Is selling books on eBay worth the effort?

[Username3000]

I have a whole bunch of used books that I’d like to try to sell.

Has anyone tried selling books on eBay? Are there any other online options?

 

[bookslover]

You could try Amazon.

 

[TheInquirer]

I’ve sold quite a few on Amazon to free up shelf space. I would think you would have a much larger natural audience there than ebay.

 

[Relztrah]

I've been selling all sorts of items on eBay for over 15 years. Yes, books will sell, but you won't get what you think they're worth. I start all my auctions at 99¢ and sometimes that's what I get.

 

[Joshua]

Has anyone tried selling books on eBay?

I strongly surmise it to be so.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I stopped selling on EBay because they charge a ridiculous fee. There are many Facebook groups you might try. These are free

 

[Jake]

I've bought several books on here (PuritanBoard) over the years.

 

[JimmyH]

Ebay charges 10% final value fee. The shipping you charge is included in their calculation. Then there is the 3% paypal fee.

As Bill the Baptist noted there are Facebook groups where you can sell Christian books and avoid the fees from ebay, and Amazon.

Do a search on FB for BUY, SELL & TRADE EVERYTHING BIBLES!!! and join the group to sell. People sell books as well as Bibles in that group. There are one or two more that I can't recall at the moment.

Abebooks is another venue. I've never sold books through them, but have bought quite a few.

If you do searches on ABE, Amazon, ebay (completed items) you can get a sense of supply/demand for the books you intend to sell.

 

[Pilgrim]

I stopped selling on EBay because they charge a ridiculous fee. There are many Facebook groups you might try. These are free

I haven't checked lately, but maybe within the past 2 years I checked and their fees were still cheaper than any of the alternatives (Amazon, Abebooks (which Amazon owns) and several of the others.)

 

[Pilgrim]

Out of all of the commercial platforms as opposed to the PB or FB niche groups, I believe that eBay is still the best place to sell books that are somewhat rare, unique, or out of print and which aren't essentially a commodity. (Some may argue for Abebooks, but to me that is more for dealers rather than a guy who just has some books he needs to unload and won't be listing regularly. And I think Amazon is probably better if what you have is more common, although their fees are higher the last time I checked.)

But even MacArthur and Sproul type books can be worthwhile on eBay (and Amazon probably) if they are in Very Good condition or better, but your margin will be better somewhere like here or on FB where you can put them before a niche audience and where there are no fees other than PayPal.

The rise of sellers like Thriftbooks and Better World Books who sell a very high volume of books at little more than the price of shipping has seriously undermined the ability for the small seller to make selling more ordinary books worthwhile unless you've got a lot of time on your hands and don't care if you make much money.

 

[Pilgrim]

I've been selling all sorts of items on eBay for over 15 years. Yes, books will sell, but you won't get what you think they're worth. I start all my auctions at 99¢ and sometimes that's what I get.

I quit doing auctions years ago. When I'd do an auction plus Buy it Now, I had more people buying now even though it was very likely that they would get it significantly cheaper if they waited for the auction to end. So I switched to Buy it Now with Best Offer. Even then, about half of my buyers just buy it immediately without bothering to make an offer. I've concluded that roughly half of the people and probably more than half would rather just get it over with if you price competitively to begin with rather than bid or make an offer and risk losing out.

But I think some people have gone back to auctions in the wake of eBay making all fixed price listings "until canceled" which is a chore since you've really got to keep an eye on it lest you be charged listing fees if you have close to the 50 item limit for sale regularly. I tried it but had poor results, in part because I'd rather just donate a book rather than sell for $0.99. Rarely have I ever had a book with more than one bid on it, which means that it almost always sells for whatever I listed it for unless they opt for Buy it Now.

 

[Pilgrim]

When selling here or on FB, one thing to watch out for is using PayPal's "Friends and Family." It is a violation of their agreement to use that to sell goods and services, which some do as a way to avoid paying fees. If they find out you are doing that, they can also cancel your account. it is unwise as well as unethical.

One of the best things about PayPal is buyer and seller protection, which you forfeit by using Friends and Family. I've lost count of the number of times that people have gotten burned on FB buying premium Bibles and getting ripped off by sellers who use Friends and Family. If they don't ship, you've got no recourse.

 

[Pilgrim]

I have a whole bunch of used books that I’d like to try to sell.

Has anyone tried selling books on eBay? Are there any other online options?

