Lynn’s eBay ezine Volume IV, issue number 41

Dear eBayers,

Many of you have called or emailed to find out when our ONLY Live Boot Camp of 2008 is going to be. We have confirmed our dates and it is going to be Friday, August 28th, Saturday August 29th and Sunday August 30th at the world famous La Quinta Resort!

By holding it the last weekend in August, we were able to negotiate super great room rates for all you future students and the resort will not be very crowded. We will also be able to get the meeting rooms that we want.

‘Great Book Information–Cook Books and Children’s Books‘

by Serena Lee, guest columnist, eBay ID QualityValueFinds

Before we get into Serena’s book article, I wanted to share with you how high last week’s Polaroid accessory set sold for. I am still in shock!

Remember that vintage Polaroid accessory kit that I picked up for $1 at my local thrift store several weeks ago? Obviously, someone was cleaning out their closets, came upon it, and decided it was really trash but chose to donate it instead of throwing it away.

See how high it went by clicking here.

It sold to South Korea and has been paid for and shipped off. I even purchased insurance for it on Auctiva!!!!

Here is the email that I got from Serena this week, (a 2007 La Quinta Live Boot Camp Grad). Awesome information. Thanks to Serena! Please check out her eBay store here.

Hi Lynn,

I was listening to your CD of the call with Joel Elad recently and thought I’d share some thoughts with you on selling books on eBay. Some of this stuff I’ve learned through trial and error and some of it I’ve learned from other booksellers.

I mainly sell in two categories, children’s books and cookbooks. Some of the info I’ll be relaying are specific to a category and some are general to book selling on eBay. I’ve not tried selling outside eBay, so it may be different for Amazon, Alibris, or Abe Books.

Remember what your grandmother was always saying, and what you teach us over and over again? People are trying to relive their childhoods by buying things that remind them of their youth. Well, it’s true with books, too, especially with children’s books, which is why I collect and sell them :0) If you remember a book from childhood that brings back warm memories, buy it! In this case, go for the hardbacks instead of paperbacks. If there is a dust jacket, even better!

As you probably know, a lot of adults are buying things for their children that they had when they were little. Most children’s books sell for $9.99, so I won’t pay more than $2 a book. I’ve heard from another seller that pop-up books in good condition and vintage children’s books with really good illustrations sell well. People will buy the latter just for the illustrations, so it’s a good idea to include a sampling of the illustrations in your listing.

A recent children’s book listing from Serena.

[Please click here to see how much it sold for. More than the usual $9.99. Way to go Serena!]

As for cookbooks, I am a cookbook lover and collector myself, so I am always on the look-out for cookbooks. Ones to look out for are those written by a Food Network star, ones with lots of full color photos, especially dessert cookbooks, ones about more obscure cuisines in which not a whole lot has been written (e.g., Scandinavian, Russian, etc, especially Scandinavian), and ones that are of historical interest.

Community/fundraising/church cookbooks sell well if you pay no more than $0.25 each and you sell them in a lot. I’ve found that any book, especially baking books, that contain recipes that people remember their mothers or grandmothers making for them when they were children, tend to sell. (Remember what you said about reliving our childhoods?) A lot of times, people will want to pass on the experience of baking with their mothers/grandmothers to their own children.

There was a story about a woman a few years ago who discovered a book of handwritten dessert recipes from a woman of another generation. She created several cookbooks with those recipes, and the books sold like hotcakes.

For cookbooks that are filled with photos, I like to show a sampling of them in my listings. Even one would be good. Like children’s books, I focus on hardback editions and try not to pay more than $2 per cookbook, unless it’s rare and in demand.

Here is a cookbook that Serena recently sold. Visit the auction here to see how cute her template listing is from Auctiva.

Some cookbook authors to look out for include any Food Network star (i.e., Rachael Ray, Giada Di Laurentiis, etc), the perennial Julia Child, and Clementine Paddleford. The latter is not a household name, but there has been recent, revived interest in this woman, with articles in food magazines and a recent biography written about her.

Some of her books are out of print and go for about $90-$100 on Amazon, so if you run across any vintage copies of her books, grab them! If you want to stay abreast of what’s popular and hot in cookbooks, go to www.eCookbooks.com and sign up for their weekly newsletter. You’ll get information on all the latest cookbooks that are coming out and some popular older titles. One thing to keep in mind about cookbooks is that in general, baking books have a greater longevity than regular cookbooks, so if you had to choose between a vintage baking book and a vintage general cookbook, I would pick the former, unless the latter is of some historical interest (e.g., a first edition copy of The Joy of Cooking).

Another thing I’ve discovered is that older romance novels sell well in lots. I’ve read that Harlequin novels numbered from 1 to 1000 are especially popular. You’ll want to pay no more than 25 to 50 cents per book. I’ve also found that vintage auction house catalogs sell well, especially ones that are for things that are highly collectible, like estate jewelry. Try not to spend more than $2 per catalog.

As a general rule, I try not to spend more than $2 for any book I’m planning on reselling on eBay. Most books sell for $9.99 or a little higher, kind of like coffee mugs :0)

I try to give my book buyers a bargain, so a lot of times, I will either sell books in lots or pair similar books together in one listing. For children’s books, I will pair books from the same author or similar genre together.

For cookbooks that are more obscure (say, ones that are from another era and are no longer in print or as popular), I will pair books with similar subject matter together (e.g., pie books together, Italian cookbooks together, general baking books together, etc). When I pair up books, I try not to pay more than $1 per book.

As a picky book collector myself, I understand why a lot of book buyers want to see the actual book they’re buying or bidding on, so it’s a good idea to not use a stock photo, especially for a used book. Instead, include a photo of the actual book itself.

[Lynn here, I totally agree with Serena about taking pictures of vintage books. I will still use the eBay stock photo (because it is free and shows the cover) but I will also include a side photo to show the spine, pages and condition of my particular book. Here is one of my listings with a photo like that.]

[If you click this link you can see the stock eBay photo that shows up along with the stock book description. All great information!]

[By the way, knitting, crochet and quilt books/pamphlets also do quite well. Here is one that I have up for sale this week that I paid 25 cents for.]

[Now back to Serena, and I love this next suggestion…]

It’s also a good idea to wrap any book you’re shipping in some kind of plastic or waterproof material, so that if the box gets wet (due to rain or snow), the book stays dry. Water and books don’t mix! One bookseller I know of ships her books in Tyvek envelopes, which are lightweight and sturdy and cannot be punctured, and uses bubble wrap to protect the corners.

As far as keywords go, it’s a good idea to include the word “book” (or “cookbook” if selling a cookbook) in the title. You will get more hits if you include this, as a lot of buyers will type in the title (or author) and then the word “book”. For books that are more obscure, say, if they were self-published or published in a foreign country, you should include key words that describe the subject matter of the book, especially if the title is not very descriptive. I’ve found that in some cases, subject matter keywords are more important than the title of the book. This is especially true if people are browsing thru listings.

As you mentioned on your call, books may not always sell at auction, but they will eventually sell, which is why I’m always on the hunt for more books.

Phew! This was a long email! I hope you found it helpful. You’ve always been so helpful to all of us, so I thought I’d return the favor and share what I know about selling books :0)

Many thanks, and take care!

Serena

Thanks to Serena for sharing! We appreciate it.