Anyone who sells on line knows that the widely touted listing figures leave one important thing out: reality. For sellers only sales count. Even Abe's unaudited claims of 7,000,000 transactions a year lose some of their glow when you remember that they also claim to be increasing the number of listings annually at a much faster pace. Based on their current claim of 90 million listings they are currently selling only about 8% of the listed material annually. If such results are typical a seller who posts 4,000 books, assuming constant demand and prices over five years, will sell only 1,364 books or one third of the original stock
1st Year
4,000
3,680
2nd Tear
3,680
3,386
3rd Year
3,386
3,115
4th Year
3,115
2,866
5th Year
2,866
2,636
Reality is of course not so predictable. Usually under-priced materials sell quickly and over-priced items molder. Assuming that some dealers write better descriptions and price more aggressively their selling percentage might double to perhaps 15%. This still leaves you with almost half the inventory unsold after five years.
1st Year
4,000
3,400
2nd Tear
3,680
2890
3rd Year
2,890
2,457
4th Year
2,457
2,088
5th Year
2,088
1,775
I'm not certain how much lower prices would have to be to double the annual sales rate but at a guess it might be 20% and of course better descriptions take more research and time to prepare.
One very effective way to increase sales would be to take a page from eBay's play book and offer sellers the option of listing both an asking price and a Make Me an Offer option. Some booksellers may not like this idea but it serves the best interests of the majority of booksellers and is good for the listing sites as it encourages offers and moves material. Selling sites may judge themselves on financial performance but their customers will evaluate them primarily on cost, convenience and sales and put the emphasis on sales. Because there are many bookselling sites those that permit sellers to select an asking price and a Make Me an Offer option will gain a distinct advantage over listing sites that don't. As a buyer I'll prefer to see material identified that is in play. To the extent that identical material is available on different sites this would encourage me to favor one site over another. I negotiate almost all purchases. Knowing who is negotiable on an item will increase transactions. There is no doubt about this.
This then gives listing site sellers two options to consider before shifting material to eBay or a traditional auction house: to reduce the price or to encourage offers. Let's consider an example. Perhaps there are 7 copies of a book. Originally this seller's copy was the second highest and now they reduce the asking price and become the second cheapest. The lower price will change the book's ranking in the results but won't specifically identify the seller as motivated. The Make Me an Offer option does and it will encourage purchases.
In the end the listing sites have to sell the books. If they don't they will lose the sellers and their books. It's that simple.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern Now through July 10, 2025
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Book of Hours by the Masters of Otto van Moerdrecht, Use of Sarum, in Latin, Southern Netherlands (Bruges), c.1450. £20,000 to £30,000.
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Albert Einstein. Autograph letter signed, to Attilio Palatino, on his research into General Relativity, 12 May 1929. £12,000 to £18,000.
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: John Gould. The Birds of Europe, [1832-] 1837, 5 volumes, contemporary half morocco, subscriber’s copy. £40,000 to £60,000.
Sotheby’s Books, Manuscripts and Music from Medieval to Modern Now through July 10, 2025
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: Ian Fleming. A collection of James Bond first editions, 8 volumes in all. £8,000 to £12,000.
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue. £50,000 to £70,000.
Sotheby’s, Ending July 10: J.R.R. Tolkien. Autograph letter signed, to Amy Ronald, on Pauline Baynes's map of Middle Earth, 1970. £7,000 to £10,000.
DOYLE, July 23: STOKES, I. N. PHELPS. The Iconography of Manhattan Island, 1498-1909. New York: Robert H. Dodd, 1915-28. Estimate: $3,000-5,000
DOYLE, July 23: [AUTOGRAPH - US PRESIDENT]FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT. A signed photograph of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Estimate $500-800
DOYLE, July 23: [ARION PRESS]. ABBOTT, EDWIN A. Flatland. A Romance of Many Dimensions. San Francisco, 1980. Estimate $2,000-3,000.
DOYLE, July 23: TOLSTOY, LYOF N. and NATHAN HASKELL DOLE, translator. Anna Karénina ... in eight parts. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., [1886]. Estimate: $400-600
DOYLE, July 23: ROWLING, J.K. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury, 2000. Estimate $1,200-1,800
Freeman’s | Hindman Western Manuscripts and Miniatures July 8, 2025
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. FRANCESCO PETRARCH (b. Arezzo, 20 July 1304; d. Arqua Petrarca, 19 July 1374). $20,000-30,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF THE VITAE IMPERATORUM (active Milan, 1431-1459). $15,000-20,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF ATTAVANTE DEGLI ATTAVANTI (GABRIELLO DI VANTE) (active Florence, c. 1452-c. 1520/25). $15,000-20,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. FOLLOWER OF HERMAN SCHEERE (active London, c. 1405-1425). $15,000-20,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. An exceptionally rare, illuminated music leaf from a Mozarabic Antiphonal with sister leaves mostly in museum collections. $11,500-14,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. Exceptional leaf from a prestigious Antiphonary by a leading illuminator of the late Duecento. $11,500-14,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. CIRCLE OF THE MASTER OF MS REID 33 and SELWERD ABBEY SCRIPTORIUM (AGNES MARTINI?) (active The Netherlands, Groningen, c. 1468-1510). $10,000-15,000.
Freeman’s | Hindman, July 8. Previously unknown illumination from one of the most renowned Gothic Choir Book sets of the Middle Ages. $6,000-8,000.