eBay - The Book Selling GUIDE (An Antique Books Guide)

Here is something of a relic - this was one of my first posts but due to continued popularity I have decided to repost and slightly update it

The simplest way to successfully sell your books, England's largest online marketplace is a useful tool for book sellers..

Yet some still struggle with getting to grips with the website so I shall hopefully give a brief run through of what to do and how to do it.

As a seller on eBay with over 800 feedback, chiefly from book sales, I can give you some handy tips and hints to help you sell your book.

Don't worry - photos are further down and will illustrate how to sell your book(s) on eBay.

Step 1. Set Up An Account

Setting up an account on Ebay is really quite simple. Follow the instructions and you can do little wrong.

It is useful to have a PapPal account for this as PayPal is the primary way of paying on eBay.

(Please note that if you are new to eBay people will be less inclined to buy from you or even in some cases sell to you. This is purely due to the low 'Feedback Score' you will start off with. Simply make a few purchases so that you get your feedback above 10 and you will find things much easier.)

Step 2. Photograph your item(s)

Before you even begin to list what you are selling, you will need to have photographs of the items (books in this case). If you list without a photograph it is highly unlikely that your book will sell.

Make sure you use a well lit room and have the book in focus - using Macro is useful here if your camera has that setting.

Avoid flash as it can cause reflection.

A tip here: If you cannot find somewhere suitable try the bath! The white, smooth edges are bound to create a professional looking backdrop. Make sure you get the lighting right also so that the book appears as realistic as possible.

How to transfer:

Where possible use the USB cable your device came with (if it did) or otherwise use a memory card. You may well know the easiest way from experience but if not then attempt to upload the photos first from your camera (or phone) vias USB to 'My Pictures'.

If you are using a phone and cannot do this then attach the photos to an email via your phone and then access that email on your laptop or Computer.

Important photos to take:

The front cover - if the book can stand up by itself this is the best option here.

The rear cover (if the book is a high value item)

The front/ end papers if particularly interesting eg. Maps or decorative

The title page (introducing the book and it's publisher etc)

A print details page if relevant (showing date, edition etc)

A sample page (any will do - if illustrated choose a few nice ones to show)

A selection of illustrations (not overly necessary unless nicely illustrated or rare)

Step 3. List the item(s)

You have your account and your photographs. Now is the time to actually list your book(s).

First enter your required item - here I find it always useful to enter 'Antique Book'. If your book is particularly rare, old or nice then this will be the most successful for you.

Tick the box 'Antiquarian & Collectible' and then click 'Continue':

Now you will see the actual listing page for your book.

Starting from the top, fill in the information regarding your book.

 Remember: the more information, the easier it is for a buyer to search and identify what you are selling

Begin with a title that will grab reader's attention. 

Research your book if you wish through 'Abebooks.co.uk' - the leading boom selling website in the UK I believe. Her you can search through millions of books to find ones similar or the same as yours. This is useful for description and for pricing.

Here's a few tips:

Capitalize the occasional, important word (such as GILT)

Use the full space if possible - this means there are more words for searchers to locate your book with

Enter the printing date of your copy at the beginning of the title

Remember to include the book's title, the author's name and any themes relating to the book (eg Travel, Africa, Exploration or Story, Illustrated etc)

Put here if the book looks especially nice (eg Gilt, Decorative, Stunning

Also ALWAYS ensure you have put Antique (or vintage) if relevant and that you have typed in Book

Don't worry about the condition description - it is easier to describe the condition later on.

Now to add some specifics.
Fill in as many catagories as possible here to encourage search options for buyers.
Your book will most likely be Fiction. 

The date here is important as people can search this easily - if unsure feel free to contact me and I can try to help.

It is now time to upload your photos.

Try to upload as MANY as possible.

All photos are now free so you can have up to 12 photos to show off your item.

PLEASE NOTE: There is a way to embed images for free also but this will be described  in a later guide due to it's slight complexity

Click 'add pictures'

Now 'browse and find the pictures - if using memory card, USB or memory stick then the pictures will be locateable from 'Computer'.

(If you followed my advice at the beginning then they will be found under 'My Pictures'.

Choose your pictures and then click 'Upload'.

This may take a few minutes so don't close the box until they are fully uploaded.

Now for the description.
This part is extremely important in selling your book.

Begin with a line detailing the book in the following manner:
Author, Book Title, Publisher, Publication date of copy, Number of pages.
This will ensure book collectors can simply and effectively view the details of your book.

Below this write a brief section about the book detailing what looks nice, what features it has and anything else of interest.

Eg. This book has a stunning Art-Nouveau cover with elaborate gilt detailing and strong gilt edging to the page block.
The book features several black and white illustrations and a few colour plates which are beautifully drawn by the renowned Arthur Rackham

This book is currently listed at £80 on Abebooks.co.uk so I am listing it for much less.
This is a true collector's book.

