I've been in publishing all of my life.  First as a journalist, later as an author and even as an editor and publicist.  Regardless of what I've done in publishing, I have loved books, studied books, lived and breathed books.  Yet, when in my retirement, I tell people that I have opened an eBay store they look at me as if my brains were seeping out my ears.  Selling books on eBay is rather like network marketing-- a deep and wide sinkhole into which your extra cash shall be sucked, never to return--at least that's the conventional thinking about it.  That however has not been my experience.

You CAN earn a nice extra income by selling books on eBay.  Yet, many try and give up after a few months, convinced the book fairies have passed them by.  Is there a secret?

No. There isn't.

But, there are certain mistakes you can make that will definitely doom your bookselling  efforts early.   Avoid these pitfalls and you'll give yourself a lmuch better chance to succeed.  These tips are from my own experience selling on eBay, but also from a lot of years in the company of many books, publishers, bookstore owners and authors.

• There are some books that will sell and some that won't.  There are some that will sell for  more money but take longer to attract buyers, and some that will be bid upon before you get your listng confirmation.  Research and common sense will help you figure this one out.  Look for books of distinction and books that are genuinely useful.  All old books are not valuable (I have stopped doing "free appraisals" because people just don't get this one.)  A book is worth no more than someone is willing to pay for it--regardless of what "experts" might tell you.  Do not waste your time and money trying to sell books that no one wants.  If you want the selling history of a certain book, do a search on ebay using advance search and select closed items only.  You'll see if it has sold and what it went for.
• Sell books you know about.  Have you always loved children's books?  Thrillers?  Cook books?  Look for what excites you and then pass that excitement on to your customers.  Know your books and find resources to keep on learning. This isn't to say that you can't expand your offerings.  It's just good to begin with what you know.
• Describe honestly, and as thoroughly as possible, in your store listings and auctions.  Remember your potential customer doesn't know you and is bidding on something that appears to exist only in a virtual world. It takes faith to bid on books and trust the strangers that take your money.  Build confidence with careful listings and a strong ethic. Take your feedback score seriously. It's your reputation.
• Think genre.  You might end up selling all sorts of books but look over your own bookshelves.  What books are taking up a lot of space?  Religion?  Travel?  Reference?  Begin with a genre.  If you're not sure about genre's visit a bookstore and look around at how the resources are categorized.
• Pay close attention to which of your listings get the most traffic.  This information is easily available and can be very useful in helping you determine how to write titles for your auctions and what kind of products you want to keep up for auction as often as possible.  Especially important if you're counting on auctgions and fixed price listings to drive customers to your store.
• Constantly develop ways to get more books you can sell.  Don't overlook buying on eBay.  You can do very well buying low and selling higher.  Thrift stores, garage sales, book sales, the attic of a friend, church libraries, schools...all of these can be very useful in finding more books.
• Don't purchase any of the "guides to selling books on ebay" unless you are certain it contains the information you want.  There are a lot of general guides out there that won't really be helpful.  Look for the free advice--you'd be amazed how much of it there really is.  There are however, some very good guides, but these won't be of much help until you know which genre/genres you'll sell.  The best guides will be web-based living documents.
• If you don't work hard you won't sell books.  I used to tell wanna-be writers that the secret to publishing their beloved book was simple:  Be willing to work harder than anyone else.  The same is true to selling books on eBay.  If it's a hobby, swell. Enjoy.  If it's income you want to create, expect it to take a lot of work.
• Sloppy habits will bury your business.  Pack your boxes well.  Communciate with people.  Ship in a timely way.  The customer is ALWAYS right, (okay there's the ebay kook but he-she is rare).  Be professional.
• Don't view other booksellers with hostility.  If someone has a great experience with buying books from you, chances are they will be much more open to buying books from me.  There are people you can learn from on the eBay community.  There are also people who will view YOU with hostility--avoid them.
• Keep records.
• Expect slow times, do something to pull yourself out of a slump.  I promise you that slow times will happen.  View it as an opportunity to create your auctions or store in some new way.
• Use the tools that eBay provides.  There's a lot of good stuff.
• Before listing that first book, be sure you've done some research.  Be sure, especially with the first books, that they are worth listing.  Early success will help you endure the slower periods when they come and go.  Sell smart.  Sell wise.  Study eBay and study books.  It will pay off.
• Trust yourself and your instincts.  Your instincts about what will sell and what won't--this will grow and improve of course.  More important is that you believe what you're doing is an obtainable goal.  Trust yourself.