- Wondering how to snag books to sell on Amazon?
- What Books Fly Off the Virtual Shelves on Amazon (And Which Ones Don’t)
- Figuring Out Your Cash Flow: Estimating Profit on Book Sales
- Costs of Selling Books on Amazon
- Is Flipping Books on Amazon Worth Your Time?
- New Books vs. Used: What to Sell on Amazon
- How Do You Sell a Book on Amazon?
- Amazon vs. eBay for Selling Books: My Take
- Final Thoughts
How to sell books on Amazon? Selling books on Amazon is a cool way to earn some extra cash or even kickstart your own Amazon business.
The cool part?
You don’t need loads of cash to get going. You can actually start for free by offloading those old books you’re not reading anymore. This guide’s mainly for those interested in making a buck by flipping used books on Amazon, but it’s also handy for authors or anyone keen on selling new books there.
Before diving into the world of selling books on Amazon, make sure you’ve set up your Amazon Seller Central account and decide whether you’re going to ship books yourself or use Amazon’s fulfillment services (FBA or FBM- or a mix of both!)
Wondering how to snag books to sell on Amazon?
Just a heads up, though, you might hit some roadblocks with selling specific titles or authors. We’ll dig into that in the “How to sell books on Amazon” bit later on. The awesome thing about selling used books on Amazon is how cheap you can get them. Imagine picking up a textbook for a buck at a library sale and then flipping it for over $50 on Amazon. Score!
Now, let's run through six popular ways to hunt down used books to sell on Amazon.
Start with Your Own Stash
Fiction that’s mass-produced usually doesn’t do as well, so those might not be your best bet for Amazon.
Hit Up Book/Library Sales
There’s almost always some sort of book sale popping up, especially at libraries.
Take a book scanner with you to these sales and keep an eye out for books that’ll sell well on Amazon.
Pairing a Bluetooth scanner with a book scanning app can really give you an edge, helping you spot profitable finds way faster than anyone else there. These scanning apps are gold for quickly figuring out how much you could make on Amazon after covering your costs and fees.
Online Arbitrage
Just buy the book from another site at a low price, wait for it to get to you, and then pop it on Amazon for more. You can find deals on eBay, Facebook Marketplace, Barnes & Noble, and loads more places.
Heads up, though:
if you’re thinking about selling new books on Amazon, make sure you’re getting them from a legit place like a publisher or distributor.
We’ll touch more on this later.
Buying in Bulk
Estate/Closing Sales
Free Books
Just a tip:
be a bit cautious here. Sometimes these giveaways are from other sellers ditching books that didn’t fly off the virtual shelves.
Selling books on Amazon is the ultimate side hustle for bookworms…
Selling books on Amazon is the ultimate side hustle for bookworms turned entrepreneurs. It’s like tapping into an endless stream of readers hungry for your next recommendation. With Amazon’s massive audience, easy listing process, and direct-to-consumer shipping, turning your literary passion into profit has never been simpler or more rewarding.
What Books Fly Off the Virtual Shelves on Amazon (And Which Ones Don't)
What's Hot:
Textbooks
The MVPs of Amazon book sales. They’re always needed, especially when school’s starting. Even older editions can make you a pretty penny. Just watch out for publisher restrictions on selling.
Niche Books
Got something rare or part of a big collection? It’s likely to do well because there’s less competition. Think niche hobbies or series, like Dungeons & Dragons books.
Comic Books
Whether it’s single issues or graphic novels, comics have a solid fanbase on Amazon. And if you’ve got collectible ones, you could score big.
Collectibles
First editions, signed copies, or anything with a “collectible” vibe can attract buyers. Double-check Amazon’s rules on selling collectibles first, though.
Non-Fiction
Generally, non-fiction outsells fiction. It holds value better and is more sought after in the resale market.
Hardcovers
They command higher prices than paperbacks and tend to keep their value.
What's Not:
Fiction
It’s a tougher sell. There’s just more of it out there, and people don’t hang onto fiction books like they do non-fiction.
