old series books.
I believe that most book buyers would do that, which is another reason why I care very little about how well my items rank in Google Product Search.Thinking about this topic again made me decide to take a look at my Google Analytics data for my website, www.series-books.com. I brought up all of the queries used by people who visited my website over the last five months.
However, there are some buyers who have no clue where to find books. They really don't. My website, series-books.com, gets a lot of Google traffic from people who type "where to buy Nancy Drew books" or similar phrases into the search form. This blog gets a lot of that traffic as well.
I have had people contact me asking where they can find certain books, like Sally Baxter. I tell them that eBay is a good place to look. I tell them about ABE. There are people who don't seem to know that eBay has books for sale. It boggles the mind how many people have absolutely no idea where to find books.
People who think like me just type in the series name and book title when trying to find a book to buy. Many of my visitors do exactly that, and I cannot read their intent. They could be trying to buy the book, but they could also want a summary of the book or general information. Other people form their queries as questions or use certain words such as "buy," and in those cases, the intent is very obvious.
I took screen captures of the data that included at least some queries for which the intent is obvious. There is no way that I can show you all the data, because more than 13,000 search terms were used in the last five months to reach my website. This will give you an idea.
If any of the screen captures are too hard to read, click on them to see a larger version.
Since the queries regarding where to buy books caused those people to visit my website, you can see the importance of my site having links to my Bonanza booth, Jennifer's Series Books. Here are my main sources of traffic to my Bonanza booth over the same five months.
Direct traffic is the highest and includes widget traffic, which means that people who reach Bonanza via my widgets on my website or either blog end up counting as direct traffic. Each widget is like a piece of Bonanza inserted into my website.
Between the unattributed direct traffic from widgets and the traffic that is attributed to my website, I have a large amount of traffic reaching my booth through my website. If I can also get my individual items to rank high in Google's results, I have an even greater chance of bringing more buyer traffic to my booth. The goal is to reach those buyers who have no idea where to buy old series books.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Books for Sale on eBay
Since eBay has been running a promotion in which sellers can list up to 100 items for free in auctions over the holiday weekend, I decided to remove a bunch of books from my Bonanzle booth and place on eBay. I have been frustrated that my number of extra books has continued to increase because people are not buying the vast majority of the books.
I sell Dana Girls PCs and Beverly Gray books very quickly, for instance, but I have been unable to get people to buy my Outdoor Girls books with dust jackets. I have had those books since around October 2008, and I recall trying to sell them on eBay several times before I opened my Bonanzle booth out of desperation because people were not buying my books on eBay. I truly believe that eBay has placed a curse on my primary ID. Those of us who have been on the site since near the beginning are absolutely not wanted, at least not as sellers.
I put my Outdoor Girls books on eBay along with some other books that I have had for far too long. I used my secondary low feedback ID that has no DSRs, since it seems to get the exposure that my primary ID no longer gets.
Books for sale on eBay
My sales on Bonanzle are good, but some books, like the Outdoor Girls books, simply will not sell, and I would like to move them out.
I should be able to sell enough books that I can look for odd bidding patterns. I noticed an odd bidding pattern with the first lot I sold on this ID. Two of the bidders on the lot were from Michigan. It will be interesting to see whether any similar patterns occur on these lots.
I sell Dana Girls PCs and Beverly Gray books very quickly, for instance, but I have been unable to get people to buy my Outdoor Girls books with dust jackets. I have had those books since around October 2008, and I recall trying to sell them on eBay several times before I opened my Bonanzle booth out of desperation because people were not buying my books on eBay. I truly believe that eBay has placed a curse on my primary ID. Those of us who have been on the site since near the beginning are absolutely not wanted, at least not as sellers.
I put my Outdoor Girls books on eBay along with some other books that I have had for far too long. I used my secondary low feedback ID that has no DSRs, since it seems to get the exposure that my primary ID no longer gets.
Books for sale on eBay
My sales on Bonanzle are good, but some books, like the Outdoor Girls books, simply will not sell, and I would like to move them out.
I should be able to sell enough books that I can look for odd bidding patterns. I noticed an odd bidding pattern with the first lot I sold on this ID. Two of the bidders on the lot were from Michigan. It will be interesting to see whether any similar patterns occur on these lots.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Using the Copyright Date in Listings
I am going to give you guys something else to gnaw on today. Please read my previous post, although this one should have been posted first. I received a question about one of my books on Bonanzle. Someone was confused because I identified a picture cover of Haunted Showboat as being a "1957 PC" in the title of the listing. I do all of my listings that way. It was pointed out that I do not mention anywhere that the book is from 1972, even though that can be concluded by the information I give in the listing. Later, it was pointed out that buyers might think my book is from 1957 rather than a later printing, and it was suggested that I use the term "publication date" incorrectly.
I want to give my original response.
As already stated, I find the copyright date to be a super easy way to determine whether the book has the original or revised text. 1956 is the key year. 1956 and earlier copyrights are for books with 25 chapter texts. After 1957 copyrights are books with 20 chapter texts. With this method, you don't need to worry about obscure little details or whether your seller knows that "XX" is 20 or that "XXV" is 25.
