Library Book Sales Strategies To Get the Best Books for Amazon FB

[@biljohnson9490]

You're right about those homeschooling/teaching books. Sometimes I find them in the children's section, which most people seem to skip. Recently I accidentally arrived 3 minutes late to a book sale (visiting in a new city) and lost position on the usual prime categories but I remembered from this video you ranked art and music highly and luckily those areas were open. I killed it. Thanks for the tip Manny. I wish I could sell CD's too.

[@MyMyMy69]

Hello Bill Johnson, why can't you sell CD's? Just inquiring if there is some tip or tidbit that I should know about? thank you.

[@biljohnson9490]

I started selling on Amazon after they closed the CD category (I think nov of 2016). So my account isn't grandfathered in.

[@williamgallaher1377]

Great video. Thank you for sharing. I subscribed and looking forward to learning as much as I can. Have a great day!!!

[@MannysBookBag]

Thank you for subscribing and watching. I hope the videos are helpful.

[@utubernan1223]

Army wife here! Went sourcing for books for the first time yesterday at a bookstore my city’s library system runs. I hit textbooks but I was surprised to not find any of value cuz maybe they’re outdated? But I also use the ScoutIQ app so I usually just listen to what it says

[@MannysBookBag]

Textbooks are a bit different because of seasonality. Their pricing can swing quite a bit as well as rank. This is one of the reasons I like Scoutly instead. When I scan a textbook, I can see current rank, escore, 12 month average rank, and a sales rank chart all on the main screen. It’s easy to see if a textbook spikes in late May, August, or winter textbook rushes. One last thing. Any textbook that has a current rank approaching 1.5 million or an average rank over 1 million is usually a goner or on its way there. Good luck and thank you for posting.

[@thehoodedhustler975]

every user of scoutiq has the app set up unique to them. What causes my app to "ding" and tells me to buy may be way different than yours. Research youtube on trigger settings.

[@TroySmith25]

After textbooks, I like to look at the Religion section. I've noticed that some Bibles do well, especially if they are Study Bibles. Books about mindfulness, yoga, Buddhism can have good prices and sales rank. Another personal favorite of mine is Business and Self Help.

[@MannysBookBag]

Troy Smith plenty of steady hits in those categories. Thank you for the great comment.

[@riseupwithlennyandlisa2218]

This is awesome information. I plan to start reselling soon. Thank you Manny 😊👍

[@MannysBookBag]

I still follow these basically strategies to this day. Happy to help, and good luck on your journey.🍀

[@sbslipknot1]

Thank you, this video was very informative 👍🏼😊

[@MannysBookBag]

You’re welcome. I’m glad you found it helpful.

[@stevehann7655]

I'm near Columbia, where texts are a glut on the market. Do really well w/ cds, sf CDC and good pub fiction

[@michaelsierras7406]

Great video! I have to give these sales a shot.

[@MannysBookBag]

Michael Sierras big money at these. They can get quite competitive, but unless you can get a lot of inventory for free, these library sales are as good as it gets in terms of ROI.

[@robertknighton9408]

This video if SO fantastic. I have almost a full page of notes just from this one video. I'm doing some research since I am just now getting into this and I plan to attend a library sale tomorrow morning. Can I get your personal opinion? Is this still a lucrative business? Are there any changes to your categories or your method since you've uploaded? I'll be subbing and watching your other vids, but I super appreciate both your hustle, and your abundance-minded attitude of sharing your knowledge. Excellent video. Excellent content.

[@MannysBookBag]

Robert Knighton thank you for watching the videos, and I’m glad they’re helpful. Yes, the book business is still a fantastic business to be a part of for sure. In the beginning, the time you put into learning and creating a process will lead to a solid business. I always say that this business becomes as lucrative as your sources, and the better you are at relationship building with librarians, FOL organizers, and store managers, the more access you will gain. Do not be afraid to expand your sales categories and platforms that you sell on. Diversification will protect you from all manner of market changes. Become excellent at the basics of this business - sourcing, listing, pricing / repricing and shipping. Everything else you do will build upon these core functions. Best of luck in the future.

[@tsopremerecords9879]

I'm also new and attending a book sale in the morning and I noticed his Ohio License plate so I kinda expect to see you there Manny

[@sherrybradshaw6504]

Great video. My library stamps our library's name on the edge of the book. Any tips on dealing with that?

[@MannysBookBag]

That’s just another example of “typical stamps and markings”. That note goes into my condition note for former library books. You don’t do anything to remove any of the markings, since it’s still former library no matter what you do. Rifle through the book. If it’s in good shape with firm binding and otherwise clean pages, it’s good. If there’s any other condition issues besides the library stamps, I usually go acceptable on their condition.

[@Footballyoungsterss]

How do you find places with cheap books? Hope you can make a video on that! Love the vids! Subbed and liked!

[@MannysBookBag]

This year has been more difficult because of the lack of library sales and rummage sales. Normally, you would just go to library sales, rummage sales, estate sales, garage sales, and pick up the phone and call other businesses that sell books.

