What I am about to say should come as no surprise to anyone: it's a buyers market on ebay for books. If you type "book" into the search bar, there are currently over 175,000 nonfiction books and over 100,000 fiction books (take a look: Just using the word book ). That's a lot of books and the sheer volume has to make you wonder how to efficiently buy and sell books on ebay. Hopefully, this guide will help you become a better ebay book buyer or seller.

Good Practices For Buyers and Sellers:

Buyers: before you even consider buying a book, take the time to check out the seller. There are some basic things you can look at regarding each seller.

• Feedback score and percent (Specifically, how many negative feedbacks and what are the reaspms)
• Location (overseas or domestic; if it matters to you)
• Shipping costs
• What type of Payment is accepted
• Return policy

Sellers:
• Answer any potential buyers' questions in an efficient and timely manner. Taking a long time to   answer questions can cause your buyers to move elsewhere
• Send a packing slip with your auction thanking your buyer for their purchase
• Send an email when the package has been mailed, letting them know it's on the way. You can also use this opportunity to thank them for the purchase.

Shipping Costs - For Buyers and Sellers

Let me talk about shipping costs for a minute. Books are not the lightest weight items in the world, so seeing a higher shipping cost may not surprise you. However, there is something you should know about. That is USPS Media Mail. Books and other media are eligable to shipped via USPS Media Mail which is significantly cheaper than other outlets. Here is a little chart to show you and also a link to an ebay webpage explaining USPS's different mailing services: Ebay Shipping Services Page .

Weight       From:                    To:                                    Priority        Parcel Post      Media Mail
1 pound      New York, NY     Los Angeles, CA                $4.05              $3.95            $1.59
                  Orlando, Fl            Houston, TX                       $4.05              $3.95            $1.59
2 pounds    New York, NY     Los Angeles, CA                 $6.05              $4.73            $2.07
                  Orlando, Fl            Houston, TX                       $5.15              $4.36            $2.07
5 pounds    New York, NY     Los Angeles, CA                 $12.80            $9.94            $3.51
                  Orlando, Fl            Houston, TX                       $9.80              $8.17            $3.51
10 pounds  New York, NY     Los Angeles, CA                 $20.25            $19.12          $5.49
                  Orlando, Fl            Houston, TX                       $13.70            $11.60          $5.49

Buyers: As you can see, it is signifigantly cheaper to send books via Media Mail, so if you don't see a seller offering Media Mail at a less expensive cost, ask them for the option or move on to another seller. There is no reason to charge $20 for 10 pounds worth of books, when they can be shipped for less than $6 (excluding shipping/handling costs).  It is absolutely worth noting though, that USPS Media Mail can be and is usually much slower than other forms of mailing. (Can take up to 2 weeks to mail something from coast to coast). If you have pressing time needs, than you may want to bypass Media Mail all together.
 
Sellers: Consider offering several shipping methods when sending books. Media Mail is a good low cost alternative for your buyers, but also offer U.S. Priority Mail as a faster option. When your buyers pays and you let them know the book or books are on the way, be sure to remind the buyer of the shipping method they opted for (especially if they paid for Media Mail Shipping). This helps to avoid surprises when a week has gone by and they still have not received their package. 

  
Pictures (Actual) Say It All:

Buyers and Sellers: Book auctions with pictures of the actual book and not just the stock picture deserve to do much better than their counterparts. Why? Because, as a buyer, you should not buy a book with a stock photo, even if it is listed as new. Again, why? Because, as a buyer, you deserve to see what you are buying. Even a new book could have a little crease on a corner and with a used book, there is no way to see exactly what makes it less than perfect unless you are seeing the actual item you are buying. 
 

Descriptions:

Descriptions are the heart of an auction. It is in a description that the buyer learns exactly what the condition of a book is. Take the time to list precisely any flaw in a book. Buyers shoud be interested in:
• Rips or tears
• Dog Ears (bends on the top corners of pages to mark a place)
• Markings in the book
• Loose or broken bindings
• Creases in the bindings
• Creases on the covers of softback books

Buyers: Don't buy books whose condition are listed as good and there is a vague chart at the bottom of page listing the criteria for a "good" book. If you are interested in that auction, email the seller and ask for the precise condition of the book. Ask about any rips, tears, creases, broken bindings or marks on pages. 

Lots:

As with much of ebay, lots are a great way to purchase books. Buyers who enjoy a particular author may be more inclined to buy a lot of books by a single author, than one book at a time. Here is a link to an example of lots of books by a single author (Sophie Kinsella Lot) and as you can see, you can get a great deal by purchasing more than one book at a time:
You will also, most likely, save money on shipping when you buy books as a lot. Don't forget, you can always sell the books back when you are done reading the ones you are interested in.

Wrapping It Up

Even with the seemingly endless supply of books on ebay, it is possible to be a successful buyer and/or seller of these items. Hopefully this guide has given you some insights that may not have previously had. Please let me know via ebay email what I can improve upon in this guide and let me know if you liked it. Thanks so much for reading.