It is not my intent to deceive others about the age of the books. To me, it is common sense to include the copyright date in a listing and then give the information so that buyers can figure out the age of the book. I suppose I could solve the problem by changing future titles to "1957 text PC." However, I doubt that I will do so.
This is only the second time I have ever had someone take issue with what I have entered into the item specifics. The first and only other time it happened, someone told me something like, "Your book is not from 1935. Sorry!" If I had been someone who did not know what I was doing, that person's comment was not very helpful.
I do think most buyers are perfectly capable of figuring out for themselves how old a book is. I do not feel that I should have to spell everything out. This blog, my website, Jenn's website, my eBay guides, and other sources fully explain everything that is in Farah's Guide. The Farah's Guide number is meaningless without a Farah's Guide to explain it. It is better just to use the last title listed and let buyers draw their own conclusions.
I want to give my original response.
I make it a habit of sticking the copyright date in the title of my listings. In my blog, I have told people that they can tell whether a book has a 20 chapter text or a 25 chapter text by just looking at the copyright date. All books that have a copyright date of 1956 or earlier have 25 chapter texts. All books with a copyright date of 1957 or later have 20 chapter texts. That is where I am coming from.And elaborate I will. I am a very self-reliant person. I like to figure things out for myself. Since I am self-reliant, I expect buyers to be self-reliant. Of course I'll help them when they have questions, but I provide the necessary information and they can take it as far as they want. If they want to go to Farah's Guide and get the exact Farah's Guide printing, I have given them the information to do so. If they don't care about the printing, I have given them the information to figure out about how old the book is.
Also, I have found that a lot of people use the copyright date when searching for books, which is why I like to use that date. I am aiming for any possible advantage I can get on Google.
I can see where it would be confusing or bothersome to others. Haunted Showboat was never revised, so all books have the 1957 text. I consider it to be too much trouble to try to make sure I put the actual year of printing in each listing. Sometimes books can list to a certain title but be printed in two different years.
Farah's Guide uses guesswork to figure out how old books are. It is not an exact science. With my luck, I would quickly identify a book as 1972, and it would be a 1973 book. I don't like having to get Farah's Guide out for every single listing in order to make certain I am right.
Anyway, that is my reasoning. I believe in using easy fast methods to glean certain information about books, and the copyright date is an easy way to tell how many chapters a book has.
You brought up a good point. Sometimes I have thought about not using the copyright date, but I think it is useful information, especially for people who have read my blog.
This ended up kind of long, and I may end up using it as a future post in my blog. I may even elaborate some.
As already stated, I find the copyright date to be a super easy way to determine whether the book has the original or revised text. 1956 is the key year. 1956 and earlier copyrights are for books with 25 chapter texts. After 1957 copyrights are books with 20 chapter texts. With this method, you don't need to worry about obscure little details or whether your seller knows that "XX" is 20 or that "XXV" is 25.
It is not my intent to deceive others about the age of the books. To me, it is common sense to include the copyright date in a listing and then give the information so that buyers can figure out the age of the book. I suppose I could solve the problem by changing future titles to "1957 text PC." However, I doubt that I will do so.
This is only the second time I have ever had someone take issue with what I have entered into the item specifics. The first and only other time it happened, someone told me something like, "Your book is not from 1935. Sorry!" If I had been someone who did not know what I was doing, that person's comment was not very helpful.
I do think most buyers are perfectly capable of figuring out for themselves how old a book is. I do not feel that I should have to spell everything out. This blog, my website, Jenn's website, my eBay guides, and other sources fully explain everything that is in Farah's Guide. The Farah's Guide number is meaningless without a Farah's Guide to explain it. It is better just to use the last title listed and let buyers draw their own conclusions.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Buying Large Lots of Books
Purchasing a large lot of books is a great way to acquire scarce missing volumes to complete a set and at the same time get extras of other books that can be sold to reduce the overall cost. It is a great way to build a set and spend less than buying books separately.
I love buying large lots of books, but I am a low ball bidder. This means that I usually do not win the lots unless the books are rough condition reading copies. I am cautious, especially when the seller has provided poor photos and minimal information. I have been burned multiple times on such lots, so I know to look for clues that the books might be in worse condition than stated and never bid aggressively on those lots.
People lose their senses when large lots of books have dust jackets that appear to be in nice shape from a group photo taken from five or more feet away. They act like the books are perfect and bid accordingly.
I once bid aggressively on a complete set of Outdoor Girls books with dust jackets. I could tell that the books had some water damage from the photo, but I needed Desert Valley in a dust jacket, so I bid to win. I won the books, but I paid way too much because the water damage was quite extensive. I was able to dispose of the books I did not need at about cost, but it was not easy. I learned from that and a few other experiences to be very cautious.
Recently, a near complete set of Judy Bolton books was offered on eBay.
