I have bought and sold on the third party side. I only sell stuff from my personal collection. I don't have a storefront. It's mostly just my girlfriend's used textbooks, and then I sold videogames and books I didn't want anymore. I think the commission and forced shipping charges are crap, but since the process is so simple I just accept it.

However I did laugh at one complaint that a buyer had of me. It was something like "shipped fast, but the game was played." Yeah lady, you bought a used game. Why would you think it would be unplayed since I always say in my description "From my personal collection." She must have assumed that everything being sold on Amazon is new or something.

I too have found some great deals recently on a few criterions (Do the Right Thing and Traffic) each for about 6 bucks shipped and the Stanley Kubrick collection that so many others jumped on months ago. This leads me to the question... Is there a single thread where people post the deals they've found (similar to the Big lots finds thread?)

That's as bad as the people who post a product review on Amazon that reads: One-star, not because I didn't enjoy the movie, but because it was slow to arrive."

It seems the idiot eBay buyers went to Amazon as well...

I have purchased almost 300 hd-dvd and blu-ray movies from Amazon.com Market Place. 72 New/sealed, 137 Used Blu-ray & about 88 hd-dvds. As for the blu-ray purchased I have had 4 sellers send me the standard dvd version. 3 of the 4 refunded my money plus my shipping cost as soon as they got the dvd back. The other seller said that is what I ordered even though it shows I ordered the blu-ray version. Then he blamed the listing on Amazon.com. I had to file a claim with Amazon.com. Another seller Newbury Comics sent me the hd-dvd version of Nip/Tuck Season 3. They emailed me a return shipping label and send the right one. I have been only disappointed with one seller who send me a blu-ray movie that had the plastic on the case all ripped, no cover art. He claims that was how he described it. Told me to check his other sales. He was right but on my order it said Like New and that was it. I filed a claim with Amazon.com when he told me how stupid I was and that Amazon.com would agree with him. Well he lost. I also purchased a used Spiderman Trilogy on Blu-ray for $25. When I received it there was 2 copies of Spiderman 2 in it. I contacted them they told me they get back to me. The next day they told me they could not find Spiderman in their stock. So told me to keep it and gave me a full refund. I found Spiderman 3 on Blu-ray for under $5. I have had 15 refunds also where the seller said the prices were to low because a glitch with Amazon.com.

My biggest problem is the length of time it takes for movie to arrive here in HI. Since the $2.98 is for media mail it can take as long as over 3 weeks to arrive. I usually pass on sellers from the East Coast unless they offer 1st class shipping in their comments. In fact I always look for sellers who say they ship first class mail now.

The problem with Amazon Marketplace is the ripoff flat-rate shipping. Fix that and I'd be on board.

I cannot figure out how these sellers make ANY money when they sell something for a penny. Moreover, what commission can Amazon take from an item that sold for a penny? How exactly does this work to anyone's benefit besides the buyer? If someone can enlighten me, I would appreciate it.

First, after the commission and shipping credit, if they use media mail or first class they still make a small profit.

Second, they are trying to build feedback.

Trevor, I've considered that, both with regards to leftover postage and the potential for increased feedback (something that often tends to be futile on that site), but what commission does Amazon get from a penny?

Amazon has variable and fixed commission. Commission on a DVD is 15% of the sales price. There is then a $0.99 per-transaction fee and a closing fee ($0.80 for a DVD).

i have a difficult time with this too, but i think it goes further than trying to build feedback. heck, it seems most sellers selling items for a cent already have 3,000+ transactions, so even a bunch of positive feedback is negligible.

rather, im thinking the seller just has tons of stock (i notice a lot of ex-rentals or no cover art or the like at $.01) that need just need to be gone. even if the seller makes nothing from a penny transaction, there is the cash flow.

So what is 15% of a penny? Does the seller go into debt with Amazon when they sell something for a penny? I still don't get why a seller would do it.

Hindolio makes good points. But I don't see any advantage if the seller winds up paying AMAZON more than what they will make by selling something so cheaply.

And you call yourself a professor!

If you sell a DVD for a penny, you still get $2.98 for shipping. From that total of $2.99, 80 cents would be deducted for Amazon's DVD closing fee, leaving you with $2.19 income (the 99 cent transaction fee is waived for "Pro Merchant" sellers).

