Hi!
I don’t know where the days go, but boy are they going fast! I can’t believe that it is almost August.
- Lynn Recommends Live Boot Camp in La Quinta–Good News!
- Special Announcement: 7 Hours of the Queen’s Academy?
- Feature Article: Selling Books on eBay and Amazon
- The Queen’s Update: We want to hear your stories
This ezine is published once a week.
July 24th, 2008 Volume IV, Issue 29
Dear eBayers,
I am very excited to announce that next week there will be no ezine. Well, I am not happy that there isn’t going to be an ezine, but I am happy for the reason why there isn’t going to be one. I am taking a vacation! My first one all year–and it is about time! I am going to a tropical island where I have never been before. I will tell you all about it when I return to write my August 7th newsletter.
Now, my biggest dilemma has been, “Do I take my computer or not?” It would be best for me and my mental well-being if I just left my laptop in the office. However, I think about all the writing I could be doing on the plane (I am chomping at the bit to start writing the fourth 100 Best), the listing I could be doing on my layovers, the emails I should be answering, etc., etc. I have to be honest….it is making me crazy.
I will let you know what I decide and if I can actually go for one week without touching a computer. Novel idea, isn’t it?
To update you on my Newport Beach goodies,
I have a bid on the Teddy Bear smoker as I write this.
To see what he eventually sells for, click here.
There were no bids on the Laurel Burch Coffee mug, but I know that it will eventually sell out of my eBay store. And out of the twenty-four Twelve Days of Christmas pieces from Debbie Mumm, I sold three salad plates for $29.97. That paid for my entire purchase and I will put all the other pieces in my eBay store where they will sell (probably closer to Christmas).
The Teleseminar with Joel this past Monday night was awesome! I learned a lot about bookselling. Because of the teleseminar, I actually listed some books for sale on Amazon.com. I still think eBay is the best place to list books, but it can’t hurt to have more than one channel. Please read my feature article about selling books. And, because the Joel teleseminar was so great, we are going to offer it at the low intro price for four more days.
I met the nicest couple at eBay Live–Carl and Carmie. Carl road his motorcycle cross country 4,201 miles to eBay live and brought a Mickey Mouse and a Goofy stuffed animal with him. Carl and Carmie then got eBay executives to autograph the animals and they are auctioning them off to benefit their favorite charity (The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund). Please check out the auction here and bid now.
Speaking of eBay Live, Our “on the road” DVD set has turned out to be much more than four hours. It looks like we will be sending out at least seven hours of instructional footage to all of you who pre-ordered! Look for your DVDs in the first week of August! What a bargain. If you didn’t order yet, check out the Lynn recommends section for more information.
Our Queen’s Court members are some of the neatest people I’ve met and I have to share a photo of these cool gifts that I received lately. The “I am Queen” mug was handed to me during a book signing in Chicago. I can’t remember who gave it to me, please let me know!
The Rhinestone crown pin comes from Sally K Kimbesa’s Closet and the “It’s good to be Queen” mug comes from Dianne Caron Dlcwithled. Here is the note Dianne sent…
I knew this mug was destined to be yours. When I noticed the ding on the bottom rim, I had second thoughts about sending it to you. But then I thought it would nicely symbolize how you are a real person with imperfections like the rest of us trying hard to do your best and make a good life for those your love.
So here it is as a thank-you from me for all the wonderful instructions, inspiration and guidance I’ve received from you over this past year. My eBay business is still in its infancy but the potential for growth is there and I’m absolutely positive I’m heading in the right direction. Thank you! Long live the Queen!
Yours Truly, Dianne
How awesome was that note? We are all real people just trying to make eBay work! In my feature article about bookselling, please read about (just) one of my “imperfections” when I bought 350 of the same book…Thanks, Queen’s court members for being so cool!
My ONLY Live Boot Camp of the year is going to be in La Quinta is less than TWO months and I made a big mistake. There are a few seats left but it is filling up quickly. Please read more in the Lynn Recommends section to see how I goofed!
