Xmas sales tips for stocking up on children’s books

By Sharon Fussell, October 6, 2016

I apologise if this week’s eletter is not as comprehensive as usual – I’m just about to dash off to Berlin for a few days.

The trip coincides with the Wales football game in Austria so I’ll be popping over the German border to visit Vienna too!

We discussed Christmas a little bit last week. One of the products I’ve found sell best at Christmas time are children’s books and associated products.

Here are my top points you should consider when stocking up for Christmas sales:

– Classic tales are hot sellers

– ‘New’ or ‘like new’ is the preferred condition to maximise your profits

– Where possible buy ‘unabridged’ versions

– Prioritise books with no inner markings or written notes, especially previous owners’ names!

– In terms of sourcing, bear in mind many charity shops do not value children’s books, possibly because they are inundated with them and storage space is short

– Books with a perceived expensive look go down well, too

– Ensure any books you buy do not have any scribblings inside and are not covered in sticky fingers marks (this is quite common when picking up used books in charity shops)

– Popular films and TV shows are also a good indicator of associated publications that may be in hot demand – are there any spin off titles out there which fans will want to gobble up?

– Don’t forget to look for related DVDs and CDs, too – sometimes they can be picked up still in their original wrapping. I often match up a book with a DVD connected to a book and sell both on eBay as a bundle. The perceived value is often higher than trying to sell the items individually.

But what children’s age range should you concentrate on? I personally tend to go for younger children’s books, particularly for those ages when children are learning to read.

Good luck! There will be more ideas for Christmas products next week.