BookScout: En Fuego!

Something new…to me anyway! Did you know that DHL and the post office are in cahoots? Yup, you heard me right the post office and DHL have been working in partnership for some time now and that’s great news if you use a home address or better still, a PO Box for deliveries of books or other items.

According to my local post office guy, when the pallet of DHL boxes arrives, they tear it down then distribute the parcels as if they were sent through the regular post. The best part is that you don’t have to pay anymore for this service nor do you have to ask for it either! Just order as normal and choose DHL or as in my case when I ordered from an overseas vendor, it was the ONLY delivery method.

Another nice thing is that DHL often provides a tracking number so you’ll always know where your package is during transit. Just remember to ask you shipper for the number if it’s not supplied.

*** One note on tracking: the post office guy also mentioned that when the pallet arrives it’s scanned as such but it can take a day or so to tear it down for delivery so don’t take the tracking delivered date as an absolute. The delivery date is the date the pallet hits your local post office.

Working in reverse, if you choose to use DHL for shipping you won’t have to require your buyers to supply a home or business address like you would for Fedex or UPS! This shipping option works if you are a high volume shipper.

DHL Media Mail http://tinyurl.com/2tj35d

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DHL home http://tinyurl.com/343glm

Richard

Looking for a business phone but don’t want to pay through the nose for one? The Magic Jack is a nifty little invention that will solve you need for that separate phone line at crazy low price.

I’ve been looking for a way to add a business line that was both affordable and reliable and friend recommended the Magic Jack. In a nutshell here are the details:

It connects to the USB connection of your computer.

Any normal phone both corded and portable will work.

It connects to any high-speed internet connection.

The cost is $49.00 for the unit and a year of service.

Every year thereafter is only $20.00!

Free call waiting & voicemail.

Setup is very easy.

It fits in a shirt pocket.

You can connect it to ANY PC after initial setup and it remembers your phone number.

The sound is crystal clear.

Plus UNLIMITED calls to the USA and Canada from around the world.

PRO’s: Okay, my review is this; you can’t beat it for the money! I had mine set up in about 10 minutes and made a call to a friend in California about a minute after that. The instructions say that you have to confirm your details via email link but I never had to do that, it just worked.

Con’s: The first call had an echo for about 2 seconds but it was perfect after a few seconds. I’ve never had an echo since that first call. About an hour after setup, the network went down but has worked perfectly since the first day. It’s really strange NOT to hear any buzzing or line static during the call so the first time there was a pause in the conversation, I thought the line had gone dead. Okay, it’s not a bad thing but it does take some getting used to. Apple or Linux not supported yet.

Order at www.magicjack.com

Disclaimer: I don’t sell the unit nor am I affiliated with the product but I sure wish I was! J

A short word on feedback and returns

Feedback is a way for the buyer to respond to the quality of service that they received from you, the seller. Feedback is usually conducted by the buyer once they have received your book and had the time to evaluate the service. The feedback is normally given by clicking a few buttons the website they used when buying the used book.

Sometimes, the venue will allow the customer to write a description of the sales experience in a small box so that the next customer considering purchasing a book from you can see how you rate against other sellers. Sometimes it’s fair and sometimes it’s not but either way it’s a fact of life when selling online.

Sometimes a customer will leave you negative feedback not because of the sales processes but believe it or not, for the content of the book! You may see comments such as “Arrived on time but the book was too hard to read” or “I liked the first book in the series better than the sequel.”

At times like these, smile and email the customer gently reminding the how important feedback is to the selling process and would they consider removing the negative feedback.

If removal is not possible, then respond kindly to feedback with an email saying something like: I’m sorry to hear that the first book was better than the last. Since the feedback is based on my service to you and not the content of the book would you agree to mutually withdraw the feedback? If they refuse, then leave a response to the feedback along the same lines as your email and move on to the next sale.

If you give consistently great customer service such as answering emails right away, packaging correctly and mailing within 24 hours feedback won’t be a major problem for you.

