Selling through Amazon

[Flosshilde]

Has anybody used Amazon to sell stuff (CDs and/or books)? Any comments on ease of use or otherwise?

(I've got some books to get rid of & I'll get nothing for them from 2nd hand booksellers, so I'll just have to 'put a clothes-peg on my nose' & use Amazon - I assume that they don't make a huge profit from it)

[Lateralthinking1]

I have experience of it. You will find that a CD you have is being sold by people from, say, £1.70 to £35. You might decide that while it is worth £5 you will advertise it at £1.69, making it the lowest of all, to sell it easily. Within seconds, the one that was selling it at £1.70 will change to £1.68 thereby pricing you out.

It will be a store that shifts tens of thousands and probably has an arrangement with Amazon to lower prices automatically. It will know it will make a loss on it but it doesn't care because it will be making a huge profit overall. An alternative is to try to sell it for £5 but that will take years as many others will be similarly priced.

At least with e-bay you are not up against these practices but in each case remember that the organisation takes a cut from your supposed profit too. If you do by some miracle sell a couple of CDs at very low prices, the Post Office scales appear to vary. If you go to the wrong one, you are actually likely to make a loss.

[Flosshilde]

Thanks for the warning, Lateral. I'm actually selling some of my ceramics books that I no longer need, so it's fairly niche stuff (I realise that the problems you outline above can happen with books, too). I'll have a look & see if any of them are being offered, & how much.

[scottycelt]

... you will advertise it at £1.69, making it the lowest of all, to sell it easily. Within seconds, the one that was selling it at £1.70 will change to £1.68 thereby pricing you out. .

You've really got to hand it to the English, they don't half look after their hard-earned pennies.

I'm not suggesting that they are in any way mean, mind you ... heavens no.

[mangerton]

You've really got to hand it to the English, they don't half look after their hard-earned pennies.

I'm not suggesting that they are in any way mean, mind you ... heavens no.

No, of course you're not. It's just another one of the many things we've taught them.

Many a mickle mak's a muckle

[scottycelt]

No, of course you're not. It's just another one of the many things we've taught them.

Many a mickle mak's a muckle

[Petrushka]

I've got a sizeable number of duplicated CD's I'd like to get rid of but am loath to pass such a pile on to a charity shop because I doubt if they will sell and hence get thrown out.

I've said this before but will say it again: why don't we have a forum for swaps on here? At least you know your unwanted CD's will be going to a good home. Not sure of the logistics but surely it can be made to work?

[bluestateprommer]

Thanks for the warning, Lateral. I'm actually selling some of my ceramics books that I no longer need, so it's fairly niche stuff (I realise that the problems you outline above can happen with books, too). I'll have a look & see if any of them are being offered, & how much.

One of the firms that LT1 is referring to on Amazon, regarding shifting its prices £0.01 below the new lowest selling price, is zoverstocks, which does business on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I've been a seller, mostly, on Amazon.com, so I have first-hand experience of zoverstocks' behavior. Interestingly, however, I've noticed that some purchasers have been willing to go with me rather than zoverstocks, even if my price is a bit higher, perhaps in some sort of wish (misguided or otherwise - of course, I don't consider it misguided :) ) to help a "little guy". It's obvious to see from the number of ratings a given seller gets what size of a business they operate.

In terms of making money off selling your books and CDs on Amazon.co.uk, if you really want to get technical, you'd have to factor in the packaging costs and the postage costs, vs. how much you would have gotten if you traded them in at the local second-hand shops. Plus, Amazon takes their percentage cut, which can be somewhat hefty depending on how you price your merchandise. It also becomes an interesting exercise in capitalism and sales to see how much other people are selling their copies at, vs. how much it originally cost, vs. how much you're willing to sell yours at.

[Lateralthinking1]

One of the firms that LT1 is referring to on Amazon, regarding shifting its prices £0.01 below the new lowest selling price, is zoverstocks, which does business on both Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. I've been a seller, mostly, on Amazon.com, so I have first-hand experience of zoverstocks' behavior. Interestingly, however, I've noticed that some purchasers have been willing to go with me rather than zoverstocks, even if my price is a bit higher, perhaps in some sort of wish (misguided or otherwise - of course, I don't consider it misguided :) ) to help a "little guy". It's obvious to see from the number of ratings a given seller gets what size of a business they operate.

