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#71
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#72
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#73
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(Jonathan Grobe) declared:
I wish I knew how to spend only 10 minutes a book selling books. Could I get some advice here? [When I estimate the total amount of time I have spent on the book business in a year and divide by the number of books sold it come up to at least a half hour per book for me. Most of the disagreement about how much it costs to process a book comes from how you allocate your fixed expenses. If you view all sales as equal, then the cost of selling the cheap book is high. If you view the cheap book as an extra sale. (your core business is the more expensive ones and the cheap book is extra and, most importantly, does not hinder the sales of more expensive books.), then you should only allocate incremental costs to the cost of selling the cheap book. Of the costs/time spent on selling a book, many would be done anyway even if you gave up selling cheaper books. Denise Enck wrote: .... --time spent gaining knowledge so you know what books are worth buying. Only a small amount of extra time will be spent learning about the cheaper books. You would still have to do this to tell the cheap ones from the expensive ones. The additional time is learning to tell the the sellable from the deadwood. --go on a book-scouting expedition (whether online, to a store, or other place) --hunt around until you find something of interest, that may be worth purchasing for resale Again - you do this anyway. (unless you start making extra trips for the cheap books.) --evaluate book This one is completely attributable to the cost of selling a cheap book, however, you won't be spending time determining points and history, so the amount of time is much less. If you do research the book extensively, it is because you suspect it is valuable; you would do this even if you don't intend to sell cheaper books. If you put it into the "donate" pile, then that time would be due to a mistake and the cost should be attributed to the high priced books - not the five dollar book when you sell it to recoup the cost of your mistake. --buy book Yes, only if you buy it as a cheap book to resell. Not if it is a mistaken valuable book or the remainders of a bulk purchase. --in preparation for listing the book for sale, carefully examine it to determine the relevant information: author, title, publisher, date, pages, binding, condition, edition, content, etc. Again (as with "evaluate" above), this is less for a cheap book. If you do it thinking it is valuable, then the time is due to a mistake you would make anyway. --do additional research if the book is unusual You don't bother doing this unless you think it is valuable. Again, if it is a mistake, you would be doing it anyway - don't blame the cheap book. --scan or photograph, if desired Most of the time you won't do this for a cheap book. Sometimes, you will have to do this when requested by a potential customer. This type of cost is often misjudged - you remember that nightmare five dollar sale that took two hours of work scanning, researching and corresponding, but you forget the other sales that went smoothly. --look up current asking prices (on ABE, in catalogues, etc) to arrive at a price Same as above for "evaluate" (is really part of "evaluate") --write book listing Yes, but it will be less time than describing the points of a first edition or other features that make a book valuable. --advertise book listings (online, in a catalogue, etc.) small for the extra listing when it is your 8456th book. (unless the cheap books kick you into the next cost bracket for listings - then you can attribute those costs.) --shelve the book. (& possibly, dust it, count it in inventory, etc.) Definitely attributable - plus add storage costs if this means more shelves or a bigger space due to selling the cheaper books. --answer queries about / orders for the book See "scan/photograph" above. --write up a bill of sale Yes --pack the book carefully Yes --drive to the post office You do this anyway - only include the extra time for extra packages. 10 minutes? Maybe for some books, but not for most ~~ 10 minutes? Yes for most cheap books (you have to figure out how many "nightmare" sales you get and decide if it is worth it - both time and agrivation.) Brian |
#74
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Everything you say is correct Brian, however I personally sell these "cheap
books" for 9-11 dollars rather than for 5 or less. If I spot cheap books that I don't personally want to read I just leave them for the next guy. If I had a book store I would buy these books and price them at 3-5 dollars apiece because your time factor is so much less, but I don't see the point of selling them online. I will leave that activity to the "low-cost" providers who wish to do it. Randy -- "Brian" wrote in message ... Most of the disagreement about how much it costs to process a book comes from how you allocate your fixed expenses. If you view all sales as equal, then the cost of selling the cheap book is high. If you view the cheap book as an extra sale. (your core business is the more expensive ones and the cheap book is extra and, most importantly, does not hinder the sales of more expensive books.), then you should only allocate incremental costs to the cost of selling the cheap book. Of the costs/time spent on selling a book, many would be done anyway even if you gave up selling cheaper books. |
#75
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"Randy Burns" wrote:
Everything you say is correct Brian, Indeed. Pomp and circumstances aren't warranted on all occasions. however I personally sell these "cheap books" for 9-11 dollars rather than for 5 or less. $5 or *more*...in case I wasn't being clear to you. If I spot cheap books that I don't personally want to read I just leave them for the next guy. If I had a book store I would buy these books and price them at 3-5 dollars apiece because your time factor is so much less, But you fixed overhead would be much more. but I don't see the point of selling them online. I will leave that activity to the "low-cost" providers who wish to do it. Versus the "high-cost" providers? I like getting good value for my money and I take satisfaction in providing the same to others. If you're in the bookselling business solely for profits then you're really missing the point; there are many more profitable commodities to make a living with. -- Ht |Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. --John Donne, "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions"| |
#76
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#77
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I think most booksellers are in the business because they enjoy putting a
really good book into the hands of someone who will appreciate it. There are other considerations, but the above is what makes it worth while. You have to know something extra about books and have enough love for them to put some extra work into the most interesting books you find in order to do that. That type of work is what some of us want to do. Sure only some booksellers can be said to really add something to the books they handle by virtue of their expertise, but if you have ever worked with such a bookseller or even purchased from such a bookseller you would know that it is a really valuable service and well worth paying for. My personal advice to book buyers and collectors has always been the same, buy from highly specialized dealers and from the junk shop, visit the thrift stores and the fine shop down the street, go to the sales and the auctions, go everywhere and buy everywhere and in the long run you will benefit. Most people who do that will value all the places they buy books at, including the specialist dealers and the fancy book shop, all these sources are worthwhile. Randy -- "Htn963" wrote in message ... I like getting good value for my money and I take satisfaction in providing the same to others. If you're in the bookselling business solely for profits then you're really missing the point; there are many more profitable commodities to make a living with. |
#78
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Scot Kamins wrote:
It seems to me that the discussion is not about profit, but more about the negation of loss. It seems to *me* that some of these claimed "losses" are bogus. I have no problem with people who just frankly say that they'd rather charge more for their time. Certainly if you're in business, one can assume that you're there to make profit. "We're here to make friends, not money" I'm not necessarily interested in making friends, just to treat people like how I want to be treated. But if along the way I do make friends, then gravy. may be an interesting motto for the well-heeled retireé who has a shop in the neighborhood because he likes to be in the neighborhood; One out of three. Guess which one. but it doesn't work if you're trying to pay the rent. Ah, yes, sometimes the mission to share the joy of reading and making a living is incompatible. I say this tongue-in-cheek because I am not any do-gooder with illusions of increasing literacy in the world; but still, as I've said, there are many better ways in the world of business "to pay the rent" than to grossly overcharge on books. Some may think it a tragedy, but it shouldn't be a great surprise that The Borders and Barnes&Nobles chains have taken over the majority of book retail selling from the mom-and-pops bookstores because they could offer a wider selection at a much better value. Now, if only they would put a few cats in their stores and open shop all night like a few eclectic, still surviving small stores in my area, it'd be perfect.. -- Ht |Any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. --John Donne, "Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions"| |
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