Children’s Books
They’re quickly outgrown and have lower prices, making profits slim.
Popular New Books
Competing with Amazon directly? Tough. They usually have the best prices on new, hot releases.
Seriously, selling books on Amazon is like hitting a gold mine…
Seriously, selling books on Amazon is like hitting a gold mine with the right map. The profit margins can be surprisingly sweet if you know your way around rare finds, trending genres, and used book arbitrage. It’s not just about selling; it’s about smart sourcing and tapping into a global audience ready to buy. Your home library could literally turn into a cash-generating machine.
Making Bank with Books: How to Figure Out Your Amazon Sales and Profits
But how do you make sure you're actually going to make some money?
First off, you gotta look at the book’s popularity, or in Amazon terms, its Best Sellers Rank (BSR).
If a book’s BSR is in the basement, it’s probably not going to sell at all.
Next up, you need to figure out if you can sell it at a profit. This means looking at how much you can sell it for versus how much it’s going to cost you.
Here’s the deal with the Best Sellers Rank: Every product on Amazon has a BSR.
The golden rule here? The lower the BSR, the hotter the item.
A book that’s ranked #1 is flying off the shelves, selling hundreds a day.
On the flip side, a book chilling at #1,000,000 might not see a sale for months.
You can find a book’s BSR right on its Amazon page in the product details section.
Book Selling: Tools to Predict Sales and Profits on Amazon
Here’s a breakdown of tools that can help:
JS and H10 Free Estimator Tool
Book
Scanners
Book Selling
App
Figuring Out Your Cash Flow: Estimating Profit on Book Sales
What's next?
They’re pretty much the MVPs for spotting profitable books.
You’ve got another trick up your sleeve as well- Amazon’s FBA Revenue Calculator.
It’s super easy: just pop in the book’s ISBN, add your costs, and bam, it tells you all about the fees you’re going to face and the profit you could pocket.
Heads up: If you’re cool with keeping books at your place for a while, or you don’t mind coughing up a bit extra for storage fees (if you’re using FBA), then listing slower-selling books is totally an option. Just do what feels right for you!
Top of Form
Costs of Selling Books on Amazon
Here's the rundown:
You can choose between an individual seller account or a professional seller account. If you’re only selling 40 or fewer items a month, the individual account is for you.
It doesn’t have a monthly fee, but Amazon takes an extra $0.99 off each sale you make.
Amazon takes a cut of 15% from your book’s selling price. So, for a book sold at $10, you’ll see $1.50 go to Amazon. This fee is deducted after the sale, so no need to pay anything upfront.
For books (and other media items like DVDs and CDs), there’s a flat fee of $1.80 per sale. Only sellers in the media category need to stress over this. And just like the referral fee, it’s taken from your sale proceeds, meaning you’re not paying out of pocket in advance.
You’ve got two choices for getting your books to buyers:
- Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM): You’re in charge of shipping books yourself. Costs will vary based on your shipping method, materials, and labor.
- Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): Amazon handles storage, picking, packing, and shipping. The FBA fee, based on your book’s size and weight, often ends up cheaper than DIY shipping, plus Amazon does the heavy lifting.
Using FBA means paying storage fees for books kept in Amazon’s warehouses. At the end of each month, you’re charged for the space your books take up. And if your books sit for over 180 days, there’s an extra surcharge to watch out for.
Starting your Amazon book empire on a shoestring?
Starting your Amazon book empire on a shoestring? Totally doable. With as little as $100, you can begin. Hunt down underpriced gems at garage sales, thrift stores, or your own shelf. Amazon’s fees are manageable, and if you play your cards right, that initial investment could multiply. Welcome to low-budget, high-reward territory!
Is Flipping Books on Amazon Worth Your Time?
Why's it a good deal? Let's dive into some juicy stats from Jungle Scout's State of the Seller Report:
8% of Amazon book sellers
have pocketed profits between $100,000-$500,000.
