Was out to a few sales last weekend and just happened to run into this lady at the Porter Building in South Parkersburg who was out buying up every book, record, CD, DVD, she could get her hands on.
I asked her if she was a collector? She said she was buying the items to re-sell on half.com and amazon.com. She told me she usually paid 25 cents up to 50 cents for books at garage sales, and $1 for movies and CDs in good condition, usually doubling her investment in selling them for two or three times more than what she actually paid for the item.
She went on to tell me she had been selling for more than two years now on these websites and could easily make $300 to $400 week or more just sitting at home, making more money than out working somewhere at minimum wage. She smiled and said she made more money than her husband did working five days a week.
She stated the hardest part of selling at first was having to haul everything to the post office to mail, especially hardback books, which can weigh a lot. Now she has UPS to pick up all her orders at her front door.
Talking with eBay officials this week who own the half.com website where anyone can sell their new or used books tell me it's possible for anyone to make up to $1,000 a week selling used books, DVDs, CDs, and records. Some even sell up to $4,000 to $5,000 a week selling the New York Times best sellers list, mainly book stores who order books from book distributors. I was also told it's not necessary to own a book store to order from book distributors, but you do need a license to run a large mail order book store from your home. Most book distributors setting up your account to sell new books will ask you for your ID number when ordering, which can be your Social Security number or your store's ID number.
Today they are several websites to go to sell your used books, DVDs, CDs and records. The most popular site is amazon.com. The other one is half.com. Say, for instance, you want to sell a few used books you have on amazon.com. First gather up a few books you want to sell. Next look for the ISBN number that's usually on the back or inside the front of the book. Next type in amazon.com, then type in the ISBN number which will bring up the title of the book along with its description. It will also state what your book is selling for new and used.
To sell your book on this site, click on where it states sell your copy - this will take you through all the necessary information to open your seller account. To be eligible to sell on any of these sites you must have a debit card and a bank account. All your sales will go into your account, where you can automatically have it sent directly to your bank. You must have your bank account number handy along with your bank's routing number when opening a sellers account.
Most of these websites require you to ship all orders you receive within two days after each sale, and require a delivery confirmation number through your post office or other carrier.
Larry Koon is the author of several price guide books on antiques and collectibles. His column appears every Monday on Life. Send letters to Treasure in the Attic, c/o The Marietta Times, 700 Channel Lane, Marietta 45750.