[@Footballyoungsterss]

@@MannysBookBag oh okay thank you so much! Can you still make a video on it and what you’d usually do and what you’ve been doing during the pandemic? I heard the pandemic is going to last another year or 2😭would very much help us brother

[@jammazone2753]

Another helpful video, thanks. Have a question about ex library books. Do you leave the "Discard" labels on to to show that they are legit ex library and not filched? Some folks on Seller Central say that's the way to go in case someone with nothing better to do snitches and causes Amazon to shoot off a warning. It would save me a lot of time too as the local library is pretty aggressive about their frickin labels--large and extra sticky. Also the call letter labels?

[@MannysBookBag]

jammazone yes, absolutely leave all Library stamps and labels as they are and just mention that they’re there.

[@million-heir]

hello! really enjoyed the video. how do you know how much to resell the book for? where should i sell them? I am a college student that wants to resell my books and get into the book game as you have. I would love some insight on how to get my first sell. Thank you.

[@BrokuTheSonofSparda]

Cd are usually always a good sale just pick them up without looking at them?

[@MannysBookBag]

Son of Sparda only on bag days. If cd’s are part of the bag sale, grab them all. If I’m paying more than $0.25 each, I still scan them.

[@albi7024]

Great video Manny! What about business books? You didn't mention them. I've heard other people put those on their "top" lists. Where would they fall on yours.

[@MannysBookBag]

Albi Kociu business books aren't bad, and some can be very good bread and butter books, but the other categories will have more home runs, so I go to them first. I would target business related books after religion and self help personally.

[@ginataschuk5331]

Ever since watching this video, I now try to target all of your top categories. I have found some great art books with high values & several religion books, that I would probably overlooked before. So thanks for these category tips as they are extremely helpful. I do have a question about DVD's & CD's. At most of the thrift stores in my area, due to theft issues, the stores have started taping the cases closed, so that you have no idea of condition at the time of purchase. Does this stop you from buying used items, or do you put a price ceiling on how much you will pay, or better yet does it soley depend on whether there is FBA competion or just the listing price? Thanks Manny. Love listening & have learned many things over the last month,

[@MannysBookBag]

Gina Taschuk thank you very much. I'm thankful that sellers like yourself are getting value out of what I'm recording. As far as CD's, your situation with the closed up cases seems like a true PITA. I would feel very weird about buying without verifying condition. I resurface my discs, so I never check for condition, you son some you lose some. What I do verify is that the disc is actually inside, and also that the correct number of discs are present. How would I know if the employee checked? They could just grab the cases when they're short on time and tape them without looking. I'd have to go by the weight, which isn't always accurate. The most expensive CD I purchased for flipping was $6, but it sold within a month for $48. With all the recent gating concerns in the category, it's becoming more about jumping on the cd's that suddenly have no FBA offers.

[@christymarsh3363]

Newbie here... Would you scout at libraries that state they sell on Amazon?

[@MannysBookBag]

I sure would. Most libraries are not operating with FBA in mind, and they don’t do a particularly good job of identifying very good bread and butter books. There’s always meat left on the bone. Maybe don’t take a 3 hour trip, but anything reasonably close should be checked out.

[@christymarsh3363]

@@MannysBookBag Thank you so much! I will plan for that! I will tell you I was feeling very overwhelmed with my newbie learning curve and I have to say your videos are such a wonderful resource and a huge blessing! Thank you again! I'm ready to keep going! Hope to do my first FBA shipment next week!

[@MannysBookBag]

@@christymarsh3363 it’s my pleasure. Congratulations on getting started. I promise that it gets easier.

[@rcooper9110]

I can't make it for the first day of the sale. Is it still worth going if I go on Saturday instead of Friday?

[@MannysBookBag]

R Cooper if you have experience with that location, then use what you know to help you decide. If this is a new source, I would go anyway just to make some money and gain knowledge about their sale. You’re right that the first day or preview night is the best time to hit a sale, but if it’s advertised to have a large number of books or the price per book is high, go without remorse. Large booksales always have good books left because there’s so many. High prices are more likely to keep a lot of competition away. As a side note, sales with high prices are always the best bag sales too because of less competition the other days.

[@shreddez]

DId you get the "popular products in music" email? In other words, do you still have the ability to sell most of those CD's on Amazon?

[@MannysBookBag]

I never got the music email, and I don't have any new restrictions on what I can list. All of my stress is currently coming from receiving the textbook email.

[@shreddez]

I, like many others I would guess, am extremely vexed with Amazon at the moment. You didn't receive the CD email, but you did get the textbook one? I received the CD, but not the textbook one (yet). Since I didn't get the CD email until the end of May, I feel like I will get the textbook one at the end of this month. Very frustrating and it seems that so many people have theories about what triggers the "popular products" emails and there are so many contradicting reasons that people are guessing and reporting. Very annoying to say the least. I want to keep sending in and buying as much as I can, but I also don't want to get burned. I sell online full-time : 85-90% media and some toys/games on Amazon and about 10-15% misc. stuff on eBay. I would love to continue selling media on Amazon but with all of this craziness I'm in limbo. Like many others I suppose. I guess the answer might be to get an account with legitimate distributors of music and the book publishers?

