Booksellers. Why ...

[ArtisanUK]

is it difficult to find the books I want on Ebid?

Not knocking anybody, just curious because I would have thought since the other side changed the postage rules more booksellers would have moved over here and I don't think they have.

As an example, last week I was looking for several books - okay, they aren't on the best sellers list, but they are well known. Alex Scarrow - Last Light and October Skies. John Christopher - The Death of Grass. Robert Tressell - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (found one copy but it was on 10 day listing)

I was looking for The Bufflehead Sisters too, but we can let you off with that one since it's difficult to get other than Amazon.

So, out of the 4 I only found one copy. Must admit I was surprised, I would have thought the new rules over there would have driven more book sellers over here?

Just for your information I did get them all apart from The Bufflehead Sisters - 2 from Amazon and 2 from t'other side - but it was damn hard going, especially considering I live in one of the outlying areas that isn't covered by 'free postage' if sellers use courier services.

Never thought buying books would become so stressful.

So come on you lot - why haven't they moved over here????

[leadhillsonline]

is it difficult to find the books I want on Ebid?

Not knocking anybody, just curious because I would have thought since the other side changed the postage rules more booksellers would have moved over here and I don't think they have.

As an example, last week I was looking for several books - okay, they aren't on the best sellers list, but they are well known. Alex Scarrow - Last Light and October Skies. John Christopher - The Death of Grass. Robert Tressell - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (found one copy but it was on 10 day listing)

I was looking for The Bufflehead Sisters too, but we can let you off with that one since it's difficult to get other than Amazon.

So, out of the 4 I only found one copy. Must admit I was surprised, I would have thought the new rules over there would have driven more book sellers over here?

Just for your information I did get them all apart from The Bufflehead Sisters - 2 from Amazon and 2 from t'other side - but it was damn hard going, especially considering I live in one of the outlying areas that isn't covered by 'free postage' if sellers use courier services.

Never thought buying books would become so stressful.

So come on you lot - why haven't they moved over here????

I find the same, it is not often I can find the books I want on eBid. Like you the authors I want are not the best selling ones.
It would be nice if we had more book sellers over here. From what I've read, a lot from over there have just stopped listing or moved most of their stock to the river.

[ArtisanUK]

Oooh, so glad I'm not on my own with this!

I should imagine that a lot of the smaller booksellers over there have found the free postage thing to be a nightmare - fair 'enuff, but the river can have its drawbacks for both buyers and sellers I would think.

For me it's the fact they don't do Paypal, they have the 'free delivery' thing - but rarely for anything I want to buy, and to be honest I usually have to wait a fair amount of time before I get the book (and I am a normally patient buyer)

Anyway, they are the 'put-offs' from my perspective for Amazon - although on the plus side I can usually find what I want.

ePig on the other hand is a nightmare for me at the moment (as a buyer) Many of the book sellers have gone for 'courier' or 'freight' options to try and comply with the free postage 'initiative.'
But for me it's never, ever 'free.' It can't be because couriers charge extra amounts to my location. Don't get me wrong I'm not blaming sellers for this - I BLAME EPIG - they can't possibly let me have postage 'free' or they would lose out big time - but still, I see a book I want at a price I want to pay and then see 'freight.' So I have to email the seller, ask them if 'freight' means Royal Mail in any way shape or form and wait for them (if ever) to respond.

Yet on here most sellers still seem to use RM, the book prices (when I find them) are reasonable, the postage is cheaper than the river (£2.75 for slow mail) - and yet most of the titles I want aren't there.

I think more booksellers should at least list part of their stock here. Lets face it, they have a vast number of customers and are the most likely ones to bring with them people looking for collectibles, second hand stuff, which is the one area of the market place that would draw customers to the site.

Rant over.

[bykimbo]

You're asking the booksellers who are here why booksellers aren't here... there would appear to be a logical flaw here.

I'd love to see this place become one of the top locations for finding books, and it's certainly where I look first. But we can't force folks to list here - we can only control our own actions not those of others. So I buy as much as possible (eight this week, I think) and only go elsewhere when I have to. When I sell a book elsewhere, I include details of how to find this place. When I'm chatting to people about the price of books, I always mention that I look here first. I don't pretend I find everything, false expectations are more harmful than none! But I always say it's "worth a look".