Vintage Judy Bolton "Margaret Sutton" Mystery Books (34)
Here is the seller's photo:
The lot closed at $384.89 and contained some valuable books. The lot was a good deal, provided that the scarcest books, #32, 33, 34, and 35 are in very good or better condition. I sincerely hope that the books are in very good or better condition for the buyer's sake.
I had concerns based on my past experience with the Outdoor Girls lot. In my opinion, this lot was not worth risking more than $150.00 to $200.00 on. Why? The books appear to have water damage.
The second book in the second row from the bottom has obvious water damage. I was also concerned about the appearance of #32 and #34, which are the fourth and sixth books in the bottom row. Why do the covers look so dark?
While the seller stated that the books were cared for and in good condition, several comments caught my eye. The seller stated, "The books smell musty from being stored all these years." That means that the books were stored in a moist environment.
The seller also made the comment that "Book 22 does not have a jacket cover and the cover (front and back) looks like it had some rain on it but the inside is still in good condition." Would just one book get rain on it or get wet? It is possible, but if the books all smell musty, there is likely some damage to the other books. I have bought lots in which some books were water damaged but others were fine, but usually multiple books were damaged. Also, the seller felt that the inside of the book was in good condition, but would we? I have observed that people who do not collect books tend not to notice flaws like wrinkled or stiff pages that have been exposed to water.
Finally, the seller remarked, "Book 35 has the cover (which I believe is 22) on the back of it that stuck and I didn't try to take it off." Covers get stuck when they are have been exposed to water. While the book is wet, the cover sticks and dries stuck in place. This is a bad sign.
Let me more plainly state what the seller meant. The front panel of the dust jacket of #22, which is the second book in the second row from the bottom, is stuck to the back cover of #35 Hidden Clue, one of the valuable books. It is unlikely that the dust jacket can be removed from the back cover of Hidden Clue without damage, so Hidden Clue is not in very good condition.
With all of these clues, I concluded that quite a few of the books were likely water damaged. I hate books that have water damage. I can imagine that these books probably have that nasty gritty dirt-like stuff on the covers that is usually mildew that comes off when the books are handled. Yuck. I always quickly dispose of books that have that horrid stuff on them unless I need the books for my collection. Even at that, I upgrade the books as soon as possible and get rid of them. By "get rid of," I mean sell cheaply with the damage made plain in the description.
I hope my thoughts give others an idea of what to look for when supposedly very nice lots of expensive books are put up for sale. Always be on the lookout for possible water damage in the photos and description.
I love buying large lots of books, but I am a low ball bidder. This means that I usually do not win the lots unless the books are rough condition reading copies. I am cautious, especially when the seller has provided poor photos and minimal information. I have been burned multiple times on such lots, so I know to look for clues that the books might be in worse condition than stated and never bid aggressively on those lots.
People lose their senses when large lots of books have dust jackets that appear to be in nice shape from a group photo taken from five or more feet away. They act like the books are perfect and bid accordingly.
I once bid aggressively on a complete set of Outdoor Girls books with dust jackets. I could tell that the books had some water damage from the photo, but I needed Desert Valley in a dust jacket, so I bid to win. I won the books, but I paid way too much because the water damage was quite extensive. I was able to dispose of the books I did not need at about cost, but it was not easy. I learned from that and a few other experiences to be very cautious.
Recently, a near complete set of Judy Bolton books was offered on eBay.
Vintage Judy Bolton "Margaret Sutton" Mystery Books (34)
Here is the seller's photo:
The lot closed at $384.89 and contained some valuable books. The lot was a good deal, provided that the scarcest books, #32, 33, 34, and 35 are in very good or better condition. I sincerely hope that the books are in very good or better condition for the buyer's sake.
I had concerns based on my past experience with the Outdoor Girls lot. In my opinion, this lot was not worth risking more than $150.00 to $200.00 on. Why? The books appear to have water damage.
The second book in the second row from the bottom has obvious water damage. I was also concerned about the appearance of #32 and #34, which are the fourth and sixth books in the bottom row. Why do the covers look so dark?
While the seller stated that the books were cared for and in good condition, several comments caught my eye. The seller stated, "The books smell musty from being stored all these years." That means that the books were stored in a moist environment.
The seller also made the comment that "Book 22 does not have a jacket cover and the cover (front and back) looks like it had some rain on it but the inside is still in good condition." Would just one book get rain on it or get wet? It is possible, but if the books all smell musty, there is likely some damage to the other books. I have bought lots in which some books were water damaged but others were fine, but usually multiple books were damaged. Also, the seller felt that the inside of the book was in good condition, but would we? I have observed that people who do not collect books tend not to notice flaws like wrinkled or stiff pages that have been exposed to water.
Finally, the seller remarked, "Book 35 has the cover (which I believe is 22) on the back of it that stuck and I didn't try to take it off." Covers get stuck when they are have been exposed to water. While the book is wet, the cover sticks and dries stuck in place. This is a bad sign.
