s/o of buying/selling woes thread...I can't even sell used curriculum locally!

[Halftime Hope]

for three years I've been trying to sell at our local used book sales (several different ones), and so far I'm in the hole, paying ten dollars per event for a "table rental." I haven't even sold enough to clear the cost of selling, and all I have to show for it is that some of my good books are gone .

 

People just aren't buying...what in the world? It's not that I have cruddy stuff either; they are mainstream, well-liked materials, from a variety of providers, and priced extremely reasonably, like 20-25% of retail. ETA: 75 - 80% discounted. That's 1/4 of the new price.

 

What is with people?

 

I have eight boxes of books that are an irritant to dh. I need to recoup some of that money, so I can't just give them away!

 

???

 

ETA: TXSusan was at the last event, and she sold a bunch of MUS, some SOTW, and other items. I'm glad it wasn't both of us having a bad day.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Valerie(TX)

[Emmy]

I would guess you need to discount further than 20-25% off. That being said, I feel your pain. I used to sell on the board here but find it no longer worthwhile.

[Paisley Hedgehog]

.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

I think one factor is that Amazon discounts most titles a little bit, so a 20-25% discount for used doesn't seem quite so attractive.

I've had some good luck selling on email lists for IRL groups I'm part of.

 

I've also traded a lot of books through Paperback Swap. I'm patient and have gotten good books with my credits. They aren't all homeschooling books, but they are books that we didn't pay retail for.

 

Oddly enough, when I offered books to friends for free, they ended up offering me more than I would have gotten at a used curriculum sale.

 

And people are often looking for just one particular book. A couple years back, when TOG was newly popular, I found that really good history books weren't being bought because they weren't on that particular book list. So homeschooling fashion trends sometimes matter.

[TXMary2]

Your prices might be too high for used book sales. Have you tried selling on Amazon or Homschoolclassifieds? Or like someone else mentioned, a consignment book seller?

[Dobela]

For me I might not buy a title that is only 25% off. Especially if it looks used. I would rather pay the slightly more for a pristine new copy. In addition, if it is just the TM and I have to still find the rest of the set, I may be better off buying them together new. I would be much more interested if it is a hard to find book or an Out of Print book, or the like. I used to buy much more curriculum wise but I just don't have the cash. Gas prices have eaten up my reserves. Or the space to store them now that we have moved.

[hsmom]

I agree 20-25% off is not enough for someone to want used over new.

 

I know if I buy used it has to be 50-75% or more off retail for me to even think about it. I know I am cheap.

 

Now when selling I price low because for one I already got the full use out of the book. I have gotten my moneys worth in my child's education so why not pass it on cheap to another.

[Burger]

I've been buying used this year to save money, and I don't like to pay more than 50-60% of retail. To be honest when a seller is only discounting 25% I'm not interested.

 

Amazon discounts 25% for most regular paperbacks with their 4 for 3 promotion, and up to 45% for textbook/usborne/hardbacks, etc.

[DarlaS]

She said 25% OF retail. Not 25% off.

[Mom0012]

for three years I've been trying to sell at our local used book sales (several different ones), and so far I'm in the hole, paying ten dollars per event for a "table rental." I haven't even sold enough to clear the cost of selling, and all I have to show for it is that some of my good books are gone .

 

People just aren't buying...what in the world? It's not that I have cruddy stuff either; they are mainstream, well-liked materials, from a variety of providers, and priced extremely reasonably, like 20-25% of retail.

 

What is with people?

 

I have eight boxes of books that are an irritant to dh. I need to recoup some of that money, so I can't just give them away!

 

???

 

ETA: TXSusan was at the last event, and she sold a bunch of MUS, some SOTW, and other items. I'm glad it wasn't both of us having a bad day.

 

I'm not surprised at this either. Every time I've gone to a homeschool book sale, I've noticed all the people who were selling walk away with 90% of their stuff. I think that's why we're seeing fewer of these sales.

 

It's been a couple of years since I've been to one, so I can only speculate that people expect really low prices at these things and sellers are trying to sell for 50% of retail like they would do online. Also, I think buyers may be going in looking for specific things and with so much curriculum out there, it's not likely they are going to find what they are looking for.

 

I actually drove an hour to attend one of these books sales a couple of weeks ago and when I got there, I found it had been cancelled due to lack of interested sellers.

