Amazon will start requiring that books, music, and video items listed under the “Collectible” category be priced at a minimum of $10 and be unique in some way.
Starting the week of July 10, collectible listings must be “unique” in some way that “increases value for a collector,” such as a signature, inscription, or some other scarce quality, according to an anonymous announcement posted by Amazon this afternoon. Feedback about the change can be sent to: collectible-books-feedback@amazon.com
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3 Comments
As a relatively new internet bookseller, I am glad that Google is trying to “keep us honest,” while at the same time it frustrates me that they have to.
Mark
Family Tales
I think this is a good idea, because I see a lot of books listed as collectible when they obviously are not. That being said, I’ve found that collectible books which are signed are incredibly slow sellers. For the most part, they seem ignored and I think part of this may happen when there are 10 or 20 other books listed as “Collectible”, when they shouldn’t be. So, the really collectible book with the author’s signature gets knocked down to the bottom of the list (especially if it’s priced correctly) and no one may ever see it.
I wonder, does Amazon have any figures on the percentage of collectible sales? I’ve been considering selling mine on another platform to reach a wider market, because in my short time as an Amazon bookseller, I’ve yet to sell a single one. I have a good eye for signed books and have quite a few of them, but at times I wonder if they really are that valuable because the demand seems to be almost non-existant.
Well, demand for a signed book depends on the author and the book, of course. But I think another problem is that people don’t think “collectible” when they’re shopping at Amazon.
So I agree this is a good thing. It may be the first step in establishing a real collector’s market on Amazon, something that has been rumored for a while.
I recently looked to see what kind of collectible copies of “Catcher in the Rye” were available on Amazon. There were dozens of listings under “collectible” but none were signed. No real collectibles, and not a single First Edition at any price.