Let me more plainly state what the seller meant. The front panel of the dust jacket of #22, which is the second book in the second row from the bottom, is stuck to the back cover of #35 Hidden Clue, one of the valuable books. It is unlikely that the dust jacket can be removed from the back cover of Hidden Clue without damage, so Hidden Clue is not in very good condition.
With all of these clues, I concluded that quite a few of the books were likely water damaged. I hate books that have water damage. I can imagine that these books probably have that nasty gritty dirt-like stuff on the covers that is usually mildew that comes off when the books are handled. Yuck. I always quickly dispose of books that have that horrid stuff on them unless I need the books for my collection. Even at that, I upgrade the books as soon as possible and get rid of them. By "get rid of," I mean sell cheaply with the damage made plain in the description.
I hope my thoughts give others an idea of what to look for when supposedly very nice lots of expensive books are put up for sale. Always be on the lookout for possible water damage in the photos and description.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
How I Am Coping with the New eBay
I am not sure exactly when it happened, but my search results now contain all store items, all fixed-priced items, all international items, and all auctions mixed in together in an untidy mess. I think it has been a gradual process that has occurred over the last week. I noticed an increase in my results last weekend, and around two days ago, I realized that it was taking me forever to scroll through the items that close in the next 24 hours. That was when I realized that eBay has now fully integrated all items into the search results. It is quite aggravating to say the least.
Even the searches with relatively low results are now rather difficult to navigate. The larger searches, such as "Nancy Drew," are a nightmare. I have decided how I will cope, so I am sharing this information for those of you who still sell on eBay.
When I run my searches, I immediately sort by "newly listed" to see whether any of the newest items are good deals. I have used this strategy for a long time in order to troll for good Buy It Now items. This strategy will not change.
I have to make a change for the other half of my searches. In addition to sorting by "newly listed," I like to search by "ending soonest" so that I will not miss any of the good auctions. This is where I have the problem. The number of fixed-price items included in the results makes it next to impossible to search just the items that close in the next 24 hours.
My solution is to click on "auctions only" when I run my "ending soonest" searches. This way, the fixed-price items are missing, and I will not fail to notice any good auctions that are ending soon.
When I run a search for "Nancy Drew," nearly 10,000 items show up in the search (Note: This is a search with restrictions such as the maximum allowable number of blocked sellers. Over 16,000 results show with no restrictions.). This is impossible to navigate. When I search for "Nancy Drew" and limit my results to auctions, I get slightly under 1,000 results. This makes all the difference.
Think about what my decision to limit my "ending soonest" searches to auctions means. If you sell on eBay and use the fixed-price format, you have one narrow opportunity to make a sale to me, which is when I run my searches that are sorted by "newly listed." I will see your item the day it is listed, and I will never see it again.
What if other buyers decide to use my method? Think of how hard it might become to sell a fixed-price item. On the other hand, most buyers may just go with eBay's default, but if that happens, then the auctions will suffer. We will only know after a few months of this format how the changes will affect fixed-price items and auctions.
Even the searches with relatively low results are now rather difficult to navigate. The larger searches, such as "Nancy Drew," are a nightmare. I have decided how I will cope, so I am sharing this information for those of you who still sell on eBay.
When I run my searches, I immediately sort by "newly listed" to see whether any of the newest items are good deals. I have used this strategy for a long time in order to troll for good Buy It Now items. This strategy will not change.
I have to make a change for the other half of my searches. In addition to sorting by "newly listed," I like to search by "ending soonest" so that I will not miss any of the good auctions. This is where I have the problem. The number of fixed-price items included in the results makes it next to impossible to search just the items that close in the next 24 hours.
My solution is to click on "auctions only" when I run my "ending soonest" searches. This way, the fixed-price items are missing, and I will not fail to notice any good auctions that are ending soon.
When I run a search for "Nancy Drew," nearly 10,000 items show up in the search (Note: This is a search with restrictions such as the maximum allowable number of blocked sellers. Over 16,000 results show with no restrictions.). This is impossible to navigate. When I search for "Nancy Drew" and limit my results to auctions, I get slightly under 1,000 results. This makes all the difference.
Think about what my decision to limit my "ending soonest" searches to auctions means. If you sell on eBay and use the fixed-price format, you have one narrow opportunity to make a sale to me, which is when I run my searches that are sorted by "newly listed." I will see your item the day it is listed, and I will never see it again.
What if other buyers decide to use my method? Think of how hard it might become to sell a fixed-price item. On the other hand, most buyers may just go with eBay's default, but if that happens, then the auctions will suffer. We will only know after a few months of this format how the changes will affect fixed-price items and auctions.
Monday, November 17, 2008
The eSnipe 2008 Stimulus Package
ESnipe is a service which allows bidders to hold their bids until the last ten seconds of an auction. When a buyer creates an account with eSnipe, their eBay user ID and password are saved in the account. ESnipe has a handy tool called SnipeIt! which can be placed in the internet browser's toolbar. When an auction of interest is spotted, the buyer can use SnipeIt! to place a bid that eSnipe will execute on the buyer's behalf during the final ten seconds of the auction.