 

I've noticed the same thing with yard sales. Our town holds a yard sale one day a year and I always feel sorry for the sellers. In that case, there are so many of them, there aren't enough buyers.

 

Lisa

[JFSinIL]

I would guess you need to discount further than 20-25% off. That being said, I feel your pain. I used to sell on the board here but find it no longer worthwhile.

 

I have been to used book sales and the folks at only 20- 25% off retail did not sell their stuff - other folks (like moi) would be unloading it at 50% off. And then we would not be packing it up to bring back home. Same goes for on-line selling.

 

You just have to lower your prices. No one cares how good condition it is in or how much it originally cost you - another parent who is buying used expects to not pay much.

 

Now - if you are selling at 20% OF retail - or 80% off - and it is not selling - then donate the stuff to a charity and take a tax deduction. Or keep some of the better stuff for grandkids to use someday (not science stuff - that gets dated fast!)

Edited June 16, 2011 by JFSinIL

[Dobela]

She said 25% OF retail. Not 25% off.

I admit I read it wrong as well. But even at prices that low I just often don't buy individual books that were originally part of sets, or just the reader when I still need to buy the workbook, and so forth. For me it is a time factor as well. After searching for all the pieces I have used valuable time. Then, if I have to pay shipping for some, then I likely am not saving much in the long run as buying new when the publisher/distributer is offering a sale plus free shipping. Not to mention it is easier just to buy everything I need at one time.

 

I am also not buying much in supplemetal materials any more. I check the library and internet first.

 

OP, you can still donate the books to some place like Goodwill. They will give you a receipt and you can determine value as a tax write off. Last year I donated many books to our library for their book sale and did the same thing.

[Impish]

She said 25% OF retail. Not 25% off.

Thats how I read it too.

 

I need to organize some things. We have a hsing store here that takes consignment, and I find that works wonderfully. I always go through her 2nd hand stuff first, then look at the new.

 

I admit, I don't sell much though. With Diva and Tazzie being 7 yrs apart, most of her stuff I'm keeping for Tazzie and/or Princess.

 

Once Tummy is going through, then I'll be looking to sell...assuming anyone wants it by then...Of course, with Tummy and Diva being 13 yrs apart, *she* may be looking to hs by the time Tummy's done with something :lol:

[Dobela]

I wonder if some people don't just use those sales to go browse what is out there.

Has anyone seen a decline in numbers of people giong to the sales? Just curious. I used to attend the attached to the homeschool convention but then they moved it to Friday night. I don't go until Saturday when dh can watch the kids. Last week there was one locally but it was during the day when I was already scheduled to be at therapies with my dd. I heard the turnout was very low.

[texasmama]

The last sale I went to (TAFA - I am wondering if you were there, OP), was poorly attended and people seemed to not be buying a lot. I bought several things, but I had a very specific list and mostly followed it. If I thought the prices were too high, I passed. One lady who seemed to be doing a pretty brisk business selling her things had a laptop and was looking up new pricing. She then asked 50% of the new pricing for things. Her items were in very good condition, and she had some popular things.

 

 

I don't resell much because I have a 5 yo who will be going through it, but I do take some things to the used homeschool bookstore and sell on consignment. It is a better return than half price books. When I get ready to sell my SL Cores, I will put them on ebay, I think. The return is pretty high, but I need a large return to mess with ebay.

[cathmom]

Has anyone seen a decline in numbers of people giong to the sales? Just curious. I used to attend the attached to the homeschool convention but then they moved it to Friday night. I don't go until Saturday when dh can watch the kids. Last week there was one locally but it was during the day when I was already scheduled to be at therapies with my dd. I heard the turnout was very low.

 

I did one last year. I did sell enough to cover the cost of my table, but not much more. However, I found some things that I was very happy to buy - Muzzy German for $10, a Montessori book that is OOP for a couple of bucks, WEM for a couple dollars, Liping Ma's book for a couple of dollars, etc. Turnout was extremely low. However, I wouldn't have gone if I weren't selling!

[DarlaS]

I admit I read it wrong as well. But even at prices that low I just often don't buy individual books that were originally part of sets, or just the reader when I still need to buy the workbook, and so forth. For me it is a time factor as well. After searching for all the pieces I have used valuable time.