Finally, we are bringing back the section where you write in with your major scores! Please read The Queen’s Update section to learn more about submitting your stories.
Happy eBaying!
Lynn Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions,’ Creator of the best-selling eBay Boot Camp in a Box and Boot Camp in a Box Lite.
42 Days Left and Counting.
If you’re thinking about joining us in California for my only Live Boot Camp of the year, now is the time to make your plans. And there is good news! I made a HUGE mistake. And I must blame the heat (it is 115 degrees and humid). In one of my recent ezines I wrote that the two-part payment plan ended on June 30th and my brother said, “Are you sure?” Of course, I am sure. NOT! Good news for you, Our two-part payment plan doesn’t end until July 31st!
The clock is ticking down rapidly on my only Live Boot Camp of the Year. Seats are filling up quickly but even more URGENT than that–the hotel rooms at $109 for this world-class resort are selling out!
For more information Click here.
I don’t want you to miss out on this amazing opportunity to change your eBay business and your life for the better! Don’t delay.
Click here to reserve your spot now. Or email us to ask for a new invitation because if you own Six Steps to eBay Success, Boot Camp in a Box Lite, or Full Boot Camp, you qualify for a discount.
I cannot believe that our three-disc DVD set is going to be about seven hours of amazing information! Because of this, we are offering a special price until August 1st when it will go up to the $79.99 regular price. Click here to order now.
Here is a funny trailer that Jason made.
The new and improved On the Road to eBay Live with the Queen of Auctions DVD set now includes three DVDs chock full of educational and entertaining information that you need to know.
Here is the rundown of this awesome DVD set:
Disc 1: You asked them and we took your questions to eBay Live and got you the answers you were looking for…This Q & A will include your questions asked and answered by Lynn, other PowerSellers, and some of my favorite eBay Gurus. We interviewed Joel Elad for 1 1/2 hours, Lisa Suttora for 1/2 hour and we even got Mike Enos and Jim Cockrum. I don’t know how we are going to condense this into just one hour but it will be chock full of great information!!! Guess what….? We didn’t condense it into one hour and it is sitting at four hours with a little bit of editing left to do.
Lisa Suttora and me at eBay Live!
Disc 2: We were given the green light to film all three of Lynn’s eBay classes. Be a fly on the wall and learn all her tricks for garage saling in her seminar class and research in her lab class. Approximately two hours of intense and interesting instruction! Guess what…? This turned out to be about 2 1⁄2 hours with a little bit of editing to still do.
We were also very lucky to speak with many of our favorite eBay Certified Providers like Auctiva and HammerTap.
Here I am with Kevin and Jeff from Auctiva and Jen from HammerTap.
Bonus Disc 3: For purchasing Discs 1 and 2 at our amazing low price, you will receive this extra DVD which includes at least an hour of the Behind the Scenes Reality before, during, and after eBay Live. The drama, authors’ luncheons, after-hours parties, and the humor of Mo, Carmen, and Jason. You don’t ever have to watch this but trust us–it is worth the price of the two instructional videos alone! I have seen some of the footage and it is hysterical!!! Guess what…..? This DVD is sitting for about one hour and 15 minutes.
We don’t want you to miss out on this valuable DVD set so we’ve extended this preorder special to midnight on Friday, August 1st. This will ship out the first week of August.
This year’s eBay Live in Chicago was a blast. You can be a fly on the wall with Jason Badham’s new DVD On the Road to eBay Live with The Queen of Auctions.
Jason is Carmen’s husband and many of you know what a great job he did with The Queen’s Academy volume 1 Shipping DVD. This is the second DVD package in that series and you won’t want to miss out on our special pre-order offer.
From now until midnight on Friday, August 1st, you can pre-purchase three DVDs full of fun and learn for a super special introductory price. Click here to order now because you know we only come out with awesome products!
Click here to order now.