ESnipe usually offers a slight discount on its fees during the holiday season, but this year's discount is far better than usual. ESnipe is calling this year's special the "eSnipe 2008 Stimulus Package." ESnipe customers purchase BidPoints from eSnipe in order to pay for the service. Without getting into a detailed explanation of how it works, customers pay eSnipe 1% of the winning bid for each successfully won auction. If a customer uses eSnipe to win an auction at $100, then eSnipe charges $1.00. There is no charge when an auction is not won.
ESnipe's current BidPoints sale allows for customers to purchase $100 worth of BidPoints for just $78.00. This is a nice savings for people who use eSnipe a lot. $100 worth of BidPoints typically lasts me for nearly one year. This sale is good through December 1.
Since all user IDs are now hidden in auctions, it is not wise for buyers to bid early and risk having the seller bid against them. Waiting until the end of the auction eliminates the possibility of the seller using another ID to artificially raise the bidder's price. Additionally, waiting until the end of the auction to bid tends to keep the final price down, leaving the buyer more money to spend on other purchases.
ESnipe usually offers a slight discount on its fees during the holiday season, but this year's discount is far better than usual. ESnipe is calling this year's special the "eSnipe 2008 Stimulus Package." ESnipe customers purchase BidPoints from eSnipe in order to pay for the service. Without getting into a detailed explanation of how it works, customers pay eSnipe 1% of the winning bid for each successfully won auction. If a customer uses eSnipe to win an auction at $100, then eSnipe charges $1.00. There is no charge when an auction is not won.
ESnipe's current BidPoints sale allows for customers to purchase $100 worth of BidPoints for just $78.00. This is a nice savings for people who use eSnipe a lot. $100 worth of BidPoints typically lasts me for nearly one year. This sale is good through December 1.
Since all user IDs are now hidden in auctions, it is not wise for buyers to bid early and risk having the seller bid against them. Waiting until the end of the auction eliminates the possibility of the seller using another ID to artificially raise the bidder's price. Additionally, waiting until the end of the auction to bid tends to keep the final price down, leaving the buyer more money to spend on other purchases.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Some Buyer Tips
As the buying frenzy winds down, the prices are beginning to drop back down to normal levels for many of the books. I can tell because I've bought several books in the last few days at low prices, and I've seen other listings close at reasonable prices. This was not happening a month ago.
As things get back to normal, sellers are once again going to have to try to convince the buyers of how valuable theirs books are. I RAREly buy from sellers who try to convince me of the value of their books. It is probably because I already have all of those books! Also, sometimes the seller bought the book from me, so of course I'm not going to buy the book back at a higher price!
One of the ways that sellers make their books sound valuable is to put a book up for sale for $50.00 and state that the Farah's Guide value is $200.00 or whatever. The Farah's Guide values are almost always well above what the books actually sell for on eBay, and this is just a ploy to get buyers to think the book is more valuable. After all, if the actual value of the book is $200.00, wouldn't the seller try to get that much instead? Why start it low or have a low Buy It Now and tell the buyers that it is worth so much more? These sellers are trying to sell their books, not get their buyers a good deal.
Another method is when sellers state that their books are worth a certain amount (usually in the hundreds of dollars) because of the prices on the Advanced Book Exchange, Alibris, or any other fixed-price site. These sellers are using the fixed-price sites like a price guide so that buyers will think the books are very valuable. The prices on the fixed-price sites are the prices for books that have not actually sold. Often, the prices on those sites will be ten times more than the actual value of the books. Using those sites as a database for value will tell you nothing.
Actually, the fixed-price sites will tell you when you have a worthless book. If you do a search for a worthless book, you may see hundreds of them priced at around $1.00. That's how you know that a book has no value. Using the flashlight edition of The Secret of the Old Clock as an example, on Abebooks.com there are currently 122 flashlight editions of Old Clock priced at $1.00. We can safely conclude that the flashlight edition of Old Clock is worth no more than $1.00.
Let's go the other way. The highest price on ABE for a flashlight edition of Old Clock is $38.21. I'm sure most people would agree that no one is going to pay $38.21 for the flashlight edition of Old Clock. Someone could list one on eBay and state that it is worth around $40.00 because there is one on ABE for nearly that amount.
While I was checking Old Clock, I found a listing for the twin thriller edition of Old Clock/Hidden Staircase from the late 1970s. That listing is priced at $99.99. Someone could list one of those on eBay and state that it is worth around $100.00 because of the ABE listing.
It's just like when a person visits used bookstores and antique shops. For the most part, the merchandise is grossly overpriced and will still be there months later. If the dealers didn't overprice the merchandise, there would be nothing left in the store. Fixed price websites like the Advanced Book Exchange are like online antique shops. Most of the prices are very high, and most of the books will never sell.
I hope I've made my point.
What makes eBay great is that in the auctions, there is a constant turnover of what is up for sale. Even when a seller has to relist a few times, the book will usually sell so long as the price is somewhere near what the book is worth. While I regularly check ABE and the eBay Stores and buy from both, I love checking the auctions the best because I never know what I'm going to find.