 

This is a sticking point for me too. Especially if someone has older editions and the missing pieces may be very hard to find.

 

This is also when I sell, I am very hesitant to split sets. It means *I* will get stuck with the pieces that are easier to find.

[LisaKinVA]

Our homeschool convention has a HUGE used curriculum sale I shopped at. It's the only one I sell at anymore. Why? Because there are NO Table fees. I don't have enough to sell to justify table fees... and all of the broken up tables with individual stuff are difficult to shop.

 

While it is definitely NOT a perfect sale (I have some ideas on how to make it a BIT easier to shop), it works very well.

 

As a shopper at this sale (for the first time), I took my shopping list with me and did some price comparisons (compared to NEW pricing...at Amazon, with free shipping). The number of things I put back that were priced at or higher than "new" at Amazon was amazing. My rule of thumb was 25% lower for things that were in "like new" condition. 50% lower for things that were in Good (a little dog-eared, but not written in) condition, and 75% off for things that were obviously used... even more if they were written in workbooks (sorry, I do NOT get selling written-in work books).

 

As an FYI, I ran the largest used craft supply sale in our area... and it *always* outperformed the table-run ones for a few reasons (a) everything was organized, so the stamp lovers could easilly find ALL the stamps quickly and easilly; (b) one check-out, with the ability to use MC/Visa, checks or cash.

 

I'm sorry this has been difficult for you -- I understand the pain invovled in selling used items. If you live anywhere near me, I'd be more than happy to help put together a BIG used curriculum sale in your area in the future :D

[elegantlion]

I wonder if this is an effect of the economy. I know I'm more select about what I need. I won't buy something simply because of price and "I might use this." Five years ago, I would. As we get near high school, my list and my money are shorter.

 

My dad has run booths at HAM radio shows for years, like since I was a kid and I'm 44. In the last year or so he has not even bothered. The number of people attending and the sales have made it NOT worthy of his time.

 

It could also be because of updated technology. Five years ago no on had a smart phone to look up prices while shopping. No everyone was organized to make a list, so prices couldn't be scrutinized as closely.

Edited June 16, 2011 by elegantlion

[GraciebytheBay]

I've never been to one. They are always run by LEAH around here and they don't always open them up to people who are not members. I recently saw an ad for one though (that did open it up). I was tempted to get a table, but after reading this I don't think I will.

 

The LEAH sale in Rochester a couple weeks ago was VERY well attended (always is!). I do see a lot of boxed curriculum left over, though - ABeka reading books and things like that. Btw, are you in WNY?

[Halftime Hope]

I would guess you need to discount further than 20-25% off. That being said, I feel your pain. I used to sell on the board here but find it no longer worthwhile.

 

No, 20-25% of retail = 75-80% off.

[joannqn]

A local homeschool group just had a used book sale, and they indicated that attendance and sales were down. I went, primarily, because I wanted to see the group and determine if I wanted to join. I don't really have much I want to buy.

 

I ended up joining the group and bought a few cheap items.

[Tammyla]

I've seen the trend here, that more and more people are not selling or not purchasing due to a bad experience or just the savings don't add up either way.

 

Is Book Samaritan still taking curriculum?

[Ann@thebeach]

We had 2 local hs sales with 2 different hs groups. There are no table fees but one takes care of all the sales and they get 10% of the total.

 

One was terribly attended but I still made over $100-however, one item was $65 and one was $20 so I didn't sell much overall. But I did have a big tote of yarn for $1 a skein and that was a BIG seller-go figure.

 

The other sale was much better attended and is traditionally the "big" one around here. But you have to enter each item on the computer so it's not worth selling a bunch of $1 items. These items go to paperbackswap or library donations for me. I took 2 large totes of items and only brought home half a tote full so that's good. I didn't make as much money because more items were around $2-$5 but at least it's better than nothing.

 

I think people are buying more "package deals" and being more specific in their purchases instead of "trying out" a bunch of different things-like I used to do.

Edited June 16, 2011 by Ann in IA

[Emmy]

No, 20-25% of retail = 75-80% off.

 

So sorry! I misread!

[Susan in TX]

I've seen the trend here, that more and more people are not selling or not purchasing due to a bad experience or just the savings don't add up either way.