‘Book Selling on Amazon and eBay‘
by Lynn A. Dralle, ‘The Queen of Auctions’
The teleseminar with Joel Elad on Monday night regarding bookselling was awesome! We all learned so much. In preparation for the teleseminar, I actually listed some books on Amazon.com.
I decided for this week’s article, I would walk you through the Amazon process and also give you a list of important book terms. I have concluded (after the teleseminar and my experiences with Amazon.com) that the best place for me to sell unique used books is still on eBay. So, I will wrap up with my thoughts on this.
#1: How to list books on Amazon.com
I couldn’t believe how easy it was to list books on Amazon and I also couldn’t believe that it took me four years to actually try it! Here we go…..
A. At the bottom of any Amazon.com
B. Sign up. The sign-up was relatively easy for me because I have an Amazon account for buying–I bet most of you do also. Just click on the “Sign up Now” button.
C. Next, click on the signup button under Open Categories: Media because that is what we will be selling: books, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks.
Here is a screenshot of the fees for selling books and other media. Please keep in mind that this fee schedule is for those “Pro Merchants” who pay $39.99 per month to waive an additional $1.00 per item Closing Fee Amount. This fee structure does NOT apply to me. I need to remember to add in that extra $1.00 per item.
D. This next step gets a little tricky because Amazon keeps trying to get you to sign up for “Pro Merchants” at $39.99 per month. You do NOT have to do this. So, next click on the button that says More About Selling on Amazon or Register Now! When I did sign up two different times, two different screens came up–so just keep trying to find the “register now” button.
Here is what the registration screen looks like:
E. They ask for an email address and password on the screen pictured above. Once that is filled in, Amazon wants a US Credit Card, A US phone number, and a billing address. They also ask you to pick a User ID. Can you believe that someone is using TheQueenofAuctions? I had to pick LynnTheQueenofAuctions. I was bummed! That is what I get for waiting four years to sell on Amazon.
F. The phone number you give them is important because they will call you within seconds and you need to input the pin number that came up on your registration screen.
G. Once that is done, you can click on the button that says, “Sell a Single Item.”
H. Next just input the ISBN (international standard book number) and a screen will show up that asks for condition, price, and shipping options.
Amazon gives you three options for shipping: standard, international and expedited. Based on your choice, Amazon will issue a shipping credit when your book sells. Please see the confirmation below to see what those credits look like. I chose all three options and from the teleseminar with Joel, it seems that this is where some of those 1-cent booksellers are making their money.
I. Once that is done you will get a confirmation that looks like this.
It is not cheap to sell on Amazon. The book that I listed above The Sky’s No Limit will cost me $6.09 in Amazon commissions for standard shipping or $6.09/$24.99 or about 24 % of my sales price.
The Sky’s No Limit is a book that I bought from the author. I bought 350 of these books at $2.00 each. Huge mistake–and just ONE of my imperfections! I still have 349 of them left and Joel Elad thought I should get them listed on every book site in the world! I am working on that. Here is one that I have listed on eBay.
Here is the book listed on eBay Please bid!
#2: Some important book terms–A glossary
Dust Jacket or Dust Wrapper–DJ or DW:
The printed wrapper is folded around the book. These began as plain wrappers to protect the book inside. The book itself was usually ornately styled. These dust jackets became more elaborate and became a way to promote the book inside.
In modern book collecting, an original dust jacket is treasured. In many cases, the dust jacket can represent 70 to 80% of the total value of a first edition or important book. Dust Jackets are usually most important for fiction and are known as DJ for Dust Jacket or DW for Dust Wrapper.
HB: Hardback
PB: Paperback
ISBN: International Standard Book Number is found on the back of most books in the UPC (universal product code). It can also be found on the page facing the introduction/dedication/title page.
Boards: The cardboard covers of a hardcover book with a final cover of the paper.
Foxed, Spotted: Red-brown patches that appear in the older paper. These can be caused by chemical impurities in the paper or bacteria and mold. These can affect all books but some paper is more susceptible.