Returns need to be handled in a fast and simple way. If a customer wants to return a book in the venues specified time frame then to so quickly and courteously. Tell the customer that you are happy to accept returns and that as soon as you receive the book, they will have their refund.

Ask them to properly package the book, insure if the wish and send it using Media Mail with delivery confirmation or other tracking methods.

Check the book over when it arrives then proceed with the return. Some venues allow a restocking fee or a partial refunding of the order. Don’t get greedy here only charge these fees if you must because of the used book was not in the condition that it was sold. Even then, you may want to consider a full refund for customers service sake or if you can still resell the book at its original selling price.

Good Luck and see you next week!

After the sale.

Believe it or not, the sale does not end once you’ve sold your used textbook, technical book or that rare Stephen King novel. This is the point where may new book sellers will drop the ball and earn a bad reputation.

This is not the time to keep your “pride” over a book sale the customer says is not in the condition promised, arrived too late or is not the right edition!

Customers will often misread your description, delivery time frame or simply never read the condition at all before ordering. Fighting with the customer over the book is simply unproductive and a waste of your time. Simply apologize for the problem, offer to refund the book once the book has been returned or offer to refund the shipping costs.

I will usually respond to the problem in this manner:

Dear Book Buyer, I sincerely apologize for you book arriving later than you needed it. Sometimes, despite the post offices best intention, packages will sometime get lost in the shuffle of thousands of packages. If you like, you can return the book for a full refund or I can refund your shipping costs. Please understand that I am will to do whatever it takes to make you happy!

Sincerely, Your Book Seller

You can use a variation on this letter but by all means, answer the customers email within a day or two or better yet, within hours if possible. You will be surprised at the positive response from customers when they see a gracious reply with several options all within a few hours.

This approach can save many a broken sale if used correctly!

Sometimes, sadly enough some customers cannot be made happy no matter how generous or quickly you respond. Some book buyers will even ask you to go beyond the rules and threaten you with negative feedback unless you agree to do something unethical or against the rules of the venue…

In this case, stick to the rules of the venue and accept whatever the customer does and MOVE ON! Don’t fret too long over a bad sale. Do your best and know that a happy customer is out there somewhere just waiting to buy your used book and is willing to give you good feedback right away.

Take care and see you next week!

Packing and Mailing

Next to selecting the right used books nothing is more important than shipping the books safely! Don’t skimp here because shipping a book in a cheap or inadequate envelope raises your chances of your customer receiving a damaged book.

A damaged book will often result in negative feedback or an order that is refunded. Ship the used book securely and you’ll have happy customers.

I personally use tear resistant Mylar envelopes and they come in a variety of sizes to fit your book selling needs.  They are very flexible, light weight and travel through the postal system very well. If you can afford it, buy a variety of sizes.  

You can also cut to fit cardboard for extra protection!

Most books will fall into size 2 category and a case of a couple of hundred will usually run around $36.00 or around 23 cents each. The occasional larger Mylar envelopes can be had for around $1.50 at your local big box store.  

I use Linton labels at http://www.lintonlabels.com and chose the White Poly Bubble Mailers on the lower left side of the screen. Shipping is included with your order!

If your books are larger or require more protection, it might be a good idea to invest in a roll of B-flute. B-flute looks a lot like cardboard but it’s very flexible and it comes in a big roll. Sometimes packers and movers use b-flute to wrap furniture with and can be found at furniture stores, sometimes for free. 

The only real drawback to this scenario is that it comes in strange sizes and must usually be cut to fit.

Another way to find it is by searching the internet but be prepared to spend half the cost of the b-flute in shipping charges due to its heavy weight.  Simply cut the b-flute, fold over the used book, staple or tape and mail.

Is the best method by and far for mailing,  Media Mail?

Yes! Using this method alone could save you hundreds of dollars a year alone in mailing fees. Media Mail is designed for folks like you and me to send books as cheaply as possible.

A single 1 pound package as of this writing costs $2.31 including Delivery Confirmation using an online postage generator.  A 2 pound package is only $2.65 and a 3 pound used book is only $2.99 for shipping!

All other methods are not cost effective unless the customer buys Priority Shipping.

