Can you really make money on Amazon selling 1p books?

By Sharon Fussell, May 29, 2014

One think I love to receive is feedback from you in regards to any of my programmes you have purchased.

It’s very uplifting. Just like this email I received recently from Tony:

Hi Sharon
 
In the past I have bought two programmes from you. I thought you’d like to hear of a couple of recent successes.

I was selling about 30 books per month but since the postage change, this has reduced. However, the week before last, I was away on holiday; I returned to find that I’d sold six books for £180. That’s an average of £30 per book.

Then last week, I sold one of my books for an amazing £191.

Kind regards Tony.

I have discussed in past ezines how important it is to be aware of market conditions and to adjust activity accordingly.

Some things are out of our control, such as postage costs. So you have to adapt by ensuring that the books you are listing will render you a profit after postage.

Of course, if you are selling books for high prices, then you should profit despite postage costs. But what about low-value selling? For example, books priced at 1p each (total price £2.81).

If you are a Pro-Merchant seller on Amazon, you will be able to make money from a certain-sized 1p book, but there is just no point in listing books for 1p that are a packet size.

With a postage cost of £2.80 for a small packet, it will cost you more to post than you receive from Amazon after they take their cut from the sale (£2.32).

If you are not a Pro-Merchant seller, there is virtually no point in trying to sell 1p books in any capacity.

There is no doubt that selling conditions have changed since I started online selling eight years ago, but as I have said before, it just means you have to make adjustments.

If you enjoy selling books, then please do not abandon your activity: there are ways to make money – as you can see from Tony’s feedback.

Yes, I am aware that postage costs can render many books impossible to sell, but it means weeding out these books and concentrating on books you can sell.

You may find that many books do not hold reasonable prices levels due to deprecation from other sellers driving down prices. You may take the line that as long as you do make a profit its worth selling books for lower prices.

Thus it make s sense to refresh prices accordingly, (although when you do this, do please ensure books do not cost more to post than you will receive from Amazon).

So how can you ensure when you make a sale you will always be in profit when selling low-value books (e.g. those selling for 1p)?

Make sure books are large letter size and weigh under 500g. You could go up to 750 grams, but this means your profits are very small – around 31p. But if you are happy with that margin, then go up to 750g in total weight.

Also be aware of the length of a large letter book: it should fit easily within a G4-size mail bag or smaller. (Tape down the end edges of the envelope if necessary to ensure the envelope is not too long.)

You could also use plastic mail sacks for robust books – using a padded envelope might push a large letter to a small packet size.

Download an up-to-date Royal Mail price list to ensure you know all up-to-date changes that apply to postage – not just weights but measurements of parcels too.

Be aware that many couriers are offering quite good rates, between 2 to 5 kg in weight.

Purchase digital kitchen scales – up to 2 kg are sufficient. Weigh books with packing materials and dispatch notes to ensure the weight does not go into a higher-cost category.

Also, I recommend purchasing a UK postal guide Royal Mail size/pricing in proportion measuring ruler. They are available on eBay for under £4.

Copy Paste Profit

Of course, if you are using my new programme Copy Paste Profit (CPP), you will not need to be aware of postage conditions, as you will have no need to use postage systems.

In fact, you won’t handle a thing: no need to stand in line at Post Offices, buy and store stock or packaging – you won’t have to buy anything until you make a sale. CPP is totally a 100% online venture: no need to leave your comfy sofa, go out into the cold or rain.

I have had some lovely feedback in regards to CPP, so it is making a real difference. Will making extra income make a difference to you? Take a look now at Copy Paste Profit.

Remember, if you have any feedback from your success stories, please contact me, I always love to receive them.