You can virtually sell anything on Amazon, however, it was not always that way. The company started as online book store before it expanded into the retail giant it is today.
While the reach of Amazon has enlarged to carry many other product categories, the books are still a major focus for them. Billions of dollars in books per year are made by the company, which is the reason why a lot of sellers opt for building their business around them.
Want to learn how to sell books on Amazon? Keep reading to find out.
How to Get Started
If you want to become a successful bookseller, you can’t make it overnight. You must have a plan in place to succeed.
Following are the steps needed to take in order to start:
- Choose what kind of books you are going to sell.
- For consistently sourcing profitable books, find one or more ways.
- Register yourself as an Amazon seller.
- List the books on Amazon.
- Choose how you will be fulfilling your orders (Amazon FBM or FBA).
Used Vs. New Books
The first question you will need to ask yourself is whether you’ll be selling new or used/second-hand books. Here is what you should know:
- Used Books: Most of the independent sellers prefer selling used books, simply because they are very easy to get. You can get them from your local area or many places online. While they are not in demand as compared to new books, if you find good deals, still you can make a lot of cash selling used copies.
- New Books: They’ll have higher demand because most people prefer buying new books. However, acquiring them can be challenging. You will need to acquire from distributors, wholesalers, and publishers, for which you have to buy in large quantities.
For most of the sellers, selling used books will be comparatively easier. You will also face a lot less competition because Amazon sells most of the new books that come out. That being said, if you have got the financial resources then it might be worth it to try selling new books because your sales margins will normally be higher.
How to Fulfill Your Orders?
Amazon provides you with two ways for fulfilling your orders: FBM and FBA.
Fulfillment by Merchant (FBM)
While working with FMB, when a sale is made, you pack and ship the book by yourself with the carrier of your preference. FMB sellers are liable for storing their inventory.
So, when calculating costs, always factor in storage costs if you are not storing the books at your home, and the handling and shipping expenses as well as the time it takes for packing and shipping your orders.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA)
With FBA, when a sale is made, Amazon picks, packs, and ships the book all by themselves. Amazon is also responsible for storing your inventory for you and taking care of customer service.
Hence, rather than paying storage, handling and shipping expenses, and labor expenses on your own, you pay a fee to Amazon FBA to cover these expenses.
Conclusion
Whether you’re an Individual or Professional seller, a beginner, or an experienced seller, the information provided above can help you a great deal. To learn more about the Amazon online bookselling business, you can go to Zonbase. Here, you will find detailed guidance for starting and expanding your bookselling business.
Happy profiting!
