Niche Websites, and Selling Books on Amazon

July 20, 2008 | Filed Under Past Issues 

Personally delivered to you by the author of
"Selling on 'the River' - The eBay Seller's Guide to Amazon.com"

It's been a while since the last issue, so this one's a little long - but there's lots of good stuff. I've been very busy with my Build A Niche Store sites -and they're making money! I'm averaging $13.53 for every 100 clicks. I've also been selling on eBay and Amazon - but summer has been slow. Here are the topics for this month's newsletter:

In This Issue

1. What you asked for...I'm working on it now.
   
2. Instant Website Empire - (You're the first to see this! And it's cool.)
   
3. Selling Books on Amazon - a few tips
   

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1. What you asked for...I'm working on it now.

In the poll last month, you said you wanted to know more about Build A Niche Store. Well, I have been working my tail off with about ten sites. Some are beginning to do well, others still need work. But let me tell you this: I've been at this seriously for about six weeks and I have more than paid for Build a Niche Store.

Last month I spoke at eBay Live! in Chicago on the topic "Picking a Niche, and Pricing for Profit." It was standing room only. On the flight home, I decided my next ebook will be based on that information, but with a lot more details than I could cover in 90 minutes at eBay Live! I was really only allowed to focus on eBay there, but in my next ebook I'll focus on growing your niche business into areas such as Amazon, eCrater, and blogs.

I have learned a lot of ways to identify great niches. One niche store I set up is getting relatively few clicks, but it's my top earner at $186 per hundred clicks! Now if I can just get more clicks on that one!

There are three niche site platforms I am using, Build a Niche Store, phpBay Pro (and another one I'll tell you about in a minute). phpBay Pro is used along with a free WordPress blog to build your own customized niche store. It is awesome. You need to be a little more comfortable working with code to use it, but if you can do that you can build an amazing site, optimized for natural search. Plus it's created on the WordPress blogging platform so the search engines love it.

Just to whet your appetite, here are two of my Build A Niche Store sites - www.Schwinner.com and www.cnc-spot.com.

and here are two of my phpBay / WordPress sites - www.VWPartFinder.com and www.cricut-shop.com.

Now let me tell you about the newest thing...

2. Instant Website Empire

Lots of you have expressed a desire to start new revenue streams to support your income. Passive income is the favorite. Start up an affiliate site, and let it just churn out the cash. Well, it's not quite that easy - but it's also not all that hard. One thing I've learned is you can't just put up one affiliate site and expect all that much. You need several. That's why I have my first ten up and growing, and another ten in the wings. My goal is to get them up, have them indexed by Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search by Labor Day, and try to cash in on the holiday season.

At eBay Live! I spoke with my friend Mike Enos about this, and he told me he was just finishing up a super-secret new product that automatically builds a nice-looking websites, with templates for dozens of niche markets. He has taken a TON of knowledge and put it into this product. You are the first readers to see this outside of Mike's own mailing list, and it is pretty cool. It's different than Build a Niche Store, because it doesn't rely so heavily on eBay affiliate sales. There are multiple streams on these sites, and they really do basically run on autopilot once they're set up. It's called Instant Website Empire.

There are a bunch of niches already built in to this product, but I told Mike I wanted to be able to pick my own niche too. He said that was not a problem, it's customizable and you can build as many sites as you'd like.

You're going to hear about this product from others soon. But take a look at it now. This economy is driving people online to save gas and money. They will use your sites this Fall and Winter. Start Your Own Instant Website Empire!

3. Selling Books on Amazon

A lot of you dear readers have purchased my book, Selling on the River - the eBay Seller's Guide to Amazon.com and I am very grateful. I've received several emails describing the success some of you have had finding books in your local thrift stores and antique shops, and selling them on Amazon. Others have asked what works for me, and how I sell books there. Especially when the dreaded "Penny Booksellers" are lurking everywhere.

First, I use my cell phone to check prices before I buy. If you haven't received my "Scouting for Top-Sellers with Your Cell Phone" report, let me know. It works.

In any case, I personally use a few standards when I have only a brief time, and my wife is sitting in the car honking the horn. If I have to hurry, here's a few shortcuts to the better items:

I often buy books by the box at garage sales here. I find that the mass-produced books are the least likely to bring a profit. But often I find at least one or two that are a little less common. I just found two books yesterday (at $2 each) that are listed for over $25 on Amazon.

As for the penny booksellers – I have sold two books this week for over $5 with other sellers listing along side me at much less. I try to be funny or clever in the condition comments to catch the shopper’s eye and it seems to work. Price the books for what they’re really worth and they will still sell.

When choosing books to sell though, it’s generally best to look for non-fiction, and titles that deal with very specific subjects. For example, when I look through a bunch of cookbooks, I look for “vegetarian”, or “how to make sausage”, instead of general cookbooks. I never buy anything published by National Geographic, Readers Digest, or Time/Life because there are likely a ton of them out there already. (An exception to the Time/Life rule is if you find a full set.) In non-fiction I look for books written for specific niche markets, often the author is a PhD and is writing to other PhDs.

I always look for coffee-table books on very specific subjects, especially by individual artists. I found one recently for $3 and the Amazon price is $197 minimum. Friends of the Library sales are great sources for books. I've never come home with less than $300 worth of books. One of my last finds was a book all about bamboo for $.50. It sold in three days on Amazon for $45. Not bad.

When it comes to specifically selling books on Amazon, eBay, and other places on the web, Skip McGrath's newest book is a good one. And based on my experience, you can make the cost of the book back on your first sale. Take a look at it Learn how to sell used books online.

See you next time everyone! Thanks for being there!

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