I was thinking of listing some items at amazon.com and I was wodering what they get when you sell something. Do they get a % of the price or is it a set price. I can;t seem to find the answer on their website.

Also, when you sell something does Amazon give you the 2.49 they charge for shipping? I would assume they do.

Is it easier and more profitable to sell at half.com or ebay?

Thanks!!

I want to say amazon's cut is at least 10% if not more.

Whoops, here it is:

I believe that for media items (DVDs, CDs, VHS) you get $1.84 for shipping, so it's pretty much a break-even on the shipping.

The plus factor (as compared to eBay) is that there is no charge to list your items, and they stay listed for 60 days (I think that's the time span).

I've sold a lot of stuff on Amazon. I prefer it to Ebay.

I use E-bay's half.com. On DVDs, they take about 15% and give you a small shipping allowance. The upside is there are no listing fees and half.com takes most of the risk. You get paid by half.com so you don't have to worry about collecting it yourself from the buyer. They are set up to process credit cards, etc which is worth it to me as a occasional seller. Also, if something isn't selling, you can lower the price without re-listing it.

Hey Quatermass: How long does the listing stay on half.com?

"They are set up to process credit cards, etc which is worth it to me as a occasional seller. Also, if something isn't selling, you can lower the price without re-listing it."

These apply to Amazon as well.

I recently sold my first item on Amazon and the address given was an APO. You can't get delivery confirmation for APO's so am I at the buyers mercy? This was a $50 sale. I guess what I'm asking is has anybody had issues with buyers saying they didn't receive the item and there's no way to track/confirm?

I don't think there's a limit, but if something is unsold for a couple of months or so, they send you an e-mail telling you to update your inventory. You can go there and just edit it and leave the price the same if you want. I usually adjust the price if something is unsold for a long time.

One other thing, they really prefer to be able to direct deposit the money from your sales, so you have to give them an account number. If you would rather have them send you a check, it takes longer and they deduct an extra $1 or something like that. I was nervous about giving anyone access to any bank account info, but I eventually did and I haven't had a problem in 3+ years.

The best thing to do when sending packages to APO/FPO addresses is to have it insured by the post office. It will cost you an extra $1.30 (for up to $50 insurance), but at least you will have the peace of mind that if the buyer ever reports not receiving the package, you will have the option of filing for an insurance claim.

Actually, they charge you $.99 to list your item, but that's only after your item sells. If your item doesn't sell, then you don't get charged.

You can also upgrade and become a "Pro Merchant Seller," in which case you don't get charged the $.99 fee. However, it costs $39.99 a month, so it's only worth it if you're the type of seller who sells over 40 items a month. (It's only $19.99 a month for the first two months, so you could try it for two months and then cancel if you find it's not worth it).

Didn't think of that, thanks for the tip.

Thanks for the info guys. I went with Half.com - how long does it take to usually sell something? I've priced a good portion of my items below others cost but I only have 5 positive feedbacks from people that I've purchased from. How did others get started with trying to get feedback? Did it take a while to sell things starting out due to people being afraid to order from you do to your low feedback?

I was at a used bookstore the other day and they threw out a 1st edition of JRR Tolkiens The Silmarillion. I couldn't believe it but I brought it home. I see that amazon.com has a few listed from 99.00 with no dust cover to 380.00 for ones in very good shape. Do you think it would be better to list this book on amazon.com due to the fact that they sell alot of books? I've currently got it listed at half.com with a fair price compared to the amazon prices.

Feedback is a real pain in the ass. I sold something on half.com about a month ago. I shipped it the same day the guy ordered it. He got it four days later. It was brand new, factory sealed item that cost $170 at Amazon which I sold to him for $99. The bastard won't leave me any feedback. Some people won't leave any for you until you leave some for them and they base their feedback not on the quality of the transaction, but on what you said about them. I left positive feedback for him as soon as I got the delivery confirmation.
All the feedback I have gotten has been positive, but it seems buyers are less concerned about leaving feedback after they get what they want on Half.com.
As for the book, I'd try it on Half.com first since it's there is no listing fee.