Welcome to The Bookshop Blog Forum

[msager]

Value, I've been selling on-line since 1995 and started with Amazon before Z-Shops, before Marketplace.  What I have seen happening there is a travesty  to book prices.  When I am listing there, I routinely ignore all 1p books.  What is more important, to me, is the number of copies being sold used, and the ranking of the book (found on the data page).  I use Bookfinder, Addall, and ABE for pricing.    I have gone so far as to order books advertised on amazon for 1p with the intent t resell them.  All but one order was cancelled as unavailable. The one that was delivered was grossly misrepresented and returned.  Which brings up another point.

As a newcomer, it is extremely important for you to describe your books accurately, completely, and in a professional manner.  It is not enough to say edge wear to cover.  Tell them if there is chipping, rubbing, scuffing.  It is not enough to say Usual used book condition (I kid you not--seen just today on Amazon).  You will get more sales at higher levels if you are accurate and complete. 

You also don't want to load your stock with low end merchandise.  Someone looking over your entire inventory will see an abundance of $2 books and will get the impression that is your schtick.  I know it is tempting to list everything in sight, but in the long run it is not a good idea.

Lastly, since you are starting out.....put your books on a data base such as Home Base (free), Booktrakker or Bookhound.  I use Booktrakker.  You buy the program and don't pay a monthly fee.  A lot of Amazon sellers use the monthly subscription programs. In the long run, the fees eat up your profits.  You have to figure that 25% of your sale goes to the listing site with all the fees (commissions, listing subscription, postage reduction).  You don't need another partner in your site.   The book data bases are a one-time fee with life time support.  (Let's keep Andy healthy, gang -- he's Booktrakker.)   

Marilyn
http://northamericanrarities.net

[XenithBS]

One problem already though is that XenithBS and I have the same first name. - Paul -

That's not really a problem though. All the other Pauls I've met are likable fellows so this board is already double blessed. (Jump in and agree with me Paul)

Lol!  Yes, Doubly blessed indeed!

Paul @ Xenith

[paperbackbandit]

Wondering if we could have some kind of info/shameless self-promotion thread.  It would be nice to have a place where we could post our websites, intro stories, and the like.  Think of it as Network Building, if you will.

[Bruce Hollingdrake]

Hi Meg, That was the idea behind the 'Comment on My Site' area.

I think I'll change the title to be a little more generic so that we can all use it to promote or discuss just about anything.
Thanks for the suggestion.

Bruce

[paperlady]

Just wanted to pop-in and introduce myself. I've recently started an online bookshop and I also have a booth in a brick and mortar Antique Mall here locally. I've been selling books in the B&M format for quite a while now. I'm just wondering about the online format. Do you think that it is important to offer a Synopsis for each title. I notice some do and some do not.

[prying1]

Welcome Paperlady - I love the little graphic you chose for your icon. There was a discussion on this subject a while back. Not sure if it was in personal emails or on these boards. It has been a while.

The gist from one other seller was he got a boatload of paperbacks and just started listing some of them with very little description and they sold well as did those he spent more time listing. Price things right and they will go I think was his main point.

I figure with a well known title there is no need to spend too much time giving a synopsis but I like to throw in a sentence or two at least. Someone might come along that needs the nudge a couple of glowing sentences from the DJ might give. For me and my slow typing that is a couple of minutes extra time (one for each sentence) but I figure it is worth it if it helps sell the book.

I think it is really important if it is an unknown or even little known author and/or title.

Here is one... - A Bag of Marbles by Joseph Joffo - Title says nothing about the book and until I got it I had never heard of it or the author even though it has been made into a film. - Un Sac de Billes (French film) - Autobiography translated from the French, WWII France, 10 and 12 year old brothers one evening find their mother sewing yellow stars on their jackets. Their father sees the handwriting on the wall and sends them without papers on a journey to  their elder brothers in unoccupied France with the admonition to never admit they are Jews. They spend the rest of the war running, hiding, scrounging, bluffing, black-marketing. - I haven't listed it yet because I'm going to read it first. Might end up being a keeper.

A blurb added also gives your items more chance of being seen on the search engines. Earlier today I had someone from Russia visit through Google.ru because they typed in - Ama Hekura - which I had used as keywords for The Island of the Fisherwomen by Maraini, Fosco. Doesn't look like a sale but it adds to my hope and optimism.

The main tradeoff is time. For books under 5-10 dollars it is not worth it to spend too much time researching and typing (especially at my speed) but I have had a few sales on books where I asked and was told that the extra details I put in decided in favor of them buying my copy as opposed to another seller's copy.

All that said I have a full time job to support me and am not dependent on bookselling as a means of support. If it is your full time job it is mandatory that you get as many listed as you can and the quicker you do so the better. Writing descriptions with a synopsis takes time and time is money.

P.S. Your site looks great.

[paperlady]

Thank you Paul. I appreciate your input and it sort of goes with what I have been thinking. I kind of feel that a short synopsis is a good thing. And since I haven't gotten too far ahead of myself in my listings, I can conceivably go back and add a synopsis to the already listed ones and begin to include it on any new listings.

I sort of thought that it would help in some customer searches. Especially, the customer who might be looking for a book that they can only remember the gist of the story or a character name. I'm thinking it certainly can't hurt anything and IMHO it looks a little more professional.

I'm kind of taking this slow and getting the few listings I have in a format that will benefit me and then I can start listing more items. As with any bibliophile, I have mountains of books just waiting for a new home.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my post.

[prying1]

Just curious - The icon of the aviator lady you've used as your picture for the boards. Where is that from? Or is it a self portrait?

[paperlady]

It comes from one of my very favorite old Coca Cola advertisements. Done in the 1930's, it just seemed a little ahead of it's time and really attracted my attention.

When I first started selling online back in 1997, my specialty was vintage magazine advertisements and it is still one of my many passions. Graphic art from vintage and antique ephemera is just incredible!

I should probably look for something that fits a book store a little better and will help in branding my new shop. Probably something with a page being turned would work. So the search begins...

[prying1]

I think the logo is great and you should stick with it. It has the 30's feel to it and is unique. A good identifier because it is different.

I thought it might be from a DJ from the 30's/40's. The icon you use doesn't have to be about books. After all, mine is of Ronald McDonald pushing a shopping cart.

[paperlady]

Yes, there are already many people who identify me with that little icon, I've used her for a few years now.