 

Is Book Samaritan still taking curriculum?

 

Yes, they are. I've been sending most of my used curriculum that I don't need anymore to them.

 

Susan in TX

[DarlaS]

Yes, they are. I've been sending most of my used curriculum that I don't need anymore to them.

 

Susan in TX

 

Me too! You are all inspiring me to pack up another box. :001_smile:

[TXSusan]

Hi Valerie!

 

I just wanted to let everyone know what a pleasure it was to meet Valerie at the TAFA booksale in Ft. Worth. There weren't a lot of shoppers, and most seemed to have a good idea of specific things that they wanted.

 

They were not looking for BJU or Abeka, but were looking for Math-U-See, Teaching Textbooks and SOTW. I was surprised to sell my Writing Tales teacher's guides. I thought that no one would have heard of them. But they sold quickly, the buyer showed me her shopping list, and Writng Tales was printed on it.

 

I still took home lots of stuff (and have to figure out what to do with boxes of curriculum), but I was fortunate to sell quite a bit. I had been saving things for a while, and decided to try to unload some books as my youngest begins high school this year.

 

Valerie had her books marked at value prices, and they still didn't sell. I don't know what she could have done differently. I enjoyed chatting with her, it made the time go quickly.

 

Susan (TXSusan - rarely posting, often lurking!)

[texasmama]

They were not looking for BJU or Abeka, but were looking for Math-U-See, Teaching Textbooks and SOTW. I was surprised to sell my Writing Tales teacher's guides. I thought that no one would have heard of them. But they sold quickly, the buyer showed me her shopping list, and Writng Tales was printed on it.

 

That was me.:D Those guides and Cuisenaire rods were my best scores of that sale.

[Sebastian (a lady)]

Mea culpa. I did misread the OP.

[Halftime Hope]

I enjoyed chatting with her, it made the time go quickly.

 

Yep, that part of the morning--meeting Susan--was wonderful! I should quit complaining!

[KrissiK]

I've found it to be a problem, too. I'm trying to sell some old A Beka stuff in good condition for pennies on the dollar ($10 for a complete set of 1st grade readers) and no one wants it. I've even tried giving some of it away, just to get rid of it. No takers. Geez!:glare:

[laundrycrisis]

FWIW - for the most part I only buy used materials from Ebay, Half.com or Amazon. Why ? Because those are the only places I find it really easy to search for exactly what I want, have the system find it for me, know that there is no question it is still available, give me all the details on what I am buying (without me having to contact a seller with questions), and a setup for easy no-hassle payment. And my favorite way to buy things is Ebay with a BIN price (I don't even look at auctions without a BIN price) sold in lots with a very good discount over new, or at least multiple single items from a seller who will combine shipping. I do not like per-item shipping charges.

 

Once in a blue moon I will see something listed here and decide it's a good price and something I'm interested in trying and buy it. But usually I am looking for something very specific and I don't want to have to dig to find it. I always check the new price at Amazon or Rainbow first so I know what I would be paying for new. If I am buying used I want it to be 50% or less of the new cost, including shipping, which I always get free from Amazon because I never spend less than $25 there.

 

If you are having a hard time selling, it might be worth trying to put some things together that make a nice lot, and list it with a BIN price with free shipping that ends up 50% or less of what it would all cost to purchase new.

[TXSusan]

Carol,

 

I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that I sold Writing Tales guides to someone from WTM. That was where I heard about them myself! I hope that they work well for your son.

 

Susan

[TXSusan]

Valerie,

 

If we had sold too much we wouldn't have had time to talk!

 

Take care,

Susan

[Rhonda in TX]

I would try Half-Price Books. They have a homeschool section, so they might be a good option. You wouldn't get a lot, but you would get something, and you would be rid of it.

 

Do you ever come down to Houston? If so, you can take your things to The Homeschool Store and they will give you cash for your used curriculum. They don't always take everything, but they do take quite a bit. It depends on how many of that particular item they currently have.

[BabyBre]

Try www.homeschoolclassifieds.com until your local market comes back. It's free to list.

[texasmama]

Carol,

 

I guess that I shouldn't be surprised that I sold Writing Tales guides to someone from WTM. That was where I heard about them myself! I hope that they work well for your son.

 

Susan

 

Thanks! I was so happy to find them.:001_smile: