We do put the work in with book reselling online. But that "kerching" sound makes me smile every time! Made a sale, found a new home for a book and made some profit. Happy days!
It really is a lot of work, more then people think. I do think people often think selling books is much easier but it's far from it. It's a hard slog somedays. Well done on your book sale! Bring on more!
I love your videos Mel! I’ve been binge watching your videos for the last two days and I’m heading to a book fair this weekend! Thank you for sharing your journey!
You are such a joy to watch. You are so positive it makes my day. By the way, most books have a list of the books written by the author in the first few pages of each book.
Yes! Some of the book I buy the books in a haul are because I know I have sets building in my shed or I can build sets in my shed. It's important to know the common sets because I often buy 1-2 books of the set in one store and then complete it in another store. But knowing the common sets allows me to buy them for cheap when I see them and then build them up until I have full sets (or close to) to list. And those bigger sets normally bring great money!
Ooh, you picked up the Bloodlines series! 🤩 If you have the Vampire Academy series (same author) then maybe you could do a really BIG bundle (12 books, I think) as the Bloodlines series is the spin off series to Vampire Academy
I'm dipping my toes into sourcing things (mostly books) to resell. I dropped into a couple of op shops today and picked up four books and two DVDs - I was pretty pleased with myself. I had a good laugh when I then saw this when I got home!!
Omg 😳 I am the biggest Bee Gees fan Mel!! I still listen to their music almost every day . Their music and song writing talent was amazing . I went to see them in concert once .❤️ I wouldn’t let it go either ! X
OMG! How cool is that! This book is actually signed and in true Rodney fashion he uses language with his signature so I didn't share it here LOL I grew up and my grandfather would play his tapes. And as young kids we would go to the house and he would be listening to it and laughing his head off at the jokes. He thought he was soooooo funny LOL And my granny would be sitting there with a little smirk and laugh saying "turn it damn off in front of the kids he so damn rude" LOL. I love how finding this book has bought so many memories for me.
Mel, I am so happy that I came across your channel, because you have answered so many of the questions I have going on inside my head, and I am so glad to know that I am not alone in the thought process of doing my business my way til maybe as I get further along, I can be able to upgrade in certain areas, so that I am not spending so much time in certain areas. Thank you. :)
Love that the authors I loved as a teen & early 20s you are calling vintage. I am kind of wishing now that I didn't give all my complete sets of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub & Richard Laymon away 20 years ago.
Yes, it's called a mini shrink wrap roll! You can buy them in Bunnings or a hardware shop that sells packing supplies. You will find them near the packing boxes and packing tap etc. It's like a mini glad wrap/clingwrap (not sure if your in Australia and I'm using the right terms for you to understand lol)
Would love to get a better idea for keeping track of my stuff. Granite I have an upstairs that is like my holding/hoarding area with not only things that I have listed on eBay but Poshmark as well, but it is filled to the gills of items and goodies I inherited from family members, I just wish I had a better organization in that area up there. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack at times, lol
Hi, new subscriber here. One quick question. Are the storage lockers you rent fairly reasonable because it seems like expense would be enormous on a monthly basis. Ever thought of building a metal shed or building on your property and not waste all that rental money? you must use an I phone, those pictures are great and with just the available hallway light!
My local op shop sells books for 50c Mon-Thursday, every Friday their 10c each, all magazines are free... everyday 💜 Been like it for years, new stock every 10 days. They have 1000s of books, my main scorcing place, amazed seeing I'm very rural Queensland 🤗
I like you idea of bundling books, But I am curious, how do you manage to sell at good prices mainstream fiction books? When I learned the book biz back in the age dinosaurs...I was taught to avoid them at all costs as they were regarded at near worthless. So I deal in more obscure books and try to avoid mainstream titles. Also I take you are in Australia. Do you sell internationally? I understand that postage there is very high.
I only sell within Australia at this point but will look at opening up international post soon on some rarer books. Yes, common fiction books don't always sell for a lot of money but if I bundle them they can bring great money! I chatted about it here: ua-cam.com/video/9Sp3K4zSLrQ/v-deo.html
There are lots of websites for them if you do a google. Then you need to write an ad for what help you require and they will start to apply. Make sure you look for one with fluent english and good spelling :)
Can you please help me with shipping? are most of yours domestic or international? what are you charging for bundles and singles? thanks. I really want to get into selling books. I have always loved reading and finding old books at the thrifts.
I love your content. Re the Sue Grafton books , sadly the author died before she wrote the final Z book in the set. They are terrific and great for a set.
I didn't know that! They had some more in the set but they were all the small fiction so I left those ones. I've picked her up before but only ever found mixed letters that are not in sequence so I haven't sold them for large amounts. I'm keen to see how fast these sell and for how much.
When taking your photographs of the books do you crop the images before you drop them over to the VA, or are they sent raw. Another great haul, thanks for sharing, love the videos!
Great question Ian! I take them all in square mode on the phone. I up the vibrance and exposure if needed in the camera app and then they all go straight to the VA exactly like that. There is no more editing or cropping. eBay likes the square mode best for photos!
I just hold them and try and cut my fingers off with the photos wherever possible. I take all my photos in a square setting also which makes it easier to chop my fingers out.
A lot of it is experience. I’m pretty good at choosing with my eye now and I become familiar with books and topics that sell fast and well. If I want to look a book up I just price comp it in the eBay app.
@@ALvatar3 yep it really is! Everything else is just a part of the process to get you to the listing! The listing is what actually makes you the money :)
I buy it at Bunnings which is our local hardware shop. It's kept where all the boxes, bubble wrap and packing supplies are kept. So I presume they will sell it at any store where you can find those types of supplies. It's fantastic, cheap and is great for so many things in a reselling business.
Just keep making contacts and don't be afraid to say what you do. Because I always buy lots of books wherever I go it's normal for staff to ask me questions about what I do with them because they are interested in why I am buying so many and I become a familiar friendly face. :)
@@backfromburnout yes! I notice they appreciate honesty (obviously) I have seen other resellers tell them they’ve been “looking” for the particular book they find or that they “collect” right after they scan them 😂 they like talking to me because I just tell them what I really do with them. I just haven’t found big deals but I’m sure they will come
@@ArodsKicks I honestly just chat to them like they are my friends. That’s why I’m even Facebook friends with one as it genuinely feels like he is my friend now. It’s great when I walk into a store with staff I’m familiar with because they sometimes even say to me “oh I’ve got something out the back you might like I’ll show you” and then they bring stuff out that hasn’t even hit the shelf :) Best!!
wow. 500 that's alot haha my goal was 20 items a day whether or not they're books but damn 500 no wonder why you have as many sales as you do lol i need to step my game up!
50 listings a day is a grind and it’s a lot of stock to add to your store each week. Stay tuned as after my listing challenge month I will do a video sharing my experience doing 50 every single day and how I will choose to go forward long term .
No, I still look it up on eBay as there are many sets selling. The best thing about bundling is your listing becomes more uniques as not every seller has the same bundle (especially in the case if it's not an actual trilogy or box set etc). This means you can charge more. I also save greatly on postage costs by combining multiple books into one postage mailer. The profit on bundling is much higher than individual books in most cases.
I've seen another one of your videos where you was showing how you take photos of books, but have yet another question, lol... Don't you have to know the year, Author, how many pages etc when listing these books? I have been listing Jehovah's witnesses books online and oh my... the book info they ask for... waiting on them to ask what my blood type too... lol. So how do you list the details in there on the computer if the book is stored away, or do you do all that prior to putting on the shelf?
They don't let me out all the time to the back area but this time they had a big influx after a long weekend and they needed space so they did me a flat rate of $1 per book unless otherwise marked and they just wanted me to clear room for them. Very lucky. It also meant less stickers for me to peel because most of them had not hit the shelves LOL Sometimes I benefit them just as much they benefit me :)
Hi Mel! I’m new to your channel and find you so inspiring! How do you decide on pricing for fiction books or say cook books? Also do you sell them as New or Good-Used? I’m talking about the books that I can see on your table in this video.
Just like anything I list for eBay, I price comp my books before listing them by looking up other books similar that have sold on eBay and price them accordingly.
What a shame you feel the need to do that. I guess your thrift stores just have to put your books into landfill because nobody wanted the book you deliberately damaged. But on the plus side - I sell HEAPS of books with damaged spines, folded pages and highlighting so theres still hope for your books :)
We do put the work in with book reselling online. But that "kerching" sound makes me smile every time! Made a sale, found a new home for a book and made some profit. Happy days!
It really is a lot of work, more then people think. I do think people often think selling books is much easier but it's far from it. It's a hard slog somedays. Well done on your book sale! Bring on more!
Cha Ching! Great haul! So happy to see an ebay UA-camr break it down and show the TRUE time and work involved. Great hustle Mel!
