This is not the first time we have spoken about selling books on Amazon. In the last article, we’ve told you everything you need to know about this area of activity. And today there are 7 steps you can take to get started in the process of getting ready to sell books on Amazon!
7 steps to selling books on Amazon and much more
Step 1. Decide which books you want to sell
While there are different ways to find books to sell, the easiest way to get started is by selling the books you already own.
You can also build your inventory using the following channels:
- Wholesale: Buy in bulk at lower prices online or when bookstores close. You can also buy new books in large quantities from distributors or publishers. You may not have complete control over what you get, but you can get more books at the wholesale price.
- Local sources. Find used books at local library bookstores, used book stores, backyard sales, and used book stores. You can also find collectible books on real estate sales.
- Auctions: Look for auctions, real estate or farm sales, used or collectible books for sale.
When purchasing books, it is important to assess the condition of each of them. Follow Amazon’s detailed guidelines when posting books. Be sure to read the instructions for new and used books, and for certain items such as collectible books.
Step 2. Create an Amazon Seller Account
Decide if you want to register as an Individual Seller or as a Professional Seller.
The main differences relate to benefits and fees.
An individual seller account is a pay-as-you-go plan that provides access to basic drawing and order management tools. You can create listings one by one by comparing products to existing pages or by creating new pages in the Amazon directory. You don’t pay Amazon commission if the product doesn’t sell, so this is a good starting point for entrepreneurs just getting started online.
A professional seller account gives you access to advanced sales tools for a monthly subscription. Unlike a customized sales plan, you pay a monthly fee regardless of whether you sell anything (instead of paying for one item – although both plans pay a commission to link to items sold).
The professional seller account gives you access to inventory tools to download batch files and manage orders with feeds and reports. These tools are especially useful for medium to large businesses.
When choosing a plan, consider using this handy cost calculator to estimate your unit sales margins. When you’re ready, set up your Amazon reseller account. This will allow you to start selling on Amazon and will give you access to the Amazon Seller Central dashboard where you can list products, manage your inventory, and place orders.
Step 3: Decide how you will fulfill the order
Want to do inventory, packaging and shipping yourself? Or do you want Amazon to do everything for you? As an Amazon ecommerce reseller, you have two options for order fulfillment:
Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN) – You store inventory, pack and ship books independently.
Fulfilled by Amazon (FBA) – You submit books to the Amazon Execution Center and they do the rest for you. FBA includes storage, packaging, shipping, customer service, and returns.
Using FBA to ship your groceries is also the easiest way to get a Prime badge for most offers. Many Amazon customers are looking for Prime-branded products because they are fast and free shipping.
Step 4. Set a price for the book
The price of books depends on many factors, including the type and condition of the book. Monitor the prices requested by other booksellers and adjust prices accordingly. You can always come back and change the price at any time. Here are a few key factors that can affect the cost of books:
- Book condition
- Is the book new or used?
- A collectible book (like the first edition)?
Do not forget to take into account the cost of packaging and delivery when calculating the price.
Step 5. Submit your books to Amazon
The easiest way to list books for sale is to go directly to the product page and find the titles of the books you want to list.
Follow these steps:
- Enter the ISBN of the book into the Amazon search bar. If the book was published before 1970, enter the title manually.
- Go to the product listing page, click Sell to Amazon.
- Enter the SKU. It can be an item of your choice, or if you leave it blank, Amazon will generate it for you.
- Choose your price. To find the lowest price, just click this button.
- Enter the total. The default is one unit.
- Select a condition. It’s important to be 100% honest about the quality of each book.
- Select your performance channel (MFN or FBA).
Step 6. Advertise and promote your books
It’s time to start thinking about promoting your book business.
If you sell books, watch the free training videos at Amazon Sellers University to help you learn the basics of selling, selling tools, advertising, and promotion.
With Amazon Advertising, you can help grow your business, increase sales, and measure the effectiveness of your ads. To learn more, see the Advertising Learning Console.
If you’re an author, promote your own published books on Amazon using Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP).
Advertise your online book business on social media!
Social media can be a powerful tool for expanding the reach of your business and strategically targeting customers who want to buy the books you sell. Find out where your audience is hanging out and share information about the social media platforms they use.
Pay attention to the reviews! When you sell books that you haven’t written, you can’t take book reviews in person. But you’ll want to keep an eye on Amazon’s product and customer service reviews.
Good reviews are important when it comes to trusting your online brand. Here are some tips to help you get positive feedback:
- Be honest about the condition of the item
- Submit orders on time
- Respond quickly to customer inquiries
- If you have any problems, solve them as soon as possible
Step 7. Pack and ship your books
Preparation is essential to ensure that your books arrive safe and sound. Remember, satisfied customers are regular customers!
The shipping processing method depends on which method you choose.
Execution of orders using the FBA method
- Create a shipment through your Amazon Seller Central account. View a step-by-step process for submitting or restocking on Amazon.
- Pack the books and submit to the Amazon Execution Center.
- Be sure to read the product label requirements before shipping
- If the books are new, see the requirements for FBA products sold as new.
Amazon systems are barcode driven. Every item you ship to a fulfillment center requires a barcode to be tracked throughout the fulfillment process.
Execution of orders using the MFN method
- Manage orders from your reseller account.
- Pack your books securely.
- Prepare and print a packing slip. Amazon will create a PDF product and a shipping label.
- Send the package with the carrier of your choice. Note that you can use Amazon Discount Shipping to submit to the Fulfillment Center.
- Confirm the order