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Selling Books on Amazon


Books are one of the most profitable items to sell on Amazon. If you didn’t know, Amazon started off as an online bookstore, then eventually got into selling different products.

Selling books on Amazon is actually pretty easy for a lot of people, because some people have school books laying around from their college days, books from their children or maybe even books that have been passed down from friends and family. There are thousands of people searching for books on Amazon, so there is no need in worrying whether or not the category is popular.

Where Do I Find Books To Sell?

As mentioned above, you could always check around your house for books. It can be any kind of book. A cookbook, kid’s book, college book, etc. If you don’t have any books laying around, you could always visit your local bookstores (Half Priced Books, discounted books), garage sales or even ask friends and family to hand over the books they are no longer using or want. Finding books to sell on Amazon is pretty easy, since books are everywhere; the hard part is figuring out if it is worth selling. You may find a book, but it may not be worth much.

How Do I Know If It’s Worth Selling?

One of the first things you want to do is look at the condition of the books. Books with a lot of wear and tear, water spots, ripped pages etc. will not sell on Amazon, or if it does sell it needs to be set at a very low price and that will defeat the purpose because you will not receive any kind of profit. Another thing you want to look for is why is it on sale? A simple Google search of the ISBN will help you determine if the book is worth anything. Sometimes books go on sale and are on sale everywhere, even on Amazon. If you find a book and price it twice as high as your competitor, chances are your book will not sell. Why would someone buy your book for $50 when there are 20 other sellers who have the book for $15?

When sourcing for books to sell on Amazon, you want to make sure you are finding books that you can sell for $10-$15 or more. Anything below $10 will be a waste of shipping fees and FBA fees. You want to look for books that will sell for at least twice as much as what you bought it for.

Deciding on A Selling Plan 

Deciding on a selling plan can be pretty easy. It all depends on how many items you are starting off with. If you are starting off with just a few books because you are trying to see how it goes, I would suggest to sign up for the individual plan. This plan doesn’t have a monthly subscription fee, is for those who sell less than 40 items a month, and Amazon charges $0.99 per item sold. This is great for those who are trying to feel out the category and determine if they want to continue with it.

The Professional selling plan is $39 a month, there is no selling fee per item and is for those who plan on selling more than 40 items a month. The choice is totally up to you. If you don’t mind fulfilling a couple of books you could always do it yourself, but if you feel comfortable to leave it up to Amazon that is also an option. Below is a screenshot from Amazon website for their storage fees. For more information about product examples and other fulfillment options, click here.


selling books on amazon


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