Priority is a nice option if your customer needs their used book s right away. When you sell on Amazon, eBay, Half or Alibris, the customer has the option of choosing Priority Mail at their expense.  The venue charges the customer more in shipping fees and in turn, gives more money back to ship used textbooks.

Until next time…

Congratulations! You’ve made back!

So far we’ve looked at buying books but where in the world should I put all these used books you ask? Well, one thing is for sure, storage can be a problem if not addressed right away. Take a good look at your home. Thinking about the garage? STOP! Humidity and temperature changes will destroy your inventory very quickly even if you store them in plastic containers!

Do you have a small room or better yet a large room for storage? Are the rooms accessible for humans but not for pets? Please remember that the buyer from Alibris purchasing the book may be allergic to pet dander and will ding your feedback even if the book looks otherwise pristine.

Shelf units are available at most major shopping and DIY stores like Home Depot, Lowes.  You can make your own if you are handy with tools. Book shelf plans are available all over the internet and can make the difference between a well cared for book and a damaged copy. Tip: Always store books like public libraries do and never in stacks.

Once you have your location for the used books then next question is how do I sort the books? My suggestion is that it really doesn’t matter if you have less than 50 used books on the shelf. You can sort by author, genre, title or even shape. The point is that with less than 50 books, individual books for sale should be easy to locate, pack and ship.

More than 50 new and used books to sell? Okay now were getting serious! You must have a system in place in order to make sense of the wall of fine books before you. Organization at this point is a matter of book selling survival!

Some folks use a simple numbering system that works like this: create an excel work sheet with title and book number. Next, input the book title as it appears on your online listing then give the used book a number. When you sell the book, look for the number and cross it off you list. Pack, ship and repeat. Remember to reprint your list after you add new titles.

There are far more sophisticated systems that are available but for under a 100 used books or textbooks, this system should work well. Whatever system you choose, make sure it’s easy to follow and saves you much needed time. Imagine taking orders for 4 books then taking 15 minutes to look for each book or worse yet, canceling a sale because you can’t find a book you know you have in inventory!

We will discuss another possibility using the on line resource, The Art of Books (AOB) at another time.

Good Luck!

Today we’re talking about library sales.

Once you decide to get serious about reselling books, library sales will become your best friend. Generally speaking, Friends of the Library (FOL) sales are held twice a year either at the library itself or at a nearby venue. My local library holds 2 book sales each year and the next county over also holds 2 sales year each but the difference is enormous!

The first library book sale usually stocks a few thousand used books and videos but the other library book sale stocks tens of thousands of books, videos, cassettes and audio books twice a year! The first library holds their sale in a small room and the other usually sprawls out over a huge rented building. The first time you attend one of these huge book sales it can easily intimidate you.

Like a thrift store it pays to scan the book sale before you do anything else. Where are the cashiers located? Where are the bathrooms located (This one is important because there is nothing worse than heeding the call of nature during the frenzy!)? Where are the non-fiction books, the children’s books or reference titles? Take a deep breath and dive in to your favorite section.

Have a plan before you go. This is a must so you don’t gather a ton of books then leave empty handed. Call and ask about payment options. Some only accept cash while larger sales often accept checks or credit cards. Will they accept out of state checks if you plan to travel? Will the book sale prices change after a few days (Think bag day)? How much will each book cost? Usually hardbacks are a dollar and soft covers are usually half as much.

Remember to bring cash if they don’t accept checks or credit cards. Arriving with a few hundred dollars is not out of the question. Also before the sale, if possible, visit the location and get your bearings. Look for ATM machines in the area if you didn’t travel with cash.

How will you carry your books? Some library sales will have shopping carts to use but they’re bulky and hard to move in and out of the aisles. An excellent box to use comes from the post office. Ask the clerk for a white box for mailing packages and it can serve double duty every now and then at book sales. Whatever you do, don’t expect to just carry your used books because fatigue will soon set in and force you to leave the sale early or make a zillion trips through the cash register.