As things get back to normal, sellers are once again going to have to try to convince the buyers of how valuable theirs books are. I RAREly buy from sellers who try to convince me of the value of their books. It is probably because I already have all of those books! Also, sometimes the seller bought the book from me, so of course I'm not going to buy the book back at a higher price!
One of the ways that sellers make their books sound valuable is to put a book up for sale for $50.00 and state that the Farah's Guide value is $200.00 or whatever. The Farah's Guide values are almost always well above what the books actually sell for on eBay, and this is just a ploy to get buyers to think the book is more valuable. After all, if the actual value of the book is $200.00, wouldn't the seller try to get that much instead? Why start it low or have a low Buy It Now and tell the buyers that it is worth so much more? These sellers are trying to sell their books, not get their buyers a good deal.
Another method is when sellers state that their books are worth a certain amount (usually in the hundreds of dollars) because of the prices on the Advanced Book Exchange, Alibris, or any other fixed-price site. These sellers are using the fixed-price sites like a price guide so that buyers will think the books are very valuable. The prices on the fixed-price sites are the prices for books that have not actually sold. Often, the prices on those sites will be ten times more than the actual value of the books. Using those sites as a database for value will tell you nothing.
Actually, the fixed-price sites will tell you when you have a worthless book. If you do a search for a worthless book, you may see hundreds of them priced at around $1.00. That's how you know that a book has no value. Using the flashlight edition of The Secret of the Old Clock as an example, on Abebooks.com there are currently 122 flashlight editions of Old Clock priced at $1.00. We can safely conclude that the flashlight edition of Old Clock is worth no more than $1.00.
Let's go the other way. The highest price on ABE for a flashlight edition of Old Clock is $38.21. I'm sure most people would agree that no one is going to pay $38.21 for the flashlight edition of Old Clock. Someone could list one on eBay and state that it is worth around $40.00 because there is one on ABE for nearly that amount.
While I was checking Old Clock, I found a listing for the twin thriller edition of Old Clock/Hidden Staircase from the late 1970s. That listing is priced at $99.99. Someone could list one of those on eBay and state that it is worth around $100.00 because of the ABE listing.
It's just like when a person visits used bookstores and antique shops. For the most part, the merchandise is grossly overpriced and will still be there months later. If the dealers didn't overprice the merchandise, there would be nothing left in the store. Fixed price websites like the Advanced Book Exchange are like online antique shops. Most of the prices are very high, and most of the books will never sell.
I hope I've made my point.
What makes eBay great is that in the auctions, there is a constant turnover of what is up for sale. Even when a seller has to relist a few times, the book will usually sell so long as the price is somewhere near what the book is worth. While I regularly check ABE and the eBay Stores and buy from both, I love checking the auctions the best because I never know what I'm going to find.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Why do buyers pay high prices?
Nancy Drew Applewood 1st MESSAGE IN THE HOLLOW OAK hcdj Item # 250260267976
This book closed at $227.22.
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Nancy Drew Applewood 1st THE HAUNTED BRIDGE Fine hcdj Item #250260268151
This one closed at $250.29.
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Nancy Drew 20 Clue in the Jewel Box 1st edition w/DJ Item #110262818261
This book closed at $255.55, which is a bit high for recent years. I believe when I have sold first printings of this book that they sold somewhere in the $50.00 to $150.00 range.
...............................................................
NANCY DREW MYSTERY OF TOLLING BELL 1946 1ST W/DJ Item #140241775862
Not all books are selling for high prices. This book sold for $22.51. Part of the reason it did not sell at a higher price is that it is not the first printing. The title of the listing states that it is the first printing, but the first printing should have Beverly Gray on the back panel. This is why bidders need to do their own research as sometimes sellers make mistakes. Just because a listing states that a book is a first printing does not mean that it is.
...............................................................
It is difficult to answer the question of why buyers pay such high prices for books that should not be selling at inflated prices. The auctions on eBay create a competitive mindset, and that is part of the reason why prices are so inflated at the moment. People see that someone is willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the Applewood editions, and they notice that the books are not available elsewhere, so they also bid in the hundreds of dollars.
Buyers also respond emotionally to certain types of descriptions. If a seller uses superlatives, the buyers seem to bid a lot higher. Some sellers describe their books as "wonderful," "fantastic," "extraordinary," "beautiful," "pretty," "pristine," and "gorgeous." In some cases, the word is used as an overall descriptor of the entire book and jacket. Other times, it is used to describe a certain aspect of the book, such as that the dust jacket's front panel has "gorgeous color." It is always interesting when "gorgeous" is used on a book and jacket that have significant wear and tear. Regardless of whether the book and jacket are truly gorgeous or not, I have noticed that when these words are used, the listings sell at inflated prices. Buyers just love to bid on gorgeous books!