In terms of making money off selling your books and CDs on Amazon.co.uk, if you really want to get technical, you'd have to factor in the packaging costs and the postage costs, vs. how much you would have gotten if you traded them in at the local second-hand shops. Plus, Amazon takes their percentage cut, which can be somewhat hefty depending on how you price your merchandise. It also becomes an interesting exercise in capitalism and sales to see how much other people are selling their copies at, vs. how much it originally cost, vs. how much you're willing to sell yours at.

Yes. If you ever feel uneasy about the number of CDs you are buying on Amazon, try to sell a few as it really is an eye opener. The difference between buying and selling was so stark that I have never bought from them since. If I ever did buy again, it would be from a private seller. Before I had never thought to distinguish between the two - but now there's also the tax issue so no!!

[Dave2002]

Yes. If you ever feel uneasy about the number of CDs you are buying on Amazon, try to sell a few as it really is an eye opener. The difference between buying and selling was so stark that I have never bought from them since. If I ever did buy again, it would be from a private seller. Before I had never thought to distinguish between the two - but now there's also the tax issue so no!!

I learnt about buyers and sellers many years ago, when I bought a bicycle. It wasn't anything fancy [earlier I'd had a racing bike which went missing], but more a sit up and beg grocer's type bike - practical for what I wanted it for. "Very good bike" the seller said - "blah, blah, blah" "Always in demand ...." It was good enough. A couple of years later I took it back and tried to sell it. "Not perfect", "No call for this kind of bike nowadays" etc.

How else are sellers/traders going to make a living?

[Richard Tarleton]

Thanks for the warning, Lateral. I'm actually selling some of my ceramics books that I no longer need, so it's fairly niche stuff (I realise that the problems you outline above can happen with books, too). I'll have a look & see if any of them are being offered, & how much.

Lat's experience reflects mine exactly - I tried selling 2 specialist books on weaving for my wife. Prices on Amazon for copies of these books were around £60, so to be sure of getting rid of them I put them on at around £30. This was immediately undercut and the books languished unsold. In the end I took them to Oxfam. warning them to price them carefully. I happened to be in the Oxfam shop some time later just as a hard-up art student was buying one of them and telling the assistant how hard they'd been to get hold of. So a nice warm glow if nothing else.

[teamsaint]

I've got a sizeable number of duplicated CD's I'd like to get rid of but am loath to pass such a pile on to a charity shop because I doubt if they will sell and hence get thrown out.

I've said this before but will say it again: why don't we have a forum for swaps on here? At least you know your unwanted CD's will be going to a good home. Not sure of the logistics but surely it can be made to work?

I have mentioned this before.
There must be plenty of buyers and sellers round here.
I would likely be a buyer, and I would be very happy to match the best prices on market place (including the p and P) to another board member.

I would be happy to ask FF about this when she is back to FF (full fitness!)

As a comparison, many footy boards allow memebers to sell match tickets at face value or below.

[Petrushka]

I have mentioned this before.
There must be plenty of buyers and sellers round here.
I would likely be a buyer, and I would be very happy to match the best prices on market place (including the p and P) to another board member.

I would be happy to ask FF about this when she is back to FF (full fitness!)

As a comparison, many footy boards allow memebers to sell match tickets at face value or below.

Interesting comparison with footy boards, ts, as it is the legal position I had in mind, hence 'swaps'. Perhaps Caliban or anyone else with legal knowledge can comment on this? Personally, I'd think it more of a grey area than simple black and white.

I would much rather see my duplicates go to someone who would appreciate them than have them chucked in a skip.

[umslopogaas]

Reminds me of the joke about the sign outside a second-hand shop: "We buy any old junk and sell beautiful antique furniture."

[teamsaint]

Reminds me of the joke about the sign outside a second-hand shop: "We buy any old junk and sell beautiful antique furniture."