Topic: Amazon Marketplace - I'm the new kid on the block

[Touti]

This morning I started selling DVD's on Amazon.  I didn't put everything up yet, only the box sets.  Becoming a seller was easy, just a few questions, one automated phone call during which I had to enter a 4 digits NIP that I was given while registering. I also had to provide my bank, branch and account numbers for future payments.

I'll share the experience with you as things develop.

[Jimmy]

Wich one are you?

 

Sorry for the bad memory, I couldn't resist 
It could have been worse, I could have link a video

[RossRoy]

Sorry for the bad memory, I couldn't resist 
It could have been worse, I could have link a video

You mean like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDAzP7BDHe4

[Jimmy]

No, one that you can embed like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBfUcGpkn-s

[Touti]

I only had about 10 titles listed and I just got my first sale.  Got an email from Amazon that someone bought "Amélie".  I had listed it at 12$, Amazon is taking a commission of 4.38$ and they're giving me a credi of 3.49$ for shipping so I'm making 11.11$ minus shipping.  In the end I should make just about the 10$ I wanted in the first place.

[Najemikon]

I might look at Marketplace and Play now. Ebay have really pissed me off. I've always defended them because when it comes to buying, I've never had a problem. Same with selling, but now their policy changes will make things very different as they disproportionately favour the buyer. In a nutshell, when you list a DVD, you have to offer free shipping.

Now I always insist on using Recorded delivery and the cheapest I can send one first class, including packaging, is about £1.70. So I'll need to post starting price of almost £3 to get any kind of profit. I think that starting price is really important. I always look for £1 titles and then check P&P, which means I would naturally ignore my own listings from now on.

Because you see, I consider myself a fairly normal person who expects to pay P&P when dealing with private sellers. Ebay say they need to be more competitve though. Excuse me? Who's competitive? I thought I was the bloody seller, not Ebay! Car boot sellers don't have to follow rules set by the owner of the field.  If I don't offer free P&P, that makes me "less competitve", not EBay as a whole. Just as if I sets a starting price of £20 for one of my second-hand titles.

Pillocks.

[goodguy]

In a nutshell, when you list a DVD, you have to offer free shipping.

Is that really true?

I recently got some stuff via Ebay and I did pay for S&H. Also, what always annoyed me on Ebay were sellers who put most of the actual DVD price into S&H. For example, they offered some boxset for 10$ plus 20$ S&H. A single price would certainly be more transparent. On the other hand, costs for shipping vary depending upon destination, so I can see a problem for sellers there.

[Najemikon]

In a nutshell, when you list a DVD, you have to offer free shipping.

Is that really true?

I recently got some stuff via Ebay and I did pay for S&H. Also, what always annoyed me on Ebay were sellers who put most of the actual DVD price into S&H. For example, they offered some boxset for 10$ plus 20$ S&H. A single price would certainly be more transparent. On the other hand, costs for shipping vary depending upon destination, so I can see a problem for sellers there.

From their email:

please take note that as part of the recent changes in the Postage and packaging policy, we are now requiring all sellers to list their DVDs with free postage and packaging.

As far as I'm aware, boxsets are exempt. In fact the same policy probably applies to CDs, games, etc. Basically, using Royal Mails guide it can't be thicker than 25mm, therefore it can be sent 1st Class Large Letter. Hence your boxset price still including p&p.

But on that subject, I have never made stealth charges and to me, sellers who do stick out like a sore thumb and should be avoided. I'm annoyed that relatively speaking, a rule has been made to rule out the few. Except of course, he was selling a boxset, so he's still be able to stealth charge anyway. 

[Touti]

After 48 hours my career as an Amazon Marketplace Seller has come to its end:hysterical:

I put the DVD in a padded envelope and took it to the post office.  I didn't pass as an envelope and I ended up having to pay 11$ to ship it.

My selling price: 12$
Amazon commission: 4.38$
Amazon Shipping Credit: 3.49$
Actual shipping cost: 11.00$

I'm losing 21 cents and my DVD is gone.  Unless you are 100% sure that your envelope will pass as a letter don't sell on Amazon or add at least 8$ to your selling price to cover shipping.

[DJ Doena]

Actual shipping cost: 11.00$

And I thought german postal service (DHL) was expensive. Here you pay for an insured parcel (up to 2 kilograms) 3.90€ and for an insured parcel 6.90€.

When you get a DVD over ebay the seller usually puts it into a padded letter case (2.20€).

[Touti]

When you get a DVD over ebay the seller usually puts it into a padded letter case (2.20€).

That's what I did but apparently the envelope was still too big.  Maybe I screwed up when I bought them, I'll have to check the size.  But anyway I was surprised by the 4.38$ commission that Amazon takes, that's more than a third.

I've got about 100 DVD's left to sell, maybe I'll put it up for sale at 300$ for the lot and be done with it.

[RossRoy]

That's what I did but apparently the envelope was still too big.  Maybe I screwed up when I bought them, I'll have to check the size.  But anyway I was surprised by the 4.38$ commission that Amazon takes, that's more than a third.

I don't know what size, but I remember shipping a single DVD out some time ago, and the envelope I had fitted the DVD keep case very snugly, you could almost say tight, and it passed as standard envelope shipping.

[Touti]

It looks like I screwed up with this.  I bought the wrong envelopes, the ones I have are 10.25" long and the maximum for letters is 9.65". 

[Najemikon]

Oh, now that is odd. The envelopes I use are 7.5" wide by 10.5" long and it's easily counted as a letter here. Are you sure you didn't get screwed by your post? I once had a massive argument with one lady because she was insisting I had to send it as a parcel. Having sent tons of them before I knew who was right and forced her to remeasure. Had it been my first despatch, I'd have paid her the first price...

[Touti]

I checked on Canada Posts web site, the maximum length for envelopes is 245mm which is 9.65".  I wanted to be environmentally friendly and bought envelopes made of recycled materials without really realizing they were .75" longer.