Everyone realises that selling on eBay requires good products.What everyone does not realise, is that many everyday articles are actually excellent sellers.In the second of this series of articles, I will go through a niche product category that most would never give a second thought, children's books.Almost everyone has gone to a garage sale or second-hand store and checked the books.Usually you throw aside the children's books in case there is something valuable underneath! Most people will know about the first edition Harry potter books that sold for high amounts of money, but how many of those are just lying at sales?The real goldmine is in more obscure titles.Here is a small sample of sold items on eBay in November;.* Lang (Andrew) The Blue Fairy Book Hardcover first Ed 1889 $1,420.20.* Nesbit (Edith) Miss Mischief, Boards 1880 $568.08.* Hardy Boys HIDDEN GOLD RED COVER 1930 Hardcover with dust Jacket $2184 !Now obviously, these 3 examples are the top sellers at this time period and you're probably thinking that you'll never come across these books.Actually there are so many children's books that you can pick up for 20c or less than $1 which will sell for between $25 -$300.1.If it is a hardcover book and has the paper dust-jacket, that is a good start.2.Now check the edition.Does it only have "printed in (any year)," does it have 2nd impression (or any impression) or this edition printed in (any year).3.A very general rule would be the earlier the impression, the better.There is however always exclusions to this rule, which is why you should spend an hour or two simply writing down the authors that consistently achieve good prices.I have made a small list here which only took 5 minutes to compile, so you can see how easy it is to do!* L.Frank Baum (author of The Wizard of Oz) -This author regularly gets prices Between $30-$200.* Enid Blyton (Author of Famous 5) -regular sales between $10-$50.* Dr Seuss (Author of Cat in the Hat etc.) - often up to $200 for first editions.The best way to research this on eBay is to do a search that shows completed auctions on children's books from the highest price.There are also many popular children's figures that often appeal not only to book collectors, but pop culture and other collectors.A great example of this is Mickey Mouse and many of the Disney Characters.Star Wars books are also an interesting market as even the newer books seem to have a wide collector base.When looking at older children's books, the ones with large clear well drawn illustrations and novelty books are a good bet.Things such as older pop-up books also appeal to a wide range of collectors.A growing number of people are also looking for pop culture icons such as Gerry Anderson.Some have sold annuals related to Gerry Anderson TV series for over $50! Another thing to think about is, even when you don't see anything promising, collections of the same author can go for substantially more than single books.People like to purchase a collection already put together rather than having to pay for shipping on each one.Some recent good sellers have been;.- The Hardy Boys Series.- Lemony Snickets Series.- Judy Blume Books.- Roald Dahl books.- The Nancy drew series.And finally, there has been an interesting amount of older Little Golden Books selling for considerably high prices.This is an interesting trend considering how cheap these were when released.Some of the earlier ones are constantly reaching over $100!This really is a fascinating niche market on eBay and it does pay to do a little research first.Again, this is something you can pick up at garage sales and goodwill stores for next to nothing.Thanks for reading and Good Luck!Rachel Annarve.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Niche eBay Products - The Hidden Goldmine of Children's Books
Everyone realises that selling on eBay requires good products.What everyone does not realise, is that many everyday articles are actually excellent sellers.In the second of this series of articles, I will go through a niche product category that most would never give a second thought, children's books.Almost everyone has gone to a garage sale or second-hand store and checked the books.Usually you throw aside the children's books in case there is something valuable underneath! Most people will know about the first edition Harry potter books that sold for high amounts of money, but how many of those are just lying at sales?The real goldmine is in more obscure titles.Here is a small sample of sold items on eBay in November;.* Lang (Andrew) The Blue Fairy Book Hardcover first Ed 1889 $1,420.20.* Nesbit (Edith) Miss Mischief, Boards 1880 $568.08.* Hardy Boys HIDDEN GOLD RED COVER 1930 Hardcover with dust Jacket $2184 !Now obviously, these 3 examples are the top sellers at this time period and you're probably thinking that you'll never come across these books.Actually there are so many children's books that you can pick up for 20c or less than $1 which will sell for between $25 -$300.1.If it is a hardcover book and has the paper dust-jacket, that is a good start.2.Now check the edition.Does it only have "printed in (any year)," does it have 2nd impression (or any impression) or this edition printed in (any year).3.A very general rule would be the earlier the impression, the better.There is however always exclusions to this rule, which is why you should spend an hour or two simply writing down the authors that consistently achieve good prices.I have made a small list here which only took 5 minutes to compile, so you can see how easy it is to do!* L.Frank Baum (author of The Wizard of Oz) -This author regularly gets prices Between $30-$200.* Enid Blyton (Author of Famous 5) -regular sales between $10-$50.* Dr Seuss (Author of Cat in the Hat etc.) - often up to $200 for first editions.The best way to research this on eBay is to do a search that shows completed auctions on children's books from the highest price.There are also many popular children's figures that often appeal not only to book collectors, but pop culture and other collectors.A great example of this is Mickey Mouse and many of the Disney Characters.Star Wars books are also an interesting market as even the newer books seem to have a wide collector base.When looking at older children's books, the ones with large clear well drawn illustrations and novelty books are a good bet.Things such as older pop-up books also appeal to a wide range of collectors.A growing number of people are also looking for pop culture icons such as Gerry Anderson.Some have sold annuals related to Gerry Anderson TV series for over $50! Another thing to think about is, even when you don't see anything promising, collections of the same author can go for substantially more than single books.People like to purchase a collection already put together rather than having to pay for shipping on each one.Some recent good sellers have been;.- The Hardy Boys Series.- Lemony Snickets Series.- Judy Blume Books.- Roald Dahl books.- The Nancy drew series.And finally, there has been an interesting amount of older Little Golden Books selling for considerably high prices.This is an interesting trend considering how cheap these were when released.Some of the earlier ones are constantly reaching over $100!This really is a fascinating niche market on eBay and it does pay to do a little research first.Again, this is something you can pick up at garage sales and goodwill stores for next to nothing.Thanks for reading and Good Luck!Rachel Annarve.
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