If you find looking for a book here and not finding it terribly stressful I suggest you ease up on the caffeine by the way.

[gyronny]

I'd probably buy more books here if there was more info in the book description. As a collector of 1st editions, I rarely find that fact mentioned. In some case there is no mention as to whether the item is hardback or paperback.
I dislike ebay's present ethos, but they did have their book section pretty much right, until the mega listers invaded.
A lot of the information on ebay was because of the way turbo-lister had the categories listed, just a couple of clicks and all relevant info was there. Perhaps the ebid uploader (if it ever appears) will be the same.
I can hope!
http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Gyronny-Books

[gyronny]

As a further thought, perhaps the first edition dealers and collectors could get together here on the forum and make a list of essential details to post as a guide?

http://uk.ebid.net/stores/Gyronny-Books

[Pink_Panther]

I'd probably buy more books here if there was more info in the book description. As a collector of 1st editions, I rarely find that fact mentioned. In some case there is no mention as to whether the item is hardback or paperback.

I always make a point of telling peeps that 'I cater mainly for 'readers' of books rather than collectors.'

I always state if a book is first edition eg 1st/1st - 1st/2nd etc etc.

If a collector is interested in any of my books they are invited (in the discription) to mail me their questions and or request extra pics.

The other thing is you were looking for rarities.

I sold Black Knight White Swan by Russ Harding AKA David Gemmel for £400 when there were no other copies available. The next thing you know there were loads on offer! So I think it's swings & roundabouts for buyers and sellers.

[leadhillsonline]

I'd probably buy more books here if there was more info in the book description. As a collector of 1st editions, I rarely find that fact mentioned. In some case there is no mention as to whether the item is hardback or paperback.
I dislike ebay's present ethos, but they did have their book section pretty much right, until the mega listers invaded.
A lot of the information on ebay was because of the way turbo-lister had the categories listed, just a couple of clicks and all relevant info was there. Perhaps the ebid uploader (if it ever appears) will be the same.
I can hope!

I always state in a listing if it's a 1st edition and if possible I put it in the title, same goes for if it's a hardback or paperback. All my general fiction and non-fiction have Synopsis, ISBN and Publisher. I use book collector and it pulls down most of the information I need for the listings. I don't give the amount of pages and I don't always put in the publication date.
For the really old books that I'm selling for our local library I give less information as it's harder to come by.

[Gothicina]

is it difficult to find the books I want on Ebid?

Not knocking anybody, just curious because I would have thought since the other side changed the postage rules more booksellers would have moved over here and I don't think they have.

As an example, last week I was looking for several books - okay, they aren't on the best sellers list, but they are well known. Alex Scarrow - Last Light and October Skies. John Christopher - The Death of Grass. Robert Tressell - The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists (found one copy but it was on 10 day listing)

I was looking for The Bufflehead Sisters too, but we can let you off with that one since it's difficult to get other than Amazon.

So, out of the 4 I only found one copy. Must admit I was surprised, I would have thought the new rules over there would have driven more book sellers over here?

Just for your information I did get them all apart from The Bufflehead Sisters - 2 from Amazon and 2 from t'other side - but it was damn hard going, especially considering I live in one of the outlying areas that isn't covered by 'free postage' if sellers use courier services.

Never thought buying books would become so stressful.

So come on you lot - why haven't they moved over here????

I suggested a couple of years back that for a short time (a week I think it was) the booksellers with a big stack that needed listing, made the effort to try & only list books that weren't already listed on eBid as a way of increasing the variety here & pulling in new buyers for us all, but nobody wanted to know.

[ArtisanUK]

It just seems to me that we (or at least booksellers) are missing a couple of tricks here.

It's not often we actually come across a gap that needs filling which also meets with solving the problems current faced by the sellers - and in addition bookbuyers (who are basically anybody and everybody) may also bring other trade to the site.

I must admit that I posted really out of surprise - I honestly expected that since the new ePig rules came in, for many booksellers to migrate here rather than the river.
Admittedly though, I haven't got a clue what the charges are over there, maybe they are really cheap, maybe it's easy to list - I don't know.
But if booksellers are still selling on ePig and the river, surely they would be one of the best areas to let their customers know they have stock on this site as well. Long term, considering the costs involved here, I would have thought it was a decent plan of action.

And Kimbo - I don't 'do' coffee (it sends me all twitchy and daft!)