Tuesday, October 22, 2013

He really wants this book

I received an email from a buyer this morning:
I have just bought this book from you through Barnes & Noble. Please confirm that order. Also, you'll need to delete the listing from here on Alibris.
Such emails are common; I get them all the time.  I use theartofbooks.com to keep track of my inventory, and usually don’t have to worry about duplicate orders.  So, I deleted the email.

I then noticed another email, this time from Amazon, from the same buyer.
I have just bought this book from you through Barnes & Noble. Please confirm that order.  Also, you'll need to delete the listing from here on Amazon.
Huh? Why would he email me on Amazon for an order on Alibris?  Confused, I saw yet another email from the same buyer.
I have just bought this book from you through Barnes & Noble. Please confirm that order.  Also, you'll need to delete the listing from here on eBay.
And another …
I have just bought this book from you through Barnes & Noble. Please confirm that order. Also, you'll need to delete the listing from here on Biblio.
Buyer really likes Hawkman
I guess he really, really wanted the book, and didn’t want me to sell it to anyone else.

Bits and pieces:

Speaking of orders, I received a negative feedback recently on Amazon for a DVD set.
Bad movies, not interest on this DVD, scumbag and really sucker movie …
Thankfully, it was a product review, and not a statement about me or my customer service.  Amazon agreed, and removed it for me.   Miracles do happen.

Thermal underwear is flying off the shelf
I can tell the weather is getting cooler, because my thermal underwear is finally selling. Back in the spring, I bought 50 pairs of men’s thermal underwear from the clearance rack at Kmart for $.99 each.  Last month, I listed them for $12.99 each, with free shipping.  In the last two weeks, eight pairs have sold.

Do you have all your Christmas items listed?
I purchased several of these Fisher Price Little People Night Before Christmas Play Sets during Wal-Mart’s after Christmas sale (50 percent off) in January, and listed them right away on Amazon.  After nine months, one finally sold.  With the holiday buying season soon to begin in earnest, I hope the others find new homes real soon as well.  I need the shelf space.

I hope the buyer doesn't think these are actual games
I sold another set of backer cards that I purchased from a Blockbuster that was going out of business.  I’ve had problems in the past where buyers don’t read the description, and think they are getting actual games or movies when they purchase these mini-posters.  As usual, I sent the invoice and a note encouraging the buyer to read the description again, and to understand that these are not the actual games.  Since the buyer is new, with zero feedback, I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

It’s scary, but there are only 63 days until Christmas.  I still have much work to do.

9 comments:

  1. The thermal underwear items were a good buy. It pays to think ahead. I wish I had the room to store stuff like that. So glad that Amazon removed that feedback comment for you on the DVD.

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  2. I fell foul of selling on different sites - someone bought two items, and co-incidentally, I had just sold them elsewhere, literally just a couple of minutes before. The items had been on both sites for about a month! The person who didn't get them left me negative feedback..I am trying to get it removed but still waiting..

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    1. I sell media on five different sites (Amazon, Alibris, Half/Ebay, Biblio), and use AOB, an online service, to help eliminate double sales. When the rare double sale does happen, I give preference to my Amazon customer, but try to utilize Amazon Prime to purchase an additional copy, and have it dropped shipped to my other customer. I try very hard to ensure that everyone gets his/her order.

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  3. I need to think about sourcing outside of thrift stores and yard sales. Will have to remember clearance and after-Christmas sales at K-Mart and Walmart. Thanks for sharing.

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    Replies
    1. Look up retail arbitrage on Google. It will open up new revenue streams for you.

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  4. I think that buyer is just a little OCD. And yes, Christmas will be here before we know it. I spent most of the day listing ornaments on eBay.

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  5. You mentioned that you sell on Biblio, do you find it worth the fees? I have an inventory of around 2000 books and also use theartofbooks.com. We tried Abe last year and other than a few really good sales on there, most months were not worth the cost. Would love to hear your opinion.

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    1. Biblio is really one of my most passive sites. I get a sale maybe once a month. As far as fees, I sell under Option A, which has no monthly fee, plus a commission of 15% per sale plus a payment processing fee if Biblio processes payment. So, the fees really aren't that bad.

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