A cool 18.9% of them
are enjoying profit margins of 26%-50%.
For 21% of
sellers
it only took less than 3 months to start seeing profits.
Hitting up library or estate sales? Those places are looking to clear out, which means you might snag books for as little as $0.25 a pop. So, yeah, selling books on Amazon?
Definitely worth a shot.
New Books vs. Used: What to Sell on Amazon
Sure, you can totally sell brand new books on Amazon, especially if you’re the author or you’ve got the green light from the author, publisher, or distributor.
And if you’re looking to self-publish, Amazon KDP is your go-to.
Let me give you a quick example:
New Books:
Selling new books on Amazon is cool if you’re the author or have direct permission to sell.
While you can try reselling new books like you would with used ones, you might hit some snags with restrictions or low profit margins unless you’re getting them wholesale from a legit source. That’s your ticket to better profits.
Used Books:
The allure of selling used books is strong because they’re easy to find and usually cheap to buy. You can scoop them up for next to nothing and flip them for a good chunk of change.
With millions of books out there, the hunt for profitable used books to sell is pretty much endless.
How Do You Sell a Book on Amazon?
The simplest way to get your books up for sale is to head to the book’s product detail page on Amazon.
Yep, you can list your book directly from its existing Amazon page, no need to create a brand new listing from scratch.
Once you list your book, it’ll show up right there with the other sellers.
“Add Products” section on Seller Central or the Amazon Seller App.
Got the book’s ASIN (Amazon’s own version of an ID number) instead? You can use that too.
To find the ASIN for the book you’re selling, just scroll down to the product details on its listing page.
Here's what you'll need to fill out:
- SKU: Think of this as your personal ID for the book. You can make it anything that’ll help you remember it. If you skip this, Amazon will whip up one for you.
- Price: Set your price with the book’s condition in mind. A book listed as ‘Acceptable’ usually goes for less than one in ‘Very Good’ shape. Don’t just automatically undercut the lowest price out there; it can start a price-dropping war. If your book is in nice shape, it can still sell even if there are cheaper but lower-quality options.
- Quantity: Got more than one copy? Put the total number here. If not, it’ll just set to one.
- Condition: You’ve got options from ‘New’ to ‘Acceptable’. There’s also ‘Collectible’ conditions if that’s your thing. Heads up: maybe steer clear of listing a book as ‘New’, even if it’s pristine. Publishers or Amazon might ask for proof, like an invoice.
- Fulfillment Channel: Decide between FBM or FBA (the difference was covered earlier).
Here's what you'll need to fill out:
For FBM: Your book will pop up on its Amazon page in about 15-30 minutes. Just sit tight until it sells.
For FBA: You’ll need to get your book ready to send to Amazon. It usually takes about 1-2 weeks for your book to arrive at Amazon’s warehouse. Once it’s there, give Amazon another 3 days to a week to sort it out and get it into their system. During super busy times, like the holidays, it might take a bit longer.
Amazon vs. eBay for Selling Books: My Take
Here's why I'm team Amazon:
- Inventory Hassle-Free: With Amazon, you don’t need to stress about storing your own books. Amazon’s got you covered with their fulfillment centers, and they’ll even handle shipping (thanks to FBA).
- Best-Seller Rankings (BSR): Amazon ranks each book by how well it sells, making it super easy to guess which books will fly off the virtual shelf. This is a huge time-saver.
- More Eyes on Your Books: Amazon pulls in way more online traffic compared to eBay and has way fewer sellers. That means your books have a bigger audience and more chances to sell.
Final thoughts:
Wrapping up, flipping books on Amazon not only has the potential for solid profit but also brings the thrill of the hunt.
Whether it’s finding that rare gem at a yard sale or leveraging tools to predict the next best-seller, Dragon Dealz is here to amplify your success.
We’re dedicated to helping Amazon book sellers navigate the ins and outs, ensuring you make the most out of every page you turn.
Happy selling!