Finally, make sure not to take your children to the sale unless someone else will be watching them! Children can and will walk off when you’re focused on buying books. Leave them with a sitter and bring along an older child or friend who can also look for used books. You’ll most likely make your money back from selling used books than what you paid in sitter fees.

Good Luck!

Imagine if you will the joy of selling a top selling book overnight for the price you wanted! Now imagine selling your one and only copy to not one but TWO venues at the same time.

This scenario used to happen to me but not anymore. What’s my secret you ask? Solomon.

Solomon had a decision to make when presented with a terrible dilemma. He had to decide between two feuding women the fate of a baby that both mothers claimed. His answer was frightening but wickedly smart. “Cut the baby in half” he said thus giving each one a half but the real mother couldn’t do that so she allowed the king to give the baby to the other woman so that the baby could live. So now the king now knew who the real mother was; real mom has her baby back, end of story.

If only we could cut a book in half and have a two satisfied customers (never happen my friend).

Now what I do is simple. When I find a “flipper,” aka a book with a very low ranking that should sell overnight, I will only list the book on a single popular venue. For example, if I get a fast selling book I will list it on either Amazon or Alibris but not both.

Why do that besides not wanting to disappoint a customer? Because venues don’t like a seller who routinely cancels sales for whatever reason. They now have to deal with a disappointed customer and thus a slightly tarnished reputation. Do it too many times and you could lose your 3^rd party selling account and nobody want that. Right? (Say yes…good!)

So, be happy, sell well and list all fast selling books on a single popular venue and all will be zen …well, at least in your book selling world anyway.

Today we’ll briefly talk about thrift stores such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and other often smaller, local second hand stores.

Across America thousands of new and used books are bought and resold by people like you and me every day! Donated textbooks, fiction, technical or specialty books are usually available on a daily basis that you can resell for a nifty profit. While some thrift stores do indeed “cherry pick” their book donations, I am convinced that most simply do not have the time to do so efficiently leaving many valuable books on the sales floor.

When you first walk into any new thrift store, scan it quickly. Focus is the key here. Where are the books located? Look for signs indicating book sales or buy 1 get 5 free signage. Sometimes, okay, most times thrift stores are overwhelmed with donations especially after garage sale season ends. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve walked up to the counter and the clerk informs me that I can go back and get more books for free! The used books may not worth selling but could make excellent little gifts to friends or co-workers.

Look for books that are clean with a solid feel to them. When you sell books online your reputation is always on the line for everyone to see so don’t risk it with soiled, moldy or smelly books. If a book looks like a winner but has water stains or tobacco smell then it’s best to leave the book and not take the chance with an angry buyer. If the book looks “broken” at the spine or has a badly damaged cover you might as well leave it because while it’s repairable, it may cost too much to do so.

Finally, get to know the staff! In my area, most of the sales staff knows me as “the book guy” because I have been going nearly every week for years. At one store, when I walk in one of the workers hauls out a huge bin of books for me to look at and hauls them back in when I’m done. Just yesterday, I walked into a newer second hand store and the owner noticed me using a book scanner. He said “You look like a professional buyer, would you like to see what I have in the back”? My reply was an instant, YES! I had free reign and purchased the good stuff even before it was put out for the general public.

Always remember, staff will sometimes as if the thrift store is part of their home so always be courteous and remember to reshelf unwanted books. Found some gems? Good, now you can look for that cashmere sweater you’ve always wanted. Have fun and enjoy the day!

After some long thought, I’ve decided to offer a subscription based newsletter! Every time I write an article concerning selling books on line you’ll get a copy the very next day right in your mailbox. The system checks for new articles every night then sends out a copy after midnight, central standard time.

Simply look at the bar below the title block (top of the page) BookScout: En Fuego! and click on SUBSCRIBE NOW and that’s all there is to it. If you know someone who would like to receive the same newsletter then just have FeedBlitz, my newsletter company, and they can subscribe as well.

Remember, this is a spam free and opt/in, opt/out newsletter so you can subscribe and unsubscribe any time you like! The best part? The cost is free, gratis, nothing, nada, nil!

You can also fill in the form below to subscribe.

Richard