Amazon is the biggest international e-commerce platform that offers consumer electronics, digital content, computing services and more. The retail giant is also known for its quick delivery times and amazing customer service.
It’s clear that Amazon is a company that takes its customers seriously. It prides itself on creating a shopping experience that makes it easy and fun to buy whatever you need, whenever you need it.
Did you know that you too can become part of Amazon’s success story by using their sales and service platform? By selling used books on Amazon you can start your own small business that will provide you with a temporary or stable monthly income. You will provide the books and Amazon will do the rest, including keeping your customers happy with high level customer care and after-sales support.
If you have never sold goods on Amazon before, it’s something you might consider doing. This challenge is more than doable. But you should keep in mind the following steps when you get started with your online business.
- Pick a selling plan on Amazon.
- Open a Seller account.
- Download the Amazon seller app.
- Start listing your books.
- Make sales.
Now let’s consider all these steps in detail.
How to choose the right Amazon selling plan?
Amazon offers two plan options for sellers: an individual and a professional plan. What is the difference between them? If you want to sell books on Amazon with a small number of items monthly, you should start with an individual plan. This way, Amazon charges you a $0.99 fee for every book you sell. On the other hand, if your home library has many books, you can choose a professional plan. The professional plan implies that you are going to sell more than 40 books a month.
The professional plan includes some advantages:
- Advertising for your bookstore.
- Sales data.
- Inventory-management options.
Also, you should know about a referral fee for professional sellers. Amazon charges for each item sold on top of the plan, so when you are pricing your items, you should keep them in mind. For books, the fee is 15% plus a $1.80 closing fee.
Opening a Seller Account
Before you start selling textbooks on Amazon, you should open an account. For the first step, you should prepare the following information:
- A business e-mail address.
- Government ID.
- Tax information.
- A credit card.
- Phone number.
- A bank account.
Then you should continue with the following steps:
- Sign up to an Amazon account.
- Go to the ‘Amazon’s selling guide page’.
- Scroll to the point ‘How to register’ and select the type of seller.
- Choose the country where your business is located.
- Click the button ‘Agree and continue’.
- On the next step, select your citizenship country, enter some personal information like birthdate, proof of identity, e-mail address, and phone number.
- Get a one-time pin from Amazon and enter it into the pop-up form.
- After clicking ‘I understand’, you should enter your bank account information.
- Then select the option ‘Verify Bank Account’.
- On the next page, the system asks you to enter your credit card information.
- Create your store name.
- If you have a UPC code, enter it here.
- Select, if you are manufacturer or if you’re a brand owner for your goods.
- Upload your ID documents.
It takes 5-8 days for Amazon to verify your account. Then the process is complete.
How to Use the Amazon Seller App
If Amazon accepts your seller application, it is time to discover the Amazon seller app. It helps you streamline the selling process and communicate with buyers. This app is essential for your Amazon book selling business. It will help you to deal with the next nuances:
- Take photos of your books.
- Create listings.
- Control your prices.
- View fees.
- Manage inventory.
- Communicate with buyers.
- Issue refunds.
- Update listings etc.
The Amazon seller app can handle all the details of your business, no matter where you are.
How to List Your Books on Amazon
Many booksellers have questions about the inventory management and book sourcing process. There are three options:
- Sell your books. Look around your flat or house to check if you have some collecting dust.
- Visit book sales. A lot of libraries conduct regular circuits. You can buy there a lot of books for super low prices. There can be Amazon used books or some new ones.
- Consider textbooks. Look for rare topics or old comic books.
Then you should list your books. You can list items that are already being sold on Amazon or create new listings. Using the listing of the old item is the easiest way instead of creating a new one. The new book appears on the same page.
To access the product listing page, type in the book’s ISBN (registration code) in the search bar. If we deal with an old book from your home library, the ISBN can be found inside the book’s dust jacket. If the book printed before 1970, it wouldn’t have an ISBN. In that case, you will have to enter the title manually. Don’t forget about an interesting description for each item. Pay attention to the shipping options and conditions. Then put a fair price on your items.
Making sales
By now you should have learned how to sell used books on Amazon. Your next activity depends on your goal. If you are looking to get your old books off your shelves, you should not worry too much about the selling process. On the other hand, if you intend to move a large volume of books, you may think about using advertisement options on Amazon and working with book reviewers to get your books recognized.
For more information, visit SageMailer. The tool for Amazon sellers that automates the review getting process, ranks products, and boosts sales.