Thank you so much I really appreciate that feedback x
Thanks for hanging out with me yesterday mel 💕
Thank s for having me Jeff, I love chatting to you and hope to do it again soon x
Your photos look so professional! 🥰 Have you done a video on your process of taking photos?
I’ve shown my photos and how I take them in a few videos but I just use my iPhone. :)
I love your videos Mel! I’ve been binge watching your videos for the last two days and I’m heading to a book fair this weekend! Thank you for sharing your journey!
You are such a joy to watch. You are so positive it makes my day.
By the way, most books have a list of the books written by the author in the first few pages of each book.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for all you share. You are very inspiring to a baby reseller like myself, I am learning so much from you and l appreciate you so much.
Thank you so much! You can do it!
Wow you’re one hard working woman.. I hope you’re making enough to justify how hard you clearly work.
Thanks, I do work pretty darn hard ha ha. I will feel like I have a pay rise soon when I move out of the storage units :)
Great Video Mel, building those sets seems to be key for other hauls.... its all about the bigger picture. Thanks for sharing !!
Yes! Some of the book I buy the books in a haul are because I know I have sets building in my shed or I can build sets in my shed. It's important to know the common sets because I often buy 1-2 books of the set in one store and then complete it in another store. But knowing the common sets allows me to buy them for cheap when I see them and then build them up until I have full sets (or close to) to list. And those bigger sets normally bring great money!
Ooh, you picked up the Bloodlines series! 🤩 If you have the Vampire Academy series (same author) then maybe you could do a really BIG bundle (12 books, I think) as the Bloodlines series is the spin off series to Vampire Academy
Massive book haul, Mel! Good on ya! ~ Michelle
It was a great one! So many bundles 🤑 Thank you for watching!!
Great haul, I am just dipping my feet into books and enjoying it so far
That’s so great! Books are a great item to add into your reselling store! Thank you for watching!
I'm dipping my toes into sourcing things (mostly books) to resell. I dropped into a couple of op shops today and picked up four books and two DVDs - I was pretty pleased with myself. I had a good laugh when I then saw this when I got home!!
That's awesome!! Bring on the sales!
Omg 😳 I am the biggest Bee Gees fan Mel!! I still listen to their music almost every day . Their music and song writing talent was amazing . I went to see them in concert once .❤️ I wouldn’t let it go either ! X
I love them also! It was a classic and I had to find it the right home
Wow so many gems in that lot! Good on you Mel
Thank you so much! It was a great haul!
I grew up in Rodney Rude's old house... Great pickups, such an inspiration Mel!
OMG! How cool is that! This book is actually signed and in true Rodney fashion he uses language with his signature so I didn't share it here LOL
I grew up and my grandfather would play his tapes. And as young kids we would go to the house and he would be listening to it and laughing his head off at the jokes. He thought he was soooooo funny LOL And my granny would be sitting there with a little smirk and laugh saying "turn it damn off in front of the kids he so damn rude" LOL. I love how finding this book has bought so many memories for me.
Your collection of books, in general, I wish I could get into more reading time because wow those all are really nice!!
You are such a hustler and inspiration! Great job!
Thanks Michelle, it feels good to get it all done in one lot :)
Mel, I am so happy that I came across your channel, because you have answered so many of the questions I have going on inside my head, and I am so glad to know that I am not alone in the thought process of doing my business my way til maybe as I get further along, I can be able to upgrade in certain areas, so that I am not spending so much time in certain areas. Thank you. :)
Love that the authors I loved as a teen & early 20s you are calling vintage. I am kind of wishing now that I didn't give all my complete sets of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Peter Straub & Richard Laymon away 20 years ago.
Yes, 20 years is classed as vintage. Crazy isn't it!
too many comments so apologize if already answerered, what is the small plastic dispenser you are using to group/wrap your books
Yes, it's called a mini shrink wrap roll! You can buy them in Bunnings or a hardware shop that sells packing supplies. You will find them near the packing boxes and packing tap etc. It's like a mini glad wrap/clingwrap (not sure if your in Australia and I'm using the right terms for you to understand lol)
Would love to get a better idea for keeping track of my stuff. Granite I have an upstairs that is like my holding/hoarding area with not only things that I have listed on eBay but Poshmark as well, but it is filled to the gills of items and goodies I inherited from family members, I just wish I had a better organization in that area up there. Like trying to find a needle in a haystack at times, lol
Hi Mel I can’t find your eBay store to have a shop in , I love watching you on you tube your fabulous..any hints ..lol
supergratefulmum
Another interesting video. You must be the storage sheds best resident LOL. Thanks.
