I had to share this article with you by Elaine Krieg Smith (I'll get back to my story in a day or so). I have purchased a couple of Elaine's products and they are packed full of helpful information if you want to sell books on eBay (and other stuff too - but she focuses on books). She also has a blog (see links below) you can read about specific books that she finds selling on eBay, why some books sell for more than others.

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A half-used tube of toothpaste, an ex-wife's wedding gown,
snow, a newborn's name, a "haunted" picture, a kidney, a grilled
cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary. What do all
of these things have in common? Yes, you're right - they were
sold on eBay.

Because many unexpected and normally undesirable things sell
on eBay, people say that, "ANYTHING will sell on eBay".

WHY THEN DO LESS THAN 40% OF ALL BOOKS LISTED ON
EBAY ACTUALLY SELL?

An auction only needs ONE BID from any one of the millions of
daily shoppers to close successfully. And yet these millions
of shoppers are passing over 60% of all books listed.

WHY?

It is really very simple.

The number one mistake made by eBay booksellers is trying to
sell books NO ONE WANTS.

Just because a book is worth reading, does not mean it is worth
selling.

It is an issue of DEMAND and SUPPLY.

Bestsellers may be in demand, but the supply is so huge, you
cannot sell them profitably. Why buy it on eBay (and pay
shipping) when you can:

- Get it from the library
- Borrow it from a friend
- Pick it up at GoodWill
- Buy it at the local paperback swap store

Many other books just have no demand. They sold well in their
day and were enjoyed by many, but are now out of date or the
topic is no longer of interest. Some books should never have
been printed. These books are now showing up in thrift stores
everywhere.

Thousands of sellers incur eBay fees every day listing books that
NO ONE WANTS.

It is NOT true that you can sell anything on eBay. You can only
sell what people want to buy.

SO WHAT IS A SELLER TO DO?

Many sellers don't seem to realize that you can find out ahead
of time if an item is likely to sell. eBay makes closed
auctions available for two weeks for just this purpose. There
are also other places online where you can check the supply
and potential price of a used book.

Every wise seller will have RESEARCH as an important part of his
business practice.

Before you spend the resources to list a book, look it up in
completed auctions. Does it sell? For how much? Is it really
worth spending the time to list? Add up all the time you spend
getting an image, creating the auction, communicating with
the buyer, packing and shipping, etc. Now divide this by your
profit to determine how much you will make per hour.

Do you really want to work your fingers to the bone listing low
dollar books?

It is best to not even buy books NO ONE WANTS. Do research
before you go to that library sale or thrift store.

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HOW TO DO RESEARCH

For a book you already own:

1. Enter the title into the "Advanced Search" box.
2. Check the box that says: 'Completed listings only'.
3. Sort by highest to lowest.

Before you book shop, spend time each day learning what sells.

1. Go to eBay's home page.

2. Choose Category: BOOKS

3. Choose a sub-category such as Antiques & Collectibles,
Fiction, Non-Fiction or Children's.

4. Scroll down. On the left sidebar is "Search Options".
Check "Completed Listings".

5. Enter a price range in "Items Priced _ to _"

6. Click on "Show Items".

7. Sort any way you like. I prefer "Date Listed: oldest first"
because this ismy last chance to see these before they drop off
the search database. (eBay only keeps the most recent two
weeks forcompleted listings searches.)

8. Save this search in your favorites to save time in the
future. You may need to re-enter "Completed Listings" and re-
sort each time.
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Research, research, research.

This one practice has made more money for me than any other.

I no longer spend time, money, effort, and space on books that
NO ONE WANTS.

You cannot learn the price potential of every book out there,
but if you focus on the high sellers and memorize them, you
will know to pass over all the rest.

Research IS time consuming and does require some analytical
skills. If you are lacking in time, then BUY the research. It
will be an investment that repays you many times over.

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Elaine Krieg Smith turns your eBay bookselling learning curve
into a fast and easy profit curve in her book, "How to Sell
Books Using Online Auctions"


Get a jumpstart on your book research with this free report:
"Twenty over $50 ~ Examples of Hot Selling Books"

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Copyright 2005 Elaine Krieg Smith
(used with permission)