A half-used tube of toothpaste, an ex-wife's wedding gown, snow, a newborn's name, a "haunted" picture, a kidney, a grilled cheese sandwich with the image of the Virgin Mary. What do all of these things have in common? Yes, you're right - they were sold on eBay.

Because many unexpected and normally undesirable things sell on eBay, people say that, "ANYTHING will sell on eBay".

WHY THEN DO LESS THAN 40% OF ALL BOOKS LISTED ON EBAY ACTUALLY SELL?

An auction only needs ONE BID from any one of the millions of daily shoppers to close successfully. And yet these millions of shoppers are passing over 60% of all books listed.

WHY? It is really very simple.

The number one mistake made by eBay booksellers is trying to sell books NO ONE WANTS.

Just because a book is worth reading, does not mean it is worth selling.

It is an issue of DEMAND and SUPPLY.

Bestsellers may be in demand, but the supply is so huge, you cannot sell them profitably. Why buy it on eBay (and pay shipping) when you can:

- Get it from the library
- Borrow it from a friend
- Pick it up at GoodWill
- Buy it at the local paperback swap store

Many other books just have no demand. They sold well in their day and were enjoyed by many, but are now out of date or the topic is no longer of interest. Some books should never have been printed. These books are now showing up in thrift stores everywhere.

Thousands of sellers incur eBay fees every day listing books that NO ONE WANTS.

It is NOT true that you can sell anything on eBay. You can only sell what people want to buy.

SO WHAT IS A SELLER TO DO?

Many sellers don't seem to realize that you can find out ahead of time if an item is likely to sell. eBay makes closed auctions available for two weeks for just this purpose. There are also other places online where you can check the supply and potential price of a used book.

Every wise seller will have RESEARCH as an important part of his business practice.

Before you spend the resources to list a book, look it up in completed auctions. Does it sell? For how much? Is it really worth spending the time to list? Add up all the time you spend getting an image, creating the auction, communicating with the buyer, packing and shipping, etc. Now divide this by your profit to determine how much you will make per hour.

Do you really want to work your fingers to the bone listing low dollar books?

It is best to not even buy books NO ONE WANTS. Do research before you go to that library sale or thrift store.

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HOW TO DO RESEARCH

For a book you already own:

1. Enter the title into the "Advanced Search" box.
2. Check the box that says: 'Completed listings only'.
3. Sort by highest to lowest.

Before you book shop, spend time each day learning what sells.

1. Go to eBay's home page.

2. Choose Category: BOOKS

3. Choose a sub-category such as Antiques & Collectibles, Fiction, Non-Fiction or Children's.

4. Scroll down. On the left sidebar is "Search Options". Check "Completed Listings".

5. Enter a price range in "Items Priced _ to _"

6. Click on "Show Items".

7. Sort any way you like. I prefer "Date Listed: oldest first" because this ismy last chance to see these before they drop off the search database. (eBay only keeps the most recent two weeks forcompleted listings searches.)

8. Save this search in your favorites to save time in the future. You may need to re-enter "Completed Listings" and re- sort each time.
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Research, research, research.

This one practice has made more money for me than any other.

I no longer spend time, money, effort, and space on books that NO ONE WANTS.

You cannot learn the price potential of every book out there, but if you focus on the high sellers and memorize them, you will know to pass over all the rest.

Research IS time consuming and does require some analytical skills. If you are lacking in time, then BUY the research. It will be an investment that repays you many times over.

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Elaine Krieg Smith turns your eBay bookselling learning curve into a fast and easy profit curve in her book, "How to Sell Books Using Online Auctions".
http://ceccscout.elainenc.hop.clickbank.net

Get a jumpstart on your book research with this free report:
"Twenty over $50 ~ Examples of Hot Selling Books"
http://ceccscout.elainenc2.hop.clickbank.net
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Copyright 2005 Elaine Krieg Smith