lucrative niche

Are you interested in selling online and looking for a product? If you enjoy reading, selling books may just be the perfect thing for you.

First, you will need to decide what types of books you would like to sell. Unfortunately, bestsellers are usually not moneymakers. Nonfiction books are often a good choice. The most recent editions of textbooks often sell well, especially during the back-to-school rush and for homeschooling families. You might choose to sell books based on your interests such as fishing, crafting, or automotive books. Antique books can be another lucrative niche.

Whatever type of books that you wish to sell, you will need to do research on which authors, titles, and publishers bring good prices. ebay (search on completed auctions for books that actually sold)and Amazon are good places to begin your hunt. Take notes of titles that sell for over $30.00.

Next, you will need to find a source for books to sell. Yard sales, thrift stores, library sales, and used bookstores are good places to start. Remember that a book's condition is usually very important in determining the price. Use Amazon's book condition criteria as a guideline. Special editions and autographed books can sometimes command higher prices.

Bring your list of high-dollar titles with you and if possible, a cell phone with an internet connection so that you can look up prices on the spot. Specialized book-pricing software is also available for some devices to speed up the process. Note that looking up every single book that you encounter can be time-consuming and may also arouse suspicion on the part of the seller. The hours spent familiarizing yourself with good titles and publishers will help teach you to weed out the duds so you can focus on better prospects.

As you spend time scouting for books, you will develop an instinct for what might bring good money and what probably will not. Remember, you may not find some titles listed online, especially antique books. This could mean that you have a rare book or that the book is worth nothing so no one bothered to list it.

Choose a net profit point for profitability on a book sale. Remember, you will have shipping costs, book storage expenses and shipping supply expenses. Also, your time will be involved with hunting for books to sell, listing books online, answering questions from potential buyers, and corresponding with your buyers. You might find that you average $8.00 for all of the above costs. You want to make sure that the potential selling price of the book is more than your cost for the book plus eight dollars so that you make a profit.

Before listing your books online, be sure that you have shipping supplies available, an email address, a reliable internet connection, and a safe place to store your books.

After you find books that you are ready to sell, decide where you want to sell them. Two popular places for book sales are Ebay and Amazon. Amazon generally commands higher prices, but Ebay may get the books moved faster if you use an auction format.

Be sure to answer any potential buyer questions promptly. When an item sells, ship promptly. Email the buyer to let them know when the package shipped along with a tracking number if available. Excellent communication is key to getting a good seller rating.

Treat your online book selling as a business, keeping your business expenses separate from your personal expenses and maintaining good records.

Having a buyer thrilled that you were able to provide a rare book that they have been searching for is very gratifying. Selling books online can be a great work-from-home opportunity for bibliophiles!