The ubiquitous "RARE" and "SUPER RARE" are now used to describe fairly common books. Even the word "scarce" is now getting misused. Just a short while ago, I viewed an eBay listing for an ordinary tweed Nancy Drew book, The Hidden Staircase, with the original text and digger endpapers. It is described as "scarce." It is hardly scarce.
Sellers also find creative ways to make their books sound better than they actually are. Some sellers describe their books as having paper that is "creamy" or "creamy white." Well, duh. All books have creamy paper unless the paper is yellowed. There are sellers that describe the wartime Grosset and Dunlap books as having "uniformly age-toned paper" or "supple yellowing paper." Um, the paper is brown and yucky and sometimes smells bad, but I can understand why they don't want to put it that way.
The phrase "it is in good condition for its age" is often used by people who are new to selling books and antiques, and it is used by other people that use it so that they don't have to describe any of the flaws. Age has nothing to do with condition as it relates to old books. I have seen 70 year old books that are in far better condition than 10 year old books. It is possible to find any book from the past 100 years in pristine "as new" condition, regardless of age. Yes, it will be much harder to find some than others, but it is possible.
In closing, I do feel that some buyers allow themselves to be manipulated by sellers. They read descriptions that state how wonderful a book is and ignore what can be clearly seen in the photographs. Buyers can cause themselves to have to pay much higher prices by allowing themselves to be swayed by these types of descriptions.
Note: The above comments are not aimed at anyone in particular and are not intended to offend anybody. My comments reflect observations that I have made as a buyer and also reflect my continuing amusement over how a seller's description influences the closing price.
This book closed at $227.22.
...............................................................
Nancy Drew Applewood 1st THE HAUNTED BRIDGE Fine hcdj Item #250260268151
This one closed at $250.29.
...............................................................
Nancy Drew 20 Clue in the Jewel Box 1st edition w/DJ Item #110262818261
This book closed at $255.55, which is a bit high for recent years. I believe when I have sold first printings of this book that they sold somewhere in the $50.00 to $150.00 range.
...............................................................
NANCY DREW MYSTERY OF TOLLING BELL 1946 1ST W/DJ Item #140241775862
Not all books are selling for high prices. This book sold for $22.51. Part of the reason it did not sell at a higher price is that it is not the first printing. The title of the listing states that it is the first printing, but the first printing should have Beverly Gray on the back panel. This is why bidders need to do their own research as sometimes sellers make mistakes. Just because a listing states that a book is a first printing does not mean that it is.
...............................................................
It is difficult to answer the question of why buyers pay such high prices for books that should not be selling at inflated prices. The auctions on eBay create a competitive mindset, and that is part of the reason why prices are so inflated at the moment. People see that someone is willing to pay hundreds of dollars for the Applewood editions, and they notice that the books are not available elsewhere, so they also bid in the hundreds of dollars.
Buyers also respond emotionally to certain types of descriptions. If a seller uses superlatives, the buyers seem to bid a lot higher. Some sellers describe their books as "wonderful," "fantastic," "extraordinary," "beautiful," "pretty," "pristine," and "gorgeous." In some cases, the word is used as an overall descriptor of the entire book and jacket. Other times, it is used to describe a certain aspect of the book, such as that the dust jacket's front panel has "gorgeous color." It is always interesting when "gorgeous" is used on a book and jacket that have significant wear and tear. Regardless of whether the book and jacket are truly gorgeous or not, I have noticed that when these words are used, the listings sell at inflated prices. Buyers just love to bid on gorgeous books!
The ubiquitous "RARE" and "SUPER RARE" are now used to describe fairly common books. Even the word "scarce" is now getting misused. Just a short while ago, I viewed an eBay listing for an ordinary tweed Nancy Drew book, The Hidden Staircase, with the original text and digger endpapers. It is described as "scarce." It is hardly scarce.
Sellers also find creative ways to make their books sound better than they actually are. Some sellers describe their books as having paper that is "creamy" or "creamy white." Well, duh. All books have creamy paper unless the paper is yellowed. There are sellers that describe the wartime Grosset and Dunlap books as having "uniformly age-toned paper" or "supple yellowing paper." Um, the paper is brown and yucky and sometimes smells bad, but I can understand why they don't want to put it that way.
The phrase "it is in good condition for its age" is often used by people who are new to selling books and antiques, and it is used by other people that use it so that they don't have to describe any of the flaws. Age has nothing to do with condition as it relates to old books. I have seen 70 year old books that are in far better condition than 10 year old books. It is possible to find any book from the past 100 years in pristine "as new" condition, regardless of age. Yes, it will be much harder to find some than others, but it is possible.
In closing, I do feel that some buyers allow themselves to be manipulated by sellers. They read descriptions that state how wonderful a book is and ignore what can be clearly seen in the photographs. Buyers can cause themselves to have to pay much higher prices by allowing themselves to be swayed by these types of descriptions.
