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Edith,
Have you been keeping up with the latest Ebay changes for books? They've removed all the subcategories for non-fiction books (and fiction)! The categories are still there, but now you have to put in keywords instead to search for items. I've just started to sell books and I also buy online.
I much prefer to browse the different categories, even if they are offbeat, to see what's on there instead of typing in keywords. Plus if someone lists wrong, you can scoop good deals.
What do you make of all this? And won't this damper sales for the booksellers? Is anything that be done to get Ebay to turnaround this change. Or is it better to roll with it? I've, of course, sent off quite a few letters but with no response.
Can you help? Or what to do? Why would they take away all the categories like that and then tell us to learn how to do it the new way, which supposedly takes an hour to learn?
Thanks for any help &/or advice.
Lee Anne
Dear Lee Anne:
We have been watching the current changes that are happening within eBay and it is a shame that browsing for books isn't going to be as easy as it once was. I will be attending an eBay University next weekend and I will be giving our readers a full report.
It does not look like eBay will undo these changes anytime soon, and you are not alone in your disappointment. Most sellers would probably prefer a greater number of sub-categories rather than fewer but it is their marketplace and it will be up to us to learn how to best utilize it for now.
You are not confined to eBay to sell books, however. Take some time to explore other selling venues like Abe.com, Alibris.com, Amazon.com, Choosebooks.com, Bibliodirect.com, Tomfolio.com, and others. You can get more information about these venues from some of our past issues as well <http://www.bookologist.com/cab/abu/y203/year_index>. Good luck.
Edith
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Re: The Bookologist Interviews Hannes Blum, ABE.com
Amazing, you had a golden opportunity to quiz him on their rate increase and on the "missing books" problem and you passed it up! Instead you asked about the order page. fyi you should have the book IN HAND before accepting the order, i don't quite understand what having shipping info has to do with that. That had to be the most disappointing interview i've read in awhile.
Robert
I am sorry you were disappointed, Robert. Our interview was done prior to the raise in rates but it is not being overlooked. I am preparing an article comparing the rates for several sales sites and will be getting feedback from users and providers.
As for my question regarding the order page, not all booksellers have their books in hand (literally) when they process orders. Some sellers maintain an online inventory for books held in consignment shops and must depend on the validity of their database when accepting an order. Another concern I had was one from my own experience, accepting an order only to find out the buyer made an error. This buyer put down that he lived in the United Kingdom when, in fact, he was located in the United States. Having access to his address prior to accepting the order could have saved me time when I decreased his shipping charge.
My personal opinion is that a program should take into account the variable for different circumstances. Alibris' order page, Amazon's order page, and others allow for a seller to have all information in hand before accepting the order. Sometimes having the book isn't always the solution.
Edith
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