Amazon.com, originally an online marketplace for books set-up by Amazon.com Incorporated on 1995, reportedly had dwindling profit, except for the recent years when it picked up.
But one thing has been consistent—the large number of buyers who are willing to purchase books posted on the marketplace. Indeed, Amazon.com popularized the idea of online shopping, to the point of Time magazine recognizing this success and naming its founder, Jeff Bezos, Person of the Year on 1999.
Now, Amazon.com has gone neck-and-neck with another popular online marketplace—eBay. With both having different pricing and marketplace system, sellers are spilt to do their businesses on two sites.
However, how can a book seller make sure business on Amazon.com will have a positive financial return?
Some tips on selling books on Amazon.com
1. Make the cheapest and fairest price.
This is common sense, or just simple economics. People would want to buy cheaper goods with good quality. However, their problem is the asymmetric information: they do not know all the sellers and prices. So, they would just compare prices of a few sellers and choose the lowest price. Buyers, indeed, take risks. Take advantage of their weak spots and offer them the lowest price possible. Getting little profit from many transactions is a better option than acquiring large profit from a few ones. The former will keep you in the business, while the latter will make you quit.
2. Make an accurate description of the book
The idea here is to make a vivid description of your book. This is because, in online shopping, buyers will need to see a clear picture of the goods’ condition through the sellers’ words. Remember that buyers are taking risks in purchasing books on an online marketplace like Amazon.com. Sellers’ sincerity and honesty will be needed for the buyers to trust them. You need to win that trust. And you can only do this by making an accurate and detailed description of the book.
3. Capitalize on the rare and popular books
It is needless to say that rare and interesting books can be sold like hotcakes on Amazon.com. Obviously, because they are rare, people would deem them as treasure hunts. And if they are interesting and popular books, people would grab them immediately to keep themselves in vogue. For academic books, on the other hand, do not worry for they will always sell. Students or librarians will find these books usable.
4. Make a shipping schedule to lessen costs
The mailing schedule of Amazon.com is within two business days of receipt. You have to make your own shipping schedule to avoid the mess of going often to the post office. This way, you can also attract more buyers because of lesser shipping cost.
5. Plan for angry customers
The reality is: they will always be present. They might be angry because they are not satisfied with the condition of the book, or they think the delivery took too long to arrive. What you need to know during these situations are your policies on book return, refund, and non-delivery.