Note: The above comments are not aimed at anyone in particular and are not intended to offend anybody. My comments reflect observations that I have made as a buyer and also reflect my continuing amusement over how a seller's description influences the closing price.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
eBay Pulse and eBay Search
Many people are unaware of a page on eBay that tracks which auctions have the most watchers and also tracks the most popular search terms. The page is the eBay Pulse. It is interesting to view the most popular search terms for the Books category on eBay. "Nancy Drew" is consistently one of the top 10 most searched terms in the entire Books category. Here are the current top 10 searches for the Books category in eBay Pulse, listed in order:
1. easton press
2. stephen king
3. harry potter
4. nancy drew
5. bible
6. james patterson
7. nora roberts
8. signed
9. chess
10. star wars
Checking within the Books category, here are the top 10 search terms for the Antiquarian and Collectibles Books category in eBay Pulse:
1. easton press
2. bible
3. civil war
4. stephen king
5. signed
6. cookbook
7. harry potter
8. nancy drew
9. german
10. books
Here are the top 10 searches for the Children's Books category in eBay Pulse:
1. childrens books
2. nancy drew
3. lot
4. harry potter
5. american girl
6. dr seuss
7. magic tree house
8. little golden books
9. disney
10. bible
What I noticed is that in all three lists, Nancy Drew and Harry Potter seem to have about the same amount of interest.
........................................................
Buyers often find it difficult to find certain types of items because the listings are flooded by certain sellers. This just happened in the last few weeks in the Books category. EBay has a partnership with Buy.com in which Buy.com now lists hundreds of thousands of books on eBay. It has rendered many searches useless.
As an example, searching for the Outdoor Girls series has become problematic because several of the public domain texts were recently reprinted. Buy.com has flooded eBay with these listings. Doing a search for the Outdoor Girls series under title and description yields 47 results. 37 of the 47 results are brand-new reprints offered by Buy.com. It makes it harder to spot the older books when a buyer has to wade through multiple copies of new reprints.
There is a remedy for this situation. In order to combat this problem, it is necessary to use the saved searches feature from within My eBay. The buyer must first enter a search from eBay's Search page. If the buyer does not already use the Advanced Search, it will be necessary to click on "Advanced Search" right underneath the search selections. From the Advanced Search page, enter the desired search term. Scroll down to where it states "From Sellers." Click on "From specific sellers (enter sellers' user IDs)" and select "exclude" in the drop down box. Now enter both "buy" and "primemediaking" inside that search box, separated by commas. These two ids belong to Buy.com. Click on "Search" and then click on "Save this search." The search will be saved and Buy.com's listings will no longer show when the buyer clicks on that search from the Saved Searches page.
I am gradually going through my saved searches and revising them to exclude Buy.com. Since I am not planning to purchase the reprints, I would rather not have them cluttering up my searches. Besides, even if I were planning to purchase the reprints, I would just buy them from Amazon.com.
1. easton press
2. stephen king
3. harry potter
4. nancy drew
5. bible
6. james patterson
7. nora roberts
8. signed
9. chess
10. star wars
Checking within the Books category, here are the top 10 search terms for the Antiquarian and Collectibles Books category in eBay Pulse:
1. easton press
2. bible
3. civil war
4. stephen king
5. signed
6. cookbook
7. harry potter
8. nancy drew
9. german
10. books
Here are the top 10 searches for the Children's Books category in eBay Pulse:
1. childrens books
2. nancy drew
3. lot
4. harry potter
5. american girl
6. dr seuss
7. magic tree house
8. little golden books
9. disney
10. bible
What I noticed is that in all three lists, Nancy Drew and Harry Potter seem to have about the same amount of interest.
Buyers often find it difficult to find certain types of items because the listings are flooded by certain sellers. This just happened in the last few weeks in the Books category. EBay has a partnership with Buy.com in which Buy.com now lists hundreds of thousands of books on eBay. It has rendered many searches useless.
As an example, searching for the Outdoor Girls series has become problematic because several of the public domain texts were recently reprinted. Buy.com has flooded eBay with these listings. Doing a search for the Outdoor Girls series under title and description yields 47 results. 37 of the 47 results are brand-new reprints offered by Buy.com. It makes it harder to spot the older books when a buyer has to wade through multiple copies of new reprints.
There is a remedy for this situation. In order to combat this problem, it is necessary to use the saved searches feature from within My eBay. The buyer must first enter a search from eBay's Search page. If the buyer does not already use the Advanced Search, it will be necessary to click on "Advanced Search" right underneath the search selections. From the Advanced Search page, enter the desired search term. Scroll down to where it states "From Sellers." Click on "From specific sellers (enter sellers' user IDs)" and select "exclude" in the drop down box. Now enter both "buy" and "primemediaking" inside that search box, separated by commas. These two ids belong to Buy.com. Click on "Search" and then click on "Save this search." The search will be saved and Buy.com's listings will no longer show when the buyer clicks on that search from the Saved Searches page.
I am gradually going through my saved searches and revising them to exclude Buy.com. Since I am not planning to purchase the reprints, I would rather not have them cluttering up my searches. Besides, even if I were planning to purchase the reprints, I would just buy them from Amazon.com.
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