Has anyone sold on amazon? i have medical books to sell but what about listing,

Question:

Has anyone sold on amazon? i have medical books to sell but what about listing, closing fees and commission?

that these booksellers charge? is half.com better in terms of pricing?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

I've sold books on Amazon, Ebay, and Half. I'd definitely recommend selling on Amazon over the other two because of the ease and convenience. The fees are a little higher, but they are described on the site, and you can compensate by raising your price a little bit. You will need to check your email daily, and be sure to use a reliable one, because you need to ship fairly quickly.

Also, remember that Amazon gives you the same amount for shipping a pamphlet as for a 12 pound textbook... and it's just barely enough to cover shipping on an average size book via media mail. That's especially true with priority mail - Amazon's expedited shipping.

If you agree to support expedited shipping and the customer chooses it you'll probably lose money as often as not with average weight books (paperbacks and small hardcovers). With heavier books you always will...sometimes a lot... imagine the cost of shipping that 12 pound textbook via priority mail. You may not want to support expedited shipping for that reason - it's been a while since I sold there so I assume this is still an option.

Anyway... when deciding what to price your book for, decide what you want for the book and add the amount you need to cover packing materials, handing, confirmation. Then add a little extra for heavier books to cover the anticipated extra postage you'll have to pay yourself - maybe 50 cents for each pound over 2 pounds. You can adjust this later when you get a feel for the actual cost. Finally, divide that by 0.85 to account for Amazon's 15% commission on books, and add $1 for the closing fee. That number should be what you ask for your book.

Example: You have a 5 pound book that you want to make $85 on.
Your mailing box costs $1.25, you add 50 cents for the gas to drive a special trip to the post office, and 60 cents for delivery confirmation = $2.35.
Estimate of extra shipping: 5lbs - 2lbs = 3lbs. 3 * 50 cents = $1.50.
Adding all this for pre-sale price: $85+$2.35+1.50 = $88.85
Adjusting for Amazon's commission: $88.85 divided by 0.85 = $104.53.
Finally add $1 for the closing fee, giving $105.53.

You should charge $105.53 cents in order to make $85 on that book.

I would suggest using delivery confirmation to protect yourself from chargebacks. Also, be sure to describe your books accurately and pack them well because if you sell on Amazon you are required to accept returns. One last thing, you aren't required to notify buyers that you've shipped, but it's good practice to if you want to keep good feedback.