Being in Canada, things may be a bit different with you regarding shipping costs since most of your potential customers are in the USA. But I don't think that will make any difference whether you sell on eBay or somewhere else.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I haven't checked lately, but maybe within the past 2 years I checked and their fees were still cheaper than any of the alternatives (Amazon, Abebooks (which Amazon owns) and several of the others.)

it’s about 10%. I haven’t had any problem selling things on Facebook, and the fee is zero,

 

[JimmyH]

I occasionally sell on Internet forums, and FB groups, dealing with old style wet shaving. Straight razors, vintage, and modern old style double and single edge safety razors. Family and Friends is routinely used by some, but I don't avail myself of that option.

If I'm buying a razor, or whatever, from someone, I volunteer to pay the paypal fee on their behalf. If I'm the seller I include the fees in the price listed. So we are still both protected in the event that things don't go smoothly.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I occasionally sell on Internet forums, and FB groups, dealing with old style wet shaving. Straight razors, vintage, and modern old style double and single edge safety razors. Family and Friends is routinely used by some, but I don't avail myself of that option.

If I'm buying a razor, or whatever, from someone, I volunteer to pay the paypal fee on their behalf. If I'm the seller I include the fees in the price listed. So we are still both protected in the event that things don't go smoothly.

I don't mind Paypal fees because its only 3%. I refuse to pay the 10% that Ebay charges, which is on top of what Paypal charges.

 

[Pilgrim]

it’s about 10%. I haven’t had any problem selling things on Facebook, and the fee is zero,

I mainly put non-evangelical and non-religious things on eBay now, as well as some Christian books (whether Reformed or broadly evangelical) that aren't selling on FB. Nice Bibles usually sell quickly on FB. But sometimes more run of the mill Christian books don't, depending on who sees them and what they are. I think that some of the FB groups are so big now and some of them have so many posts that some of the posts probably get overlooked. I know that I don't go through and check every post except for the group that I moderate. I've missed out on some great deals that way, but I don't have time to monitor dozens if not 100+ posts per day in maybe 6-10 different groups.

As far as I know, you can't set up automated searches that will notify you when something you want is posted the way you can on eBay, Abebooks, and maybe a few other sites like that. From a buyer standpoint, that's one thing that eBay still has going for it vs Amazon.

Even with Bibles, I was surprised that green NKJV Quentel that you bought a while back in one of the FB groups ended up being available for so long, for example. (I think you're the one who bought it.) Maybe it was the color, which isn't everybody's cup of tea. I was tempted, but I had bought a black one around that time in addition to a calfskin I already had.

 

[Pilgrim]

it’s about 10%. I haven’t had any problem selling things on Facebook, and the fee is zero,

I was referring to the big platforms as opposed to selling on FB or a forum like this. Premium Bibles and some other things will sell on FB, especially if it is a group with a lot of Reformedish people in it and you have some good Reformed books that are in relatively high demand. But in my experience some books and Bibles simply will not sell on FB or might sell faster on eBay or maybe somewhere else. I've found that listing on FB either sells in the first 2-3 days (and sometimes almost immediately) or it probably won't sell at all. But that depends on what you are trying to sell and sometimes depends on what price you are trying to get.

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I mainly put non-evangelical and non-religious things on eBay now, as well as some Christian books (whether Reformed or broadly evangelical) that aren't selling on FB. Nice Bibles usually sell quickly on FB. But sometimes more run of the mill Christian books don't, depending on who sees them and what they are. I think that some of the FB groups are so big now and some of them have so many posts that some of the posts probably get overlooked. I know that I don't go through and check every post except for the group that I moderate. I've missed out on some great deals that way, but I don't have time to monitor dozens if not 100+ posts per day in maybe 6-10 different groups.

As far as I know, you can't set up automated searches that will notify you when something you want is posted the way you can on eBay, Abebooks, and maybe a few other sites like that. From a buyer standpoint, that's one thing that eBay still has going for it vs Amazon.

Even with Bibles, I was surprised that green NKJV Quentel that you bought a while back in one of the FB groups ended up being available for so long, for example. (I think you're the one who bought it.) Maybe it was the color, which isn't everybody's cup of tea. I was tempted, but I had bought a black one around that time in addition to a calfskin I already had.

Thr premium Bible market has gotten a bit soft with all the Chinese made quasi premiums now on the market for half the price of a Schuyler.

 

[arapahoepark]

It used to the place to do that. Not so much anymore...granted, I was selling my in demand textbooks. Other books? Nope. They don't sell. They don't have the best prices either. Usually Alibris or Abebooks have them.