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Last Post:
Jul 24, 2006 11:57 AM
by: palmtreesales
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Posts:
35
Registered:
7/22/06
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do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 10:02 AM
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I have been selling used books on Amazon for about 5 months. I currently sell between 7 and 10 per day, and gross $600 to $700 per week. I am trying to increase this to produce a living wage. My main problem is finding enough books to sell. I travel around an area about 100 miles across and list about 15 books a day, most days. I currently have about 600 books listed on Amozon. I would appreciate any suggestions.
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Posts:
6,225
From:
An island of tranquility between two major cities
Registered:
2/8/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 10:15 AM
in response to:
thelocalshop
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Sure you can. But it's the net, not the gross that matters--to me anyway. You sell quite a bit for having a relatively small inventory. And boy, have you been slammed by the 4's in feedback by people who seem very happy. You must have a great sense for what sells. I would recommend you gradually work on getting your average selling price up as you learn and not fool around with the lower priced books. I think it makes sense to work less and make more on each book. However, we all have different philosophies and inventories, so I'm not criticizing the people who don't mind mailing 100 $2 books per day rather than 10 $20 books per day.
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Posts:
821
From:
Somewhere west of the Rockies
Registered:
2/8/06
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Posts:
1,519
From:
High o'er yonder trail, watching those who would prevail.
Registered:
2/8/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 11:16 AM
in response to:
thelocalshop
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We make a market in wholesale lots of books which sell on line. Email for more information. netsuke (at) indiatimes (dot) com
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Posts:
12,081
From:
On the banks of the San Jacinto (with sandbags)
Registered:
5/19/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 11:26 AM
in response to:
thelocalshop
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"I currently sell between 7 and 10 per day, and gross $600 to $700 per week. I am trying to increase this to produce a living wage." It depends on what you consider a "living wage"......it's all relative. I am disabled and Soc. Sec. gives me a "living wage" of $400 a month. Because I am such a spend thrift, I find it necessary to work on the internet for the luxuries such as gas, electricity, food etc. I have been doing this for 5 years (only about 3 with Amazon). I have found that SSI, my internet sales, and my chickens, do give me a living wage. I pay all my bills, pay cash for everything (home, cars (2), appliances, etc). However, I doubt that most people would be impressed with my bottom line. If $700 a week is not a living wage to you, you may consider moving to a less expensive area or changing life-styles. This post is not intended as a criticism.....only a suggestion that your perspective has a lot to do with your ecconomics.
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Posts:
2,251
Registered:
3/31/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 12:33 PM
in response to:
elfsplace
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elfspace, did you realize the OP is taking about a GROSS of $600 to $700 a week. With a net of 20 percent that $120 to $140 a week. Even with a net of 40 percent that would not be near a living wage.
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Posts:
2,561
From:
lake tahoe
Registered:
2/8/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 12:40 PM
in response to:
thelocalshop
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There's tons of threads on this subject. Use the search to find out what your up against. Don't put all your eggs in one basket. Amazon is not a guaranteed source of income. Road Dog
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Posts:
368
From:
Woodlands, Texas
Registered:
7/16/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 12:51 PM
in response to:
azurepress
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hi there, i was wondering why do you suppose the net has to be so low? if amazon (or other sales venue) takes 25%, and we buy our items used (often) at thrift shops, etc. you would think that a lot of the remainding 75% that we keep from our gross sales would be profit. at least for the items that i sell, i feel like my profit margin is much, much higher than mentioned. perhaps i should redo my math.... thanks, jenndd
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Posts:
12,081
From:
On the banks of the San Jacinto (with sandbags)
Registered:
5/19/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 1:07 PM
in response to:
azurepress
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I feel that it's very important for me no not be missunderstood here. This is in no way critical to the OP. "Living wage" can be vastly defined. If you ask the elderly how much a living wage is you will get an entirely different figure than you would get from someone in their 30's. If you ask someone living in New Jersey compared to someone living in New Mexico the figure will by very different. There is nothing wrong with a high standard of living....I'm all for it! My son makes in excess of 150,000 a yr. and I make under $15,000. Yet, everything I have is paid for and he likely will be in debt all his life. He often says he wishes he had his income and my bills. I'm simply saying that we choose to live where we live and we choose the lifestyle we live in and all the choices are good ones for the one doing the choosing. But we should never forget that there ARE other choices.
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Posts:
2,251
Registered:
3/31/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 2:01 PM
in response to:
houstonhotshot
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Amazon takes around 25% for most people. Postage can take anywhere between 30% and 60% for people (depending on whether your volume and prices). Envelopes (or other mailers), the cost of books, taxes, etc., etc. Figure, Amazon plus postage, at the minimum should be taking about half of most sellers revenues. That's before you buy one book, pay one tax bill or buy one envelope.
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Posts:
2,251
Registered:
3/31/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 2:07 PM
in response to:
elfsplace
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I see what you are saying about the living wage, but it really is not something with a flexible defintion. To figure your wages, you have to add selling, social security, retirement, etc. The living wage is the minimum hourly wage a person has to achieve to achieve a specific standard of living. The standard in the US is based on a person working forty hours a week, with no additional income. The question is whether a person can afford a specified amount of food, utilities, transport, health care, recreation and housing. It, obviously, changes based on geographics, but $600 a week in INCOME is about the living wage in most places. $600 in GROSS a week, even with profits of 30% to 40%, is poverty almost everywhere in the U.S.
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Posts:
12,081
From:
On the banks of the San Jacinto (with sandbags)
Registered:
5/19/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 2:40 PM
in response to:
azurepress
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We may have to agree to disagree on the "flexible definition". There appears (to me) to be a alternative plane that many "others" live in, on the same planet. There are hundreds of thousands of "others" who live on what social security gives to them while health issues eat away at what ever assets or savings they may have. If you believe you are immune from ever living on that plane, ask the ex-employees of Enron or nearly anyone sitting in a cancer clinic or anyone who once believed that he had retirement security. These "others" survive simply because the alternative is to NOT survive. In most cases they have adjusted to a "living wage" that is clearly defined in a different way than you would define it. I believe you called it poverty.....and perhaps you are right. But you have to admit that the definition is not the same on the alternate plane.
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Posts:
2,251
Registered:
3/31/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 2:55 PM
in response to:
elfsplace
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Oh, don't get more wrong. Despite the name, living wage does not refer to what one can live on. Living wage refers to a certain standard of living that certain economists consider acceptable.
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Posts:
12,081
From:
On the banks of the San Jacinto (with sandbags)
Registered:
5/19/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 3:04 PM
in response to:
azurepress
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Point well taken. The government (as well as certain economists) seem to feel that a living wage for the disabled and aged is somewhere in the neighborhood of $850 a month. And they evidently they survive on it. I have not heard an opinion from any of the ones who did not survive on it.
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Posts:
2,251
Registered:
3/31/06
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Re: do you make a living selling books?
Posted:
Jul 22, 2006 4:07 PM
in response to:
elfsplace
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Any who didn't would not be in much of a position to opin on the topic ... 
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