[@MannysBookBag]

Brian Miller correct. None of us will know how they determined who got what either. I've never listed a book as new, and I have 100% metrics lifetime, so I don't fit the typical criteria for those notices. It's all quite confusing. I've sent in the second round of invoices they requested, so I'm still waiting on the likely denial.

[@rplotner0]

Are you subscribed to the ScoutIQ-CD database?

[@MannysBookBag]

Rich Plotner not yet. I’ll be switching as soon as SIQ incorporates the other categories into the database. If you’re almost all books, I’d recommend SIQ.

[@eliteresale9574]

What scan app do you use? I'm not sure if you've mentioned it in another video. Thanks!

[@MannysBookBag]

Elite Resale I use fbascan at the moment for the downloadable book database. The moment ScoutIQ is released, I will be switching and making a demo video about it.

[@eliteresale9574]

Thanks so much, I've been hearing good things about profit bandit's app. I look forward to your demo video!

[@Haunted-Halls]

ScoutIQ! I can't wait!

[@MannysBookBag]

GoofyStorm I don't think people really get how much eScore is going to change data. Sales rank becomes obsolete. I can't wait to see everyone's reaction. I'm there Day 1.

[@Haunted-Halls]

Manny's Book Bag what do you mean escore?

[@jeffhorry820]

enjoyed the video. what camera are you using?

[@MannysBookBag]

Thank you for watching. This was an iPhone 6s.

[@million-heir]

where can i sell the cds/dvds? how do i know what to charge?

[@MannysBookBag]

demetres rush cd’s are most commonly sold on eBay, amazon and specialty sites like discogs. The drawback to selling on amazon is that cd and dvd is a restricted, so you can’t sell them there without authorization. As far as pricing, it’s all about where you’re selling it and what that market bears. Each site will have different valuation. I use Scoutly as a scanning app for my amazon business to see the latest / current competing offers as well as sales history.

[@MannysBookBag]

@@GooglyMcDoubleface I’m a Scoutly guy myself, especially for the CD’s. When doing bulk, I have to have CD’s in the database, which ScoutIQ does not have. Most other features are comparable, except Scoutly also includes Turbolister for free.

[@MannysBookBag]

@@GooglyMcDoubleface oh really? When did they add CD’s to the downloadable database? It was books only with all other categories only available with live lookups for the longest.

[@litestreamer]

Wow, .03 per Cd..

[@IVAN2233]

what Kart do you use? looks pretty cool

[@MannysBookBag]

ivan pena I use a Cosco 300 lb capacity folding utility cart. I bought it at Lowe’s for $50. It’s still going strong.

[@IVAN2233]

cool thanks ill check it out. Do you take that to every book sale you go to?

[@MannysBookBag]

ivan pena yes, although some sales won’t have the space for you to roll it around in the aisles. For those sales, I just keep it in my car and go get it to help me get everything back to the car. Check out this video I made about Library sales. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jmXYY5Jmrs2ZY80

[@BIGMASTERJ]

People still buy cd’s

[@MannysBookBag]

They’re half my business.

[@jerry3579]

First, new sub here. I just have to ask why (really) would you make videos to help other booksellers when, by doing so, it very well could wind up with your having to deal with more competition in the long run? Don't get me wrong, these are very useful videos and tips, but when you think of all the KZbinrs out there making videos on how to source and sell just about everything, logic tells me that by doing so, it's only gonna create more and more competition for all of us. Is it really worth whatever y'all make here on YT $$ vs. the result of teaching to the masses? I often wonder about that. What's your take? I really don't believe in the theory that there's enough to go around, because the competition is MUCH more fierce that it was ten years ago for sure.

[@MannysBookBag]

Jerry Great question and comment. I live a life of abundant thinking where the connections I have made along the way have more than paid me back for the time it takes to put a video together even though you are correct, no one posts on KZbin for the Adsense. Here’s what I know. Most people will not take action on the content they find on my channel. Those that do engage in the amazon marketplace commit TOS violations left and right out of either ignorance or bad advice on Facebook and KZbin. When sellers get shut down for violations, that means less competition in the short term, but in the long term, it means restrictions for all of us when amazon decides to hammer down across the board. Look at CD’s and textbooks as examples. If less sellers were committing violations by knowing what to look for in terms of fakes and how to properly grade, it can be argued that the severity of the restrictions and gatings can be avoided. Take repricers as another example. I’ve spent an immense amount of time helping people understand how to implement them and what all the settings mean. The feedback I’ve gotten back time after time is that I have helped them not tank their prices and use the tools more responsibly. If I can help even a small segment only affect their prices in the way they intend, then that is a benefit to the entire Seller Market through higher ASP’s. Education helps everyone, and as a former Trainer by profession, I’ve seen how poorly things go when you try to horde knowledge.

[@KellerColeman]

Cookbooks is mines

[@MannysBookBag]

There’s some really good high priced books in this category. Thank you for commenting!

[@KellerColeman]

Please do some more videos. You are a wonderful teacher. I have been an Amazon reseller for one year

[@MannysBookBag]

@@KellerColeman congratulations on your business and thank you for watching / commenting. Working on a few ideas for future content.