Amazon Sales Throughout Month

7 replies
Hi,

Over the last five weeks I have been selling used books on Amazon. Early on in the month my sales were very healthy yet they tailed off as the month has progressed even though I now have more better ranked books to sell. Is this normal? Are sales higher in the first two weeks following pay day?
#amazon #month #sales
  • Profile picture of the author DeborahDera
    You're fighting a lot of factors. People are fitting in their last summer vacations; getting ready for back to school; etc. I find the end of summer is awful for any of my businesses.
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    • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
      Originally Posted by DeborahDera View Post

      You're fighting a lot of factors. People are fitting in their last summer vacations; getting ready for back to school; etc. I find the end of summer is awful for any of my businesses.
      Thanks, that comes at quite good news.
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  • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
    Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

    Hi,

    Over the last five weeks I have been selling used books on Amazon. Early on in the month my sales were very healthy yet they tailed off as the month has progressed even though I now have more better ranked books to sell. Is this normal? Are sales higher in the first two weeks following pay day?
    The dog days of August are indeed tough ones for most businesses.

    The book business, new, used or "e", tends to be somewhat seasonal regardless of the ranking of the book. For the next few weeks, textbooks - I should say some textbooks - will be popular, as will books on the reading lists of college classes.

    Going into the holiday season, cookbooks, crafty books and hospitality (how to throw a great _______ party) books will work well.

    Then comes the "resolution" books - how to lose weight, get out of debt, quit smoking, etc. As winter semesters gear up, textbooks can take another turn.

    As winter settles in, travel books take a turn, followed by gardening, outdoor grilling, landscaping, etc. in the spring.

    Right now, we're in the down-est part of a generally down time. Ride it out and prepare for the holidays.
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Thanks,

    I dont mind if every month is like August. It just concerned and confused me that my sales tailed off during the month even though the number of books I was selling was steadily increasing.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by justlukeyou View Post

      Thanks,

      I dont mind if every month is like August. It just concerned and confused me that my sales tailed off during the month even though the number of books I was selling was steadily increasing.
      Short term fluctuations are normal. Some months, you may see an increase at the end of the month.

      Skip down to the "ride it out" portion of my post...

      PS - I remember the thread where you asked about selling used books. Glad you took some action and are seeing some good results. Good job...
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  • Profile picture of the author justlukeyou
    Thanks...bloody hard work though and frustrating at times. Plus already running out of storage space.

    I thought of trying to trade with used book shops. What sells for 1p online can still sell for $10 in a used book shop.
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  • Profile picture of the author MarginMetrics
    I've never seen anything about the cycles of my sales that was linked to the timing of a settlement date, or time of the month.

    There are certainly a variety of factors like seasonality, competition, inventory levels, ect that might influence sales, but time in relation to settlement date was never an issue for me.
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