So, if you're a Pro Merchant seller and can pack and ship for less than $2.19, you will make a tiny profit.

As to why this would remotely be worth the effort involved... I have no idea. Personally, if I can't sell for $5 or more, I just give the DVD to friends or family.

Unless somebody is desperate to build feedback, I would think it would always be better to give the DVD away rather than selling it for .01. If you don't have any friends or relatives who would enjoy it, donate it to a charity, a shelter, or send it to the troops overseas.

Well, being a professor does not automatically guarantee one's math skills.

But I have never sold anything for a penny on Amazon, so I had no idea that they took their percentage from the shipping rates. I thought the shipping rate was fixed no matter what you sold something for, ergo my lack of knowledge, or, if you will, just plain old ignorance. LOL. I'm also not a Pro Merchant, so am unaware of policies and perks regarding same.

As someone once said in a movie or TV show long forgotten: "That's why I asked you! That's how you learn, by asking questions you dumb ass!" (Does anyone remember what that's from?).

Anyway, thanks for the clarification, Al. I'm with you on this, anything that's under five bucks is headed for friends or a thrift store.

or they could be dvd collectors and want to keep them sealed to preserve value? i have angel, buffy and alias complete sets still sealed for that reason, once you open the complete set value drops, like opening an action figure.. same goes with steelbooks.

And if you truly want to sell something for a penny, don't deceptively build your profit into the shipping. I would rather pay $5 for an item and pay at-cost shipping than pay $.01 for the item and $8.99 for shipping.

Maybe you're switching gears and talking ebay, but Amazon's shipping is set and not changeable.

And I have no problem with being charged $8.99 for shipping on ebay, as long as it is clearly spelled out before I bid. The $8.99 probably doesn't cover all the ebay fees, paypal fees, packaging cost, and mailing costs for even a single DVD.

I think thats how some of the sellers are selling things for $0.01...lol...crooks

i surprise myself at times

but going back to the cash flow thingy, allow me to clarify. i dont think any of the sellers on amazon selling dvds for a penny are collectors, hobbyists, movie afficionados, or the like. my guess they are dvd rental stores, dvd retail stores, liquidators, and so on. im guessing they have hundreds of dvds, in some cases thousands, that they need to get rid of quickly.

if they make a $.25 clear profit on each transaction, 1,000 transactions equates to $250. that is chump change yesh? and if they make exactly zero on each of 1,000 transactions, what it the point right? i dont think of it that way, as cash flow may be very important for a business. if your books show 1,000 transactions at $3 per transaction ($.01 plus $2.99 shipping), that is $3,000 in gross revenue. sure, from my example above, maybe $250 or even zero net profit, but that $3,000 in cash flow could help grow a business in many ways (getting a loan, accruing interest in a bank account, using that money to purchase more goods, etc).

just saying

It costs me about $1.90 to ship a 4 oz dvd and that's not counting the cost of printer ink, mailer and mailing tape. Maybe a 5 cent profit if they got the dvd for free??

And usually the $0.01 dvds have several people trying to sell for $0.01. Check out Miami Vice for example:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used

Yes, I know. Amazon.com Marketplace international shipping rates are wildly expensive. $12.29 per DVD or VHS. $6.89 per CD. $12.49 per book. That might be reasonable if you're ordering from Timbuktu, but not from Canada.
Plus, if I order several items from the same seller, I expect shipping to be markedly discounted. You don't just add up all the 12.29s. What, I'm supposed to pay $50 to ship four DVDs? Ridiculous! I refuse, refuse, refuse to buy from Amazon marketplace anymore. Get real, Amazon. And while you're trying to get real, work on opening up an easily accessible customer service email. You call yourself an internet business yet you make it a near-impossibility for people to write in with question. Thanks, but that kind of contempt is beyond the pale.

I agree that shipping should be combined when buying multiple items from one seller.

That has been my biggest pet peeve with ordering from Marketplace.

I think what he's talking about is not the used option, but the "More Buying Options" that's listed on the right hand side. Sometimes other stores will offer the same product for far less than what Amazon is selling it for, but it'll come with a high shipping price, and would actually cost less to go with Amazon.