What Used Books Sell Best On Amazon

Blog – Posted on Wednesday, Nov 11

How to Sell Books on Amazon: A Failsafe Guide for 2022

With a trove of timeless classics and an e'er-growing number of must-read releases, information technology's no wonder and then many of u.s.a. accept overstuffed bookshelves in demand of a choose. If you lot've started stacking novels on the floor (and tripping over them in the nighttime), so you might be flirting with the idea of selling some of your used books on Amazon.

A surefire style to clear space (and make a few bucks in the process) it's too super quick and easy to become up and running! And so if yous're interested in funding your addiction to true crime books, or need to brand room for the newest romance novels, and then keep reading for our foolproof guide on how to sell books on Amazon.

ane. Source your inventory

Well-nigh newbies tend to sell books from their own shelves. Not just is this the simplest way to source an inventory, information technology'due south as well a great way to de-ataxia. All you have to practise is search your home for books that are gathering grit! But if yous develop a taste for life every bit an Amazon bookseller, there are a number of places where y'all can find more used books to sell.

Book sales are an obvious place to offset. At that place's always a book sale going on somewhere: effort flea markets, yard sales, estate sales, or clearouts at a library or store. And with whole collections out on show, you tin hunt for treasure (like starting time editions) or buy in bulk.

When traveling to book sales isn't an selection, nosotros have the reply. Caput to sites similar eBay, Craigslist, and Facebook Market place to find lots of used books sold at low prices, then but wait for them to go far at your door and re-list them on Amazon — all from the comfort of your own dwelling!

Top Tip: Textbooks are a great target! They're always in loftier need (particularly in fall and spring) and tend to have a higher price signal.

Buying in bulk vs. Ruby-red-picking

Buying bundles 'blind' is a great (and inexpensive!) mode to build a big inventory in a brusk space of fourth dimension. But when yous buy in bulk, you risk collecting titles that are in bad condition or are pre-ISBN — or even getting stuck with a batch of duds that don't sell! If you can take the time to ruby-pick books, y'all're more than likely to make a healthy turn a profit as a new seller.

Ane failsafe way of sifting through the ataxia is to check the 'Best Sellers Rank' (BSR) on Amazon. Every book sold on Amazon has a BSR that indicates how often it sells. For example, a book ranked #1 probably sells 1,500 copies a month, while a volume ranked #one,000,000 will have a slim risk of finding a dwelling house.

Top Tip: Wait for books with a BSR lower than 100,000 — these tin be sold in less than 24 hours!

The 'Best Sellers Rank' can be constitute on a book's page listing, but to make life easier, lots of sellers use a handheld scanner when hunting for inventory. Amazon'southward mobile seller app has a scanner that tells you all you need to know: the product cost, judge profits, BSR, and the full number of sellers. You can download it here from the Apple Store and here from Google Play.

2. Create an Amazon seller account

At present that we've covered how to purchase books, allow's get to the crux of the postal service: how to sell books on Amazon. Earlier y'all begin, y'all'll demand to set up up your Amazon seller account. Caput to the 'Sell on Amazon' folio and click 'sign upwardly'. First y'all will have to decide whether y'all'd similar to be an 'individual seller' or a 'professional seller'.

Superlative Tip: Individual sellers tend to sell fewer than xl items a month and are charged $0.99 per item. Professional sellers, who are looking to generate a regular income, are charged a monthly fee of $39.99. So if they sell more 40 items, the professional person plan pays for itself!

So, at that place are five steps to complete:

Enter your proper noun (and your business name, if yous're a professional person seller).
Enter your business organization address (your home address if you're selling from home), your display name, your website if you have i, and your phone number.
Fix your billing method with the card with which you'll pay any fees, so the deposit method — so Amazon knows where to eolith your payments. For this you'll need your depository financial institution account details.
Now you'll go through a quick taxation interview. If you're a resident of the U.s. you'll accept to enter your Social Security Number, and If yous're registering as a business, you should accept an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS.
Finally, you lot'll complete an identity verification process using images of your passport or driver'due south license. It may take Amazon a few days to verify your identity, but they'll let y'all know when you're ready to go.

If you accept all the data on hand when consummate those five steps, and so it shouldn't accept more than a few minutes to prepare your Amazon seller account and showtime selling!

Height Tip: Your display name should both exist eye-catching and trustworthy, so brand certain you've prepared a few suitable monikers beforehand!

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three. List your books on Amazon

At present that you're registered to sell, information technology's time to first listing all the books you've gathered. Most books volition already be listed on Amazon, which makes your job a lot easier! Simply search for the correct edition using the title or ISBN — which can be institute above the barcode or inside the dust jacket — caput to the product listing page, and let Amazon know you lot have a re-create to sell past clicking 'Sell on Amazon'.