Spine: The spine is the backbone of a book. Because this is all you usually see when a book is on a shelf it usually has the title and author listed and can be quite ornate. The top is called the head and the base is the tail.
FE: First Edition. Quite hard to tell even if it says First Edition. It may be a U.S. first edition but not a world first edition, for example. Also, it may be a paperback first edition, etc. but not a hardback edition.
#3: Why I will always list my books on eBay first
During the teleseminar with Joel (you can still purchase it at a bargain price) I came to the conclusion that because I sell harder-to-find, interesting antique, and coffee table books, I am always going to list them on eBay first.
Here is the first reason; listing on eBay is definitely cheaper. Even though you have to pay an upfront listing fee (and you don’t on Amazon), I find that the 15% overall that I pay eBay and PayPal is much easier on my pocketbook (I am sounding like my grandmother), than the 24% to 35% that Amazon takes.
It gets confusing to figure out the Amazon rates. Here is an example: If I sell a book for $2.99 and the buyer wants standard shipping, Amazon will pay me $4.19. This means that I will pay $2.23 media to ship this small book and I will be left with $1.96. Amazon will have taken $1.06 of my $2.99 selling price or close to 35%.
The next reason is that when I have a book that I know nothing about (which is every book!), it is better for me to let eBay price it than to pick a fixed price. For example, I had an older book called Houses Have Funny Bones. When I checked on Amazon it listed for $8.99 in good used condition. Well, my book was in OK condition. I listed it on eBay and that obviously didn’t matter. Click below to see what it sold for! I am glad that I didn’t list it on Amazon for $6.99 to beat the $8.99 price.
Click here to see what it sold for.
When I have common brand new novels, I will list those on Amazon and see what happens. I now have twenty books listed on Amazon and will keep you updated. Books are always cheap to buy, easy to list, and sell in any economy. I recommend branching out into books if you haven’t already!
Happy eBaying!
Lynn
WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR ON YOUR WEBSITE? Yes, you may – just as long as you include all links as they are and append this complete blurb with it: The Queen of Auctions and eBay Power Seller, Lynn Dralle, publishes ‘eBay Tips & Tricks’ a weekly ezine with 10,000+ subscribers. If you’re ready to jump-start your eBay business, make more money and have more time, get your FREE tips now at www.thequeenofauctions.com
We are looking for your eBay success stories to share with our ezine readers and possibly make it into a book of our reader’s best eBay stories.
A big thanks to everyone who has already submitted a story! We are looking for more great stories of your eBay adventures. We know there are many great tales out there, so please submit your story along the lines of the stories from the 100 Best Books and a great side story with photos will help. If we use your story, you will receive a $35 merchandise credit on my website and you will have your story featured–along with your user ID–in my ezine! It may also eventually end up in a published book!
By the way, when I mention my ezine readers’ user IDs with links to their auctions–it actually helps their sales! Amazing how that works. Click here for the guidelines for submitting your stories.
eBay PowerSeller and third-generation antique dealer, Lynn Dralle, is the creator of Boot Camp in a Box, the home-study course where you can learn to implement the Dralle Method to maximize your eBay profits.
If you liked today’s issue, you’ll love this step-by-step course that is guaranteed to be the most complete and enjoyable guide to selling on eBay that MAKES YOU MONEY.
Read all about it here.
The Queen of Auctions also offers articles, teleseminars, how-to books, tracking guides, DVDs, eBay Boot Camp training, and other resources to help entrepreneurs make their eBay business a six-figure sales machine. Click here to learn more.
The Queen of Auctions/All Aboard Inc.
PO Box 14103
Palm Desert, CA 92255
760-340-6622
Lynn@TheQueenofAuctions.com
Happy eBaying!!
Lynn
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Lynn is an experienced eBay Power Seller, author, and teacher. If you want to know the eBay tips, tricks, and tools that Lynn uses for buying and selling at an online auction click here.