I'm certainly the best one in this aisle LOL Most of them are empty :)
Hi, new subscriber here. One quick question. Are the storage lockers you rent fairly reasonable because it seems like expense would be enormous on a monthly basis. Ever thought of building a metal shed or building on your property and not waste all that rental money? you must use an I phone, those pictures are great and with just the available hallway light!
My local op shop sells books for 50c Mon-Thursday, every Friday their 10c each, all magazines are free... everyday 💜 Been like it for years, new stock every 10 days. They have 1000s of books, my main scorcing place, amazed seeing I'm very rural Queensland 🤗
Amazing!!! How good is that! I would love to visit a store like that! I would need a truck ha ha
Why do I feel like I need Rodney Rude in my life now? Haha! I love how you explain your thought process, thank you!💞💖
Ha ha, good old RR. My grandfather loved him LOL
Questions: 1. why do you cling wrap them?
2. With big heavy bundles the freight/postage is high? Or do you use a courier?
i think she cling wraps the books that she has listed in a bundle to keep them together
I need to look back through your videos, but how do you rate books. Yellow pages for example, should I stay away from those?
Yellow books and books with foxing still sell! Just mark them as acceptable and show the photos.
I like you idea of bundling books, But I am curious, how do you manage to sell at good prices mainstream fiction books? When I learned the book biz back in the age dinosaurs...I was taught to avoid them at all costs as they were regarded at near worthless. So I deal in more obscure books and try to avoid mainstream titles. Also I take you are in Australia. Do you sell internationally? I understand that postage there is very high.
I only sell within Australia at this point but will look at opening up international post soon on some rarer books.
Yes, common fiction books don't always sell for a lot of money but if I bundle them they can bring great money! I chatted about it here:
ua-cam.com/video/9Sp3K4zSLrQ/v-deo.html
Mel, can you recommend a sight where I can look into getting a virtual assistant. Love the Videos, keep it up.
Terry
There are lots of websites for them if you do a google. Then you need to write an ad for what help you require and they will start to apply. Make sure you look for one with fluent english and good spelling :)
Can you please help me with shipping? are most of yours domestic or international? what are you charging for bundles and singles? thanks. I really want to get into selling books. I have always loved reading and finding old books at the thrifts.
Most of mine are domestic. I sell both individual books and bundles. I ship in padded mailers
I love your content. Re the Sue Grafton books , sadly the author died before she wrote the final Z book in the set. They are terrific and great for a set.
I didn't know that! They had some more in the set but they were all the small fiction so I left those ones. I've picked her up before but only ever found mixed letters that are not in sequence so I haven't sold them for large amounts. I'm keen to see how fast these sell and for how much.
I've read all Grafton's book, some twice. Love them.
Do you still have a VA write your listings? That is genius.
When taking your photographs of the books do you crop the images before you drop them over to the VA, or are they sent raw. Another great haul, thanks for sharing, love the videos!
Great question Ian! I take them all in square mode on the phone. I up the vibrance and exposure if needed in the camera app and then they all go straight to the VA exactly like that. There is no more editing or cropping. eBay likes the square mode best for photos!
Great viewing while I paint. 😜
Ha ha. Keep painting!
Another great video!!! How do you get your books to stay open while you photograph inside the books?
I just hold them and try and cut my fingers off with the photos wherever possible. I take all my photos in a square setting also which makes it easier to chop my fingers out.
How do you know what books to buy? Scoutify? Experience?
A lot of it is experience. I’m pretty good at choosing with my eye now and I become familiar with books and topics that sell fast and well. If I want to look a book up I just price comp it in the eBay app.
@@backfromburnout thank you. I like when you said it’s your job to list on eBay that helped me out a lot
@@ALvatar3 yep it really is! Everything else is just a part of the process to get you to the listing! The listing is what actually makes you the money :)
Where do u get shrink wrap ? I buy too many books for my space lol but reckon I'll be buying more..
Bunnings. Go up the very back where the moving boxes are and you will find it up near there for about $5-6. (Fellow Bunnings worker)
I buy it at Bunnings which is our local hardware shop. It's kept where all the boxes, bubble wrap and packing supplies are kept. So I presume they will sell it at any store where you can find those types of supplies. It's fantastic, cheap and is great for so many things in a reselling business.
