Selling Books in Bundles is probably the way to go. As it saves buyers doing the collecting. However postage is the killer with books.

I used to love secondhand book shops but the few which have survived today feel more aimed at tourists than locals, especially the pricing.  These days I just try my luck at op shops, had some great finds there.

My dad owned a 2nd Hand Book Shop in a small town in New Zealand. It got rough for the 2nd hand book shops when Trademe, Ebay and Abe Books came along. Dad would occassionally sell on Abe Books and Trade me. But it ended up being alot of work for him, especially sittng in a shop 8 hours a day in a quiet small town in rural NZ.

FWIW: I use tracked & untracked, depending on the cost of the item....just have to factor in the occasional loss. If there are heaps of the same item on eBay>>>BIN. If you have the only one>>>>auction....and.....if you want buyers to be able to 'bulk up', also go to Auction (so much easier to discount postage costs)

Like most things, selling books is a specialist business. I sell books on three ebay accounts including one for a local charity book shop. All up I run around 2000 listings most of the time and make around $40 per hour for the time I spend on ebay.

There are plenty of books that might sell for $10 plus postage on ebay but by the time you buy them, photograph them, store them, answer questions, pick and pack them and pay ebay commissions, you only make a few dollars per hour for the time you spend on the site. That's OK if you are just doing it for a bit of fun and a few extra dollars, but it is not a viable business model.

The most important factor you need to quantify is dollars profit per hour. To do this you first need to correctly quantify how many hours per week you spend on ebay  including browsing in op shops or where ever you get your books, listing, packing and posting time . Next you need to accurately figure out what your real profit per week is. You need to include ebay fees, stock costs including dead stock ( stuff that never sells ) , online shoplifting etc. After that its a fairly straightforward calculation.

Only around 1 in 500 used books is of reasonable value ( over $30 - $40 ) and probably only 1 in 5000  - 10,000 that is really worth something ( $300 plus ) The secret is to be able to find and identify the valuable ones and sell those. If you are the only one who recognises them, chances are you will only pay a few dollars for them. Around six months ago I purchased a bulk collection of rare books for between 50 cents and $2 each. Around half of these sold for between $50 and $200 and most sold immediately at auction, making for a very profitable couple of weeks.

There are several key points that can help identify rare books, but a lot of it is the X factor that cant easily be quantified. Things to look out for are first editions of classics, particularly early series books by a now famous author. Later, more popular titles by the same author can be worthless because there where heaps printed. Also look for first print runs of rare first editions, these can cause prices to skyrocket. You will need to educate yourself to identify these.

Next thing to look for is rare printings of sought after collectible books. Usually corrected soon after printing, but some escape into circulation. Again research research research.

Next thing that is a definate is subject matter. Books are collectible like anything else. Collectors usually stick to an author or type ( ie Science fiction ) or a particular subject in non fiction ie vintage sewing books.

Generally there are a lot more valuable books over 80 years old, but some recent titles can also make the list if hard core collectors are looking for them. Think rare computer game cheat books, limited edition art books etc.

Next there are a lot more valuable hard cover books than paper backs. First edition Sci fi and fiction by famous authors was often issued in HC then printed in PB for the masses.

Limited editions are an indicator. Numbered books under 1000 total print run and usually signed by the author are worth a look.

Signed by the author generally adds value to rarer books, but if a personalised / named inscription is included - not so good.

Books on famous people, signed by the subject increases value. I have a nice limited edition ( 750 copies ) book of Fredrick McCubbins art work, signed in pen and ink by the artist in my private collection. It includes a letter from the Author of the book on National Art Gallery script paper.  I paid quite a bit of money for this one.

The rarest book in my private collection is by an early colonial, female artist. It depicts 20 hand painted, gilt embossed plates of our native flora. There where less than one hundred printed and only around a dozen are known to still exist. I was reading a 1920's Government publication which detailed the book, including that the national gallery was known to have a copy in its collection.  This triggered a five year search and " wanted " listing with antiquarian book dealers to locate and purchase a copy.  Its proven to be a good investment and will make a beautiful keepsake for my daughter.