Top Tip: In the rare case that your book is not already on Amazon, you'll need to create a new listing. Make sure y'all have high-quality photos and write a proper product clarification, using the book's blurb if you can.

And then, you'll exist redirected to a form where you will have to enter:

The price of the book,
the number of copies you're selling, and
the volume's condition.

As a new seller, you may need to set your price a little lower than your competitors practice in guild to generate a few early on sales and build up your reputation. Don't worry: with the lowest price, you're certain to win the 'Purchase Box', which means that if someone hits 'Add to Cart' they'll be buying your book.

Top Tip: Although there's year-round demand for books, seasonality matters — then brand sure you've listed plenty of books in the weeks leading up to Christmas!

4. Ship your books: FBM vs. FBA

At that place are ii ways to fulfil your orders on Amazon: 'Fulfillment by Merchant' (FBM) and 'Fulfillment past Amazon' (FBA).

Fulfillment by Merchant

If you choose FBM, yous volition take to pack and send each volume yourself, using the courier of your pick. Of course, this means roofing the costs of shipping and handling yourself, too — as well as the cost of your time.

Amazon has three delivery options and charges your customers a fixed fee that varies depending on which option they cull. For case, standard commitment costs $three.99. Amazon volition credit y'all this amount no matter how much shipping costs you — so if you tin deliver the book for less, that'south money in your pocket! But if y'all think your expenses will exceed $3.99, it's up to yous to adjust the price of the book accordingly.

Tiptop Tip: Choose FBM if you're only selling a few books, or if you lot have a big plenty operation that your shipping costs are lower than Amazon's.

Fulfillment by Amazon

If that sounds like a drag, don't worry: Amazon will now shop and ship your items for you lot once they're sold. There are several benefits to this method: equally well equally beingness a straightforward procedure — only pack your books in a potent box and send them to the closest fulfillment middle — Amazon will process returns and handle customer service, and the items you sell volition exist eligible for Prime number shipping, which may attract more customers.

You pay Amazon for shipping and handling based on the weight of the book, as well as a monthly fee for storage, based on the amount of infinite you accept up. One thing to be wary of with FBA is the possibility of accumulating extra fees over time, such equally handling add together-ons and storage penalties. These tin exist avoided, nonetheless, if yous manage your inventory well.

Top Tip: Cull FBA if you have lots of books to send and your operation isn't large enough to accept aircraft costs lower than the FBA fees.

v. Secure positive seller feedback

Unfortunately, shipping your books isn't a instance of "out of sight, out mind". In one case a book is sold and on its way, you need to concern yourself with client service to secure a positive seller feedback score.

Since y'all're non the writer, there's no need to worry about book reviews; your job is to ensure that customers receive their package on time and in the correct condition. Amazon sellers are also expected to answer to customer emails inside 24 hours and match Amazon's return policy. This is a big ask, if you're shipping lots of orders. But don't forget, there's e'er the selection of handing information technology all over to Amazon past switching to FBA.

Top Tip: Never make the mistake of listing books under the wrong status! This is a surefire way to receive negative feedback.

If you lot're keener on handing out reviews yourself, consider joining us as a volume reviewer and getting paid to read.

How much does it cost to sell books on Amazon?

Now that you know how to sell books on Amazon, at that place are a few fees to factor in earlier getting started. One is the xv% referral fee that y'all pay to Amazon on each book. Another is the $1.80 closing fee that applies to all media items.

Then there'due south the cost of your selling program. If y'all annals as an individual seller, you'll pay a fee of $0.99 per particular; if you sign up for the professional selling plan, you are charged $39.99. So if you lot sell more than 40 items a month, the professional programme pays for itself.

Those are just the upfront costs, of course. Don't forget that you lot'll need to cover your operating costs if you cull to fulfill your orders yourself, or the cost of FBA if you plan to paw it all over to Amazon! You lot can use the FBA Revenue Estimator to give y'all a price estimate per unit of measurement, and add to that the cost of storage at $0.75 per cubic human foot, also as the toll of shipping to the fulfillment heart. And exist sure to mind our alert nigh long-term FBA fees, which can really add upwards over time if you don't manage your inventory efficiently.

Tiptop Tip: FBA storage fees skyrocket over the holiday flavor, going from $0.75 per cubic foot to $2.twoscore per cubic foot!

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At present you've completed our guide on how to sell books on Amazon — and nosotros've given you all of our height tips — there's zero to stop you from immigration out those dusty erstwhile books, and making the space (and money) for some heady new reads . So good luck and happy selling!