Ebid scores over Amazon

[leapingcat]

I had thought that Amazon was a good site for selling books of about £5.00 or over but a recent experience has changed my mind. I checked how much I would get from selling this heavy paperback on Amazon:

http://uk.four.ebid.net/perl/auction...584615-13959-1

If I sold it for £4.95, and allowing for postage costs to the buyer of £2.75, my return would only be £2.64 after Amazon's fees. Selling it on Ebid at £2.95 with postage and packing at cost, (£2.40) my return would be £2.89 after fees.

So, I am slightly better off, but more importantly the buyer will save over £2.00 by using Ebid. STRs are about the same, so nothing more to say

[Trinakarenmille]

Wonder how we can get the word out to bring the buyers over here.


http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Trina-Kare...igner-Auctions

http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Trina-Kare...ntage-clothing

http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Trina-Kare...e-Collectibles

http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Trina-Kare...Vintage-Crafts

http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Trina-Kare...tage-Bookstore

[hartmann219]

leapingcat -- yes, that is exactly the reason I too decided to try selling books at eBid. The standard fixed price book listing services -- Amazon, Alibris, and Abebooks -- are taking such a pound of flesh for their services that many have to mark up prices just to sell there. It is much cheaper for customers to buy books through venues like eBid now, but the big corporate sites have done such a job brainwashing people that they think it isn't safe to buy here and from similar smaller venues. There is no way I would sell a paperback for $1.95 on Amazon, but I can do it here. But it is going to take a Long Time before anyone notices. Best of luck to all selling books and paper collectibles here at eBid.

http://us.ebid.net/stores/Chris-Hartmann-Bookseller

http://us.ebid.net/stores/Collectible-Postcards

http://us.ebid.net/stores/The-Paperback-Shop

[SalusLibrorum]

Darn it, I was thinking of listing at Abe as well. You make it sound like they're not worth it either.

[hartmann219]

Salus -- abe is currently owned by Burda, a German media conglomerate.

You will pay a monthly rent and a commission of 13.5% (8% commission + 5.5% processing fee) on the total amount of each sale, which includes any shipping amount you receive (they just recently started this fee of 8% on shipping). You cannot process your own cards as abe processes them all now. Abe pays once per week, but there is a two week delay before you receive payment for an order shipped.

For almost all reporting, sales have been falling on abe for the past several years. Most say Amazon and Alibris are better for sales IF you can endure their business models of RENT+COMMISSION+SHIPPING SKIM+HOLDING YOUR MONEY

[Javaslublu_Books]

From reading various boards, US sellers seem to do reasonably well on Alibris but UK sellers don't. We've had two 'gos' with them, sold very few books - and then waited ages to be paid.

[heatemyfather]

Sounds a lot like these other sites are playing the old game of "make as much money as we can from holding everyone's payment for a few days", same thing that PayPoo and banks do (until very recently, as they've been told to buck their ideas up when clearing cheques).

Where is Norman Tebbit when you need him?

[Javaslublu_Books]

Amazon's the only site where you can remove your money when you want. But then you have to wait several days for it to arrive - but that's the banks! Abe pay out every week but a week in arrears.

[blissfulbelfry]

I didn't think you could just take money out when you want. Powersellers may but us small fry can't. We get when Amazon want to, but yes agreed it takes a long time. Not selling much at all - only one in a whole week.

On Green Metropolis you can take out money when you want to, put they prefer only once a month.

[moonwitch]

I am one of the small fry Amazon sellers and can transfer funds from my account there to my bank account whenever I like.

I leave it in there until they transfer it automatically once a fortnight though because I end up with a nice big amount I can go on a spending spree with