All Things Good 10 Posted October 10, 2014 Greetings All, I have access to 500 books (see category list below). All secondhand but in good condition. Any advice please on selling these? Do people still buy books? :grin: Accounting Afrikaans Novel - (Trilogy x3 Books) Animation Archeology Art Auditing Autobiography Biography Business Business Business, Accounting Cars Chemistry Children Children's Animation, Vintage Childrens Novel Childrens Novel - Vintage Computer Construction Cooking Cooking Cooking / Health Crime Crime / Investigation Dictionary DIY Documentary Economics Educational Educational / Maths Electrical Energy Preservation Engineering Engineering, Steel English Classic Gardening Geography Guide Health Herbarium History Housekeeping Humor Kitchen Language Mathematics / Educational Mechanical Medical Music Nature Nature / Wildlife Nicotine Novel Own Your Golf Swing Persian Poems Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry Poetry / Psalms Politics Programming Putting Religion Roman History RSA RSA History RSA Rugby Sailing Science Science Fiction Self Help Series Song and Art South African Songs Sport Sport - Putting Sport/Golf Structure Structure Engineering Thriller Travel Travel / History Vehicle War Welding WHOLE SELECTION OF 24 HEALTH ENCYCLOPEDIA BOOKS Wildlife World Zulu War Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Vinyl Lady Decals 10 Posted October 10, 2014 When I first started on BoB, I started selling books and did relatively well, but now the book category is overwhelmed by a very large seller which leaves the smaller sellers in the cold. The smaller seller's listing just don't get exposure. In my honest opinion, it is a waste of time to sell books on BoB unless you're prepared to either spend a small fortune on promoting them or you have years to gt them all gone. if they are in a decent condition, you should try Kalahari. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NooNooBug 10 Posted October 10, 2014 I do agree with Vinyl Lady. I sell secondhand books online & it is hard going. It isn't an easy thing. My personal experence is it is a slow trickle of sales, and as long as you are not in a hurry and you can pick the books up for next to nothing then it is worth taking a chance. There are sometimes treasures hidden in these lots. If you think you will turn them over & make a profit quickly, that is unlikely...it will take a while. If you have other outlets to sell them eg a market, as well as online here on BoB then that also helps. Good luck ! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayjen 10 Posted October 10, 2014 Yes and no to your question "do people still buy books?". Some people love the feel of a book in their hands and the smell of a book and some like to have 500 books on their portable device so there is still a chance people will buy your books. What you need to consider is, how unique are your books and the price you want for them. Are your books just going to be featured among the thousand of the same books or will they be on their own as they are old and unique? Also remember that people do not always buy books to read, they also use them for decorative purposes and in the making of things. I sold a bunch of books to someone who was making lampshades out of them. If you have these books in your garage in boxes or the study and you are wanting to get rid of them and make money then by all means list them on Bob and see how it goes. You can also sell bulk if you wanted too. You can also donate to places and you can also go to other websites if you need too. You can also go and find buyers for your books by searching the internet. there are fleamarkets and church bazaar's and school fete's that you can sell them at. When we closed our listings on BoB in 2013, I was selling 1000's of books in one sale to book shops in Cape Town and sold many that we very old and many that were signed. Another thing to remember, not all books are sought after so getting people in a bidding war is not always going to happen. Good Luck. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
voldermort 11 Posted October 10, 2014 Agree with all the above answers - since the one particular larger seller was allowed to basically dominate the books category, sales of books have slumped & never recovered. The books I now have listed were mostly all placed on BoB over 2 years ago & now & again somebody may find my name hidden somewhere among the other & buy something - however the only time that I now actively will place new listings for books is if it is a sought after book, and then I usually list it on priority to get a bit of exposure. So if you are not in a hurry to make a profit, list them - if you are needing the money back straight away, in all probability it wont be happening. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrmouse 11 Posted October 10, 2014 are they battery or mains operated , do they plug into a tablet?how many gigs are they :wink: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mrmouse 11 Posted October 10, 2014 make 500 seperate listings for wednesday with prices from R1.00 to R100 all closing between 19hoo and 20hoo and see how much hate mail you get Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bellemodel 10 Posted February 11, 2015 Why buy books if you can get the info on the internet for free?! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JANDS 16 Posted February 12, 2015 Why buy books if you can get the info on the internet for free?! There is a particular magic from a certain era where books are like old friends. Truths forgotten and perhaps appropriate quotes. And....they smell better. And they don't switch off when Eskon* does. That's why. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Not1CentMore 10 Posted February 12, 2015 (edited) I would much rather 'curl up' with a 'for real' book in my hands (and a cuppa-cuppa on the bedside table) at the end of the day, but alas, these old eyes can't see the print, so I am forced to use Kindle. Can make the words as big as I need... something that is more like 'work' than 'relax' with a book and magnifying glass. The eyes keep 'dimming' and it will be audible books w/someone else reading me to sleep. If/When that happens, I hope every book is read by someone with a voice like the late Barry White. Ruthie Edited February 12, 2015 by Not1CentMore Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Free Soul Styles 10 Posted February 13, 2015 I love reading, my hubby has given me a lovely collection of books over the years. I have a tablet but the screen annoys me. I like being able to fold the book and turn pages. It's old school... Using your imagination and being able to visualize the settings and people... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
