You can make a good part time income with this business idea, and some people have even taken this to a full time income too.
Here is how you can make money by buying a certain niche product that is readily available in your area and reselling it on eBay.
The product is used How-To-Books.
Why How-To-Books? Because are relatively easy to find, their value can be quickly determined, they can be purchased for $1.00 or less and the market is broader then purely collectible books.
Whereas a collectible book is of interest mainly to collectors of rare books, a How-To-Book is of interest to people who want to learn a certain skill AND it may also be of interest to collectors of books in general or on a specific subject.
How-To-Books will generally not bring the money that pure collectible books will but you will be surprised by the amount some how to books have sold for.
For example, a quick search on eBay turned up these gems:
* A 1948 Hat Making Book sold for $72.00 * A book on Salmon Fishing sold for $42.00 * A book on Building Log Cabins sold for $177.00 * A book on How to Find Giant Bucks sold for $51.00 * How To Service Your Own Tube Amp (stereo amplifier) went for $49.00 * 1981 Book Titled "How To Perfect Your Golf Swing" went for $36.00
You can get How-To-Books from:
* Thrift Shops * Yard Sales * Estate Sales * Library Sales * Used Book Stores
Book Sale Finder has a list of book sales by state.
Now lets look at the types of books you will be looking for:
* Pre 1980 (the older the better) OR Out of Print * First Printing is a plus * Hard Cover * Dust Jacket is a plus but not mandatory * How To/Informational/Hobby Books * Out of Print best but not mandatory
Note: Only pay $1 at the most for a book of unknown value.
-Here are some specific types of books to look for:
* Hobbies * Photography * Auto Specific Books ("How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive" Book) * Blacksmithing * Clock Building and Repair * Woodworking * Magic * Treasure Hunting * Ironwork * Pipe Smoking * Dog Training (specific breed) * Prospecting * Antiques * Coins * Buttons * Medals * Guns and other Weaponry * (just about any collectible) * Amateur Radio * Golf * Sailing (Yachting,Marine Life, etc) * Fishing (specific type) * Unusual Hobbies (rope making * Craft Making (specific) * Dolls * Leather craft * Loom Weaving * Quilting * Baskets * Lamp Shades * Doll Houses * Pottery * Unusual or "lost art" Crafts (Tole Painting, Hat Making) * Art * Drawing * Painting * Sketching *Investing
-Unusual
* How To Stay Alive In Vietnam * How to Draw Occult & Horror * How To Belly Dance * How to Strip For Your Husband
-Home and Garden
* Home Decorating * Home Remodeling * Garden Trellis * Architecture * Koi Pond * Bonsai
-Self Help and Motivational (Tony Robbins, Jay Abraham)
-Misc
* How To Repair (doll repair, watch repair, Violin repair) * How To Play (violin, banjo, harmonica, etc) * Old Maps * Lost Treasure * Early Aviation
Now let’s look at getting started by discussing how to list your books on eBay and how to position them for the maximum profit.
Think Fast: When you think of listing "how-to" books on eBay which category comes to mind?
If you are like most people you would say the "Books" category. That is where most people list their books -- how to or not. In fact most how to books are listed on eBay in the Books > Fiction/Non-Fiction category.
But, if you think in terms of your prospective buyer who is interested in, for example photography, he or she is probably not searching in the books category for products about photography.
They will probably peruse the Sub Categories under Cameras & Photos for items of interest. And, one of those sub categories just happens to be Manuals, Guides & Books.
So, the best place to list a book about photography would be the sub category Manuals, Guides & Books under the main category of Cameras & Photos.
In fact, if you compare the same book selling on eBay about Black and White photography, one person listed the book in the proper category and it sold for $11.00 and had 4 bids.
The other person selling the exact same item BUT listed in the Books > Fiction/Non-Fiction category had 1 bid and sold for $4.00.
You could find some of these books on eBay, buy them yourself and re-list them in the correct category with better listing info to make a profit.
So be sure to list your how to books in the category that is specific to the subject of the book.
Many times there will not be a sub category for books on a certain topic, but you can always find an appropriate sub category to list them under.
If all else fails there is usually an "Other Item" sub category under most main categories.
Before you list your how to books do a quick search on
Abe.com
and/or
Alibris
to see what used book dealers are getting for the same book.
You may find that you have something of collector interest that you can sell for a higher price.
At the very least, a quick Alibris or Abe search will give you an indication of what price to start your auction at.
As a general rule if a book is listed at less then $20.00 on Alibris or Abe start your auction at $1.99.
That will give you a small profit even if the book only sells for the opening bid. For books that are valued at more then $20.00 you should generally start the bidding higher, and also do more research to see if others have successfully sold the book on eBay in the past.
If they have and the book closed at a relatively high price, study their auction to see if you can figure out what they did that you can duplicate.
The next area you should look at when listing your how to books is keywords.
You want to get as many relevant keywords in the item listing as possible. You can find a list of the most searched keyword phrases on eBay.
These are the top keywords that people are using to search for items on eBay. Look through this list and see if you can find other relevant keywords that you can include in your auction title.
For example, one of the top keywords (as of right now) is Vintage.
If you have a book that is 40, 50 or more years old including the word Vintage in your title would be appropriate and may help your listing get more exposure.
Another thing to do to "keyword load" your auctions is to scan the Table of Contents of the books you list and include the scanned text in the description. (note: scan as a document not an image).
The Table of Contents is a gold mine of highly relevant keyword phrases.
You should also scan the Dust Jacket description of the book and the cover image.
Include the image as a Gallery Picture and use the Dust Jacket Description as the first part of the Auction Description. That along with a couple of lines about the condition of the book and the Table of Contents will make up a good auction description.
If you decide to pursue this business idea, the only other investment you will need to make is your mailing supplies.
A good postage scale and professional mailing envelopes will definitely help you handle your business efficiently and give you a professional edge.
And if you buyer pays with paypal you can print your postage right at home and just drop your packages off at the post office, instead of waiting in line to have everything weighed.
I always print out a paypal packing slip too and write thank you on it and put it in the package.
That way there is always a record inside the envelope of who the recipient is and a good record for the buyer of their purchase.
This is a great business idea if you love books and you love the thrill of the hunt.
And it’s another one of those small business ideas that provides the great flexibility of working from home and setting your own hours.