@@backfromburnout I'll.go grab some This week thanks
@@SoSheree will.do thanks.:)
Great work! I hope to find a source like that!
Just keep making contacts and don't be afraid to say what you do. Because I always buy lots of books wherever I go it's normal for staff to ask me questions about what I do with them because they are interested in why I am buying so many and I become a familiar friendly face. :)
@@backfromburnout yes! I notice they appreciate honesty (obviously) I have seen other resellers tell them they’ve been “looking” for the particular book they find or that they “collect” right after they scan them 😂 they like talking to me because I just tell them what I really do with them. I just haven’t found big deals but I’m sure they will come
@@ArodsKicks I honestly just chat to them like they are my friends. That’s why I’m even Facebook friends with one as it genuinely feels like he is my friend now. It’s great when I walk into a store with staff I’m familiar with because they sometimes even say to me “oh I’ve got something out the back you might like I’ll show you” and then they bring stuff out that hasn’t even hit the shelf :) Best!!
Is it better to do Bundle or single? I have so many same Arthur
Bundles can bring great money as you save on shipping costs. I always try to bundle if I can.
Mel, do have a question for you. When you use the number cards, do you reuse those cards for other books later on or do they get tossed out?
That’s a lot of books. People sleep on them. Keep up the hard work.
They do Tae! Books = Money!! Thanks for watching
I like how I'm subscribed to both of you guys. By the way I'm from birmingham, alabama.
@@vintagemoth Tae is awesome to follow and has a big heart :)
@@backfromburnout ahh, thank you.. seriously!!
@@vintagemoth now her I see being subscribed to but me as well. Thank you! Humbled🙏🏿
wow. 500 that's alot haha my goal was 20 items a day whether or not they're books but damn 500 no wonder why you have as many sales as you do lol i need to step my game up!
50 listings a day is a grind and it’s a lot of stock to add to your store each week. Stay tuned as after my listing challenge month I will do a video sharing my experience doing 50 every single day and how I will choose to go forward long term .
Do you have a website that you use to look up sets etc?
Ebay
No, I still look it up on eBay as there are many sets selling. The best thing about bundling is your listing becomes more uniques as not every seller has the same bundle (especially in the case if it's not an actual trilogy or box set etc). This means you can charge more. I also save greatly on postage costs by combining multiple books into one postage mailer. The profit on bundling is much higher than individual books in most cases.
Great video thanks
Thanks for watching Luke!
how are figuring out what is worth it ?
Checking the solds on eBay
I've seen another one of your videos where you was showing how you take photos of books, but have yet another question, lol... Don't you have to know the year, Author, how many pages etc when listing these books? I have been listing Jehovah's witnesses books online and oh my... the book info they ask for... waiting on them to ask what my blood type too... lol. So how do you list the details in there on the computer if the book is stored away, or do you do all that prior to putting on the shelf?
A lot of that stuff should be auto populated
Oh my ❤️💜❤️
I *WAS* first but *last* to finish this long video
Ha ha. It was a long one today Dave :)
It's no easy feat to get back room access.
They don't let me out all the time to the back area but this time they had a big influx after a long weekend and they needed space so they did me a flat rate of $1 per book unless otherwise marked and they just wanted me to clear room for them. Very lucky. It also meant less stickers for me to peel because most of them had not hit the shelves LOL Sometimes I benefit them just as much they benefit me :)
Hi Mel! I’m new to your channel and find you so inspiring! How do you decide on pricing for fiction books or say cook books? Also do you sell them as New or Good-Used? I’m talking about the books that I can see on your table in this video.
Just like anything I list for eBay, I price comp my books before listing them by looking up other books similar that have sold on eBay and price them accordingly.
How do you keep up with your profit?
I use monthly spreadsheets.
Money in - money out = profit
That Rodney rude looked autographed
It is :) But in true Rodney style it swears so I left it out as I didn’t want to offend anyone ❤️
Because of resellers I mark up my books if donate them and I break the spine, fold pages. Highlight.
What a shame you feel the need to do that. I guess your thrift stores just have to put your books into landfill because nobody wanted the book you deliberately damaged. But on the plus side - I sell HEAPS of books with damaged spines, folded pages and highlighting so theres still hope for your books :)
I must admit I have the same addiction to CDs, tapes, and records! Currently tackling two hauls ok 3 hauls of CDs. 😁😆😅😂🤣🥲😭
It’s really hard to say no to items you know will make money. Especially when I’m putting a lot of listings into my store each week.