Now the above description may be a slight exaggeration for what you may want to put but it gives you an idea I hope.
Please note that Abebooks.co.uk is a huge book selling website and a useful tool if you want a guide to pricing your book. Remember that book prices on this website are not auction fueled and are often optimistic so your book may be worth only half or less than the prices given on this website.

After the description, write the condition. Again this is an important section. Highlight any faults or flaws. Using terms such as 'The covers show general wear' or 'The pages are generally clean but show some signs of age and wear' can help cover you if the buyer finds the book is worse than imagined. Always try to be accurate however!

Lastly if you have any other books for sale put this here, eg 'Please take a look at my other books for sale'
And finally it's always useful to write that you are happy to try to answer any questions asked.

Pricing

This is the tricky bit.

You want to get the maximum profit but not overprice your book.

With some collectable books such as Tolkien's The Hobbit, a 99p start can often result in a greater selling price.

Yet with many titles it is wise to start higher.

You can always lower it if the book does not sell the first time listed.

eBay users are erratic in searches meaning that the book may not sell first time around. For instance I've had many occasions where the book has failed to sell at, say, $£4.99 but the next time round managed to get bids in excess of £10. It all just depends on who is browning and when.

Look at the competition and then set your price - a slightly lower price can help to undercut rivals. If your book appears to be unique then start with a higher price than you think it is worth.

NEVER use Buy It Now unless you know the value of the item. Many have listed book for the set price Buy It Now option, only to find the book sell in a few hours. Later they realize that the book was in fact far more valuable than they thought.

Auction allows such a price to become possible.

 There are tools on eBay to prevent your item selling for less than you want it to although thee are only useful if your book is definitely worth a bit.
You can set a Buy It Now which means the buyer can instantly pay the amount you set. Alternatively you can choose Best Offer which is the same as Buy It Now (BIN) with the only difference being that users can submit a lower price to you and you can choose to accept or decline that price.

Lastly a reserve can be put in to make sure your book does not sell for less than the price you have in kind. This however is costly and not worth doing on most items.

I would suggest choosing the longest period for your item to sell - 10 days is usually the best bet for most books as it allows longer and more exposure and thus higher chance of collecting 'Watchers and selling.

(A 'Watcher' is a person who chooses to 'watch' your item, meaning that can follow the price and bidding. This often results in a sale)

Another useful tool here is the 'Schedule Listing' which means you can list a book and then choose the time that you want the book to start selling (this will also be the time the book finishes at.)
7 to 8 is usually the best time to choose.
Alternately save yourself the 6p and list it at that time.
If you have multiple books it is sometimes better to schedule so that they will all end at approximately the same time.

Postage.

This part is also important. Use the Royal Mail Price Finder if unsure of the book's postage cost:
http://www.royalmail.com/price-finder
Make sure you have weighed the book on scales if possible to get the most accurate quote.
Otherwise for a standard measure, small paperbacks weigh between 200-400 grams usually whilst hardbacks weigh from 600-800 grams usually. e careful that your book is not heavier than you think as just a few grams can change everything.
If your book is 999g, Royal Mail will charge £2.60 for a small packet. But if your book weighs 1000g then the price rises to £5.60 for a small packet.
(Prices correct as of 2013)

For valuable books choose the option that best suits your book such as special delivery and when posting the book ensure that you get proof of posting as this is vital in the case your book is lost in the post.

Package the book well - usually in a padded envelope.
These are cheapest from Poundland and other pound shops - costing one pound for five medium size jiffy style envelopes. Alternately the Post Office and stationers will sell individual envelopes ranging in price from 70p to over £1 for just one.

Returns.

If you choose not to offer returns as many do you must still accept them if the book is damaged or incorrectly described and the buyer opens a case against you.

However usually this is the best option as it prevents fussy buyers constantly asking for money back due to a change of mind/ opinion.

The click 'Continue'

 Here you have a last chance to look over your listing.
eBay allow you an opportunity to view your listing in a smaller window as it will be when actually listed.

If you are happy scroll down to the bottom and review your fees to make sure you are fine with paying the amount.

If you wish to change something then simply click 'Edit Listing'

After clicking 'List Your Item', congratulations! You have successfully listed a book for sale.

on 'My Ebay' you can see the book's progress over the course of the listing.

Once sold, wait for payment (or send payment details through Ebay) and then post.

I hope this guide helped somewhat. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask me at vaugc002@gmail.com or just comment on this blog!

I would like to poi t out also that listings are different according to some profiles and your listing settings may be different (ie choosing 'Quick listing settings etc)

*If you are happy with this guide please share it with others!*