Back to ebay, Store your books in bookshelves in groups themed alike. This makes picking and packing easier and adds to dollars per hour.

Buy postage materials in bulk. 50 - 100 padded bags etc at a time. This cuts costs and increases profit. Get a my business account with AP. Again cuts costs. I send cheap smaller books under $40 in value as large letters. Add a small amount to postage cost to cover personal insurance in case one " goes missing ". Item not received and No tracking .......... just refund, dont argue. Time is money and you can waste a lot of time chasing claims you will probably lose anyway. The only time I fight a case is when something is definately suss. You are running a business not a crusade and the buyers have already paid for the claim through your slightly higher postage cost.

The real key is to find THINGS BUYERS ACTUALLY WANT and are willing to pay good money for. Stuff that few others are selling. That usually means specialised or rare items that can be purchased cheaply ( because no-one else knows what it is ) and sold for good prices.

Your third issue could well be Managed Payments. Have you signed up and been verified?

Research - Trial & Error - Hard work - A bit of luck - More work.

To me your prices seem high, I  know postage costs, Try bundling some of your listings, other sales options.

Be careful with auction houses, prices often driven up well over market and retail value.

Please dont think you are going to become a millionaire overnight.  That is not going to happen.

No seller is going to tell you what sells and what doesn't.  My suggestion is to get rid of the store and just list a few unwanted items from around the house.  As they say some "one man's trash is another man's treasure."  It is not all just fun and games.

Your book prices seem a bit off to me.  I wouldn't just go buy hundreds not knowing what you are getting.   You need to do your research as said.  Davewil has sold them for a long time and knows what he is doing.  Listen to what he has said.

I sell books.

I don't recognise most of yours, but those I do seem to be priced a tad high.

Books take time. I recently sold a couple of books I have had listed for over a decade. I rarely sell any in the first month they are listed. Normally it will take 6-12 months to make a sale.

If you are going to sell books, as said you need to research. Pricing wise, if they are not on eBay check other sites. Accurately describe, don't call it a first edition if it a publisher's first edition. Make note of any flaws - better to claim a lower condition than a higher.

Selling on ebay is quite simple and most things are taken care of automatically when it comes to the sales side. Unfortunately as you are starting to find out the hard part is finding items to sell that do have a good sell through rate and you can buy them at a price that leaves enough to make some profit.

Best advice I can give is to study the sold lists for items you want to sell and if no one else is selling them it may be due to no one is looking for them. 

There is just one word for it,  yes you may be ambitious,   but you must do Research, research and more research.

Just looking at some of your prices on a couple of books I could be interested in,  they are high.

Also I strongly disagree with the sweeping statement by countess re products from china,  heaps and heaps of products in Australia, even from bricks and mortar, and quality stores,  are from china,  my store is full of china stuff,  but I have selectively chosen the products for quality and what the buyer wants.   Again research, research and more research.

Just opening a store on Ebay and thinking you can buy (any) product is no guarantee of success,  there is a magical word, research.

OP, you will have to be patient with books. Doing some research on sold items is a good start. It’s not necessarily bad that you want to sell books that no one else is selling - but the proof will be in the pudding. It costs nothing simply to list, so you might as well give it a try.

Ditch the store, though. You can sell without the ongoing subscription fee of a store. Unless you can see it’s worth it, that store is a deadweight around your ankle.

Re the rest of your post, I cannot see other sellers giving you information sourcing goods. That’s just not reasonable.

Re shipping, do you mean shipping TO you from your current suppliers? Or do you mean postage to buyers?

Re getting products from China, I’ll be frank. I don’t want rubbish stuff from China. If I did, I’d buy it directly from China. I don’t want electrical items that aren’t made to Australian safety standards and that don’t have warranty. And so on… There are plenty of other buyers who have a similar stance, but to ce fair, there are plenty of Australian buyers who don’t mind and who will simply go for the cheapest price.