Describing Books in EBay Auctions

I have bought and sold many books online, and one of the most frustrating things I have encountered as a buyer is a seller who just does not describe the book well. Describing books in eBay auctions is important in order to gain repeat customers.

I once purchased a book in "like new" condition. It arrived in the mail. I took it out of the wrapping and it looked pretty good. It was a gift for my father-in-law, for Christmas. I was almost satisfied, when I did what all good booksellers do; I put the book up to my nose and took a sniff, and got a moderate but very much present basement odor. The book was not water stained, but it must have been stored in damp conditions and gotten that slightly musty odor. It was no good to me that way. This was a gift. I didn't mind that it was a used book because it was out of print and the only volume I could have bought, but that odor doesn't belong under a Christmas tree.

If you are selling books, describe them well. It will help you satisfy your customers, and it will bring you return customers. It will also prevent some heartache in those customers who are relying on you to send a gift quality item.

How do you describe a book well? That is the real question, and the problem.

I have seen many books sold on eBay, with descriptions that are obviously contradicted by the photograph. "Very good" does not mean a paperback with obvious creases and cover edges that are blunt from wear.

But even though books have ratings in terms of quality, "As New, Near Fine, Very Good, Good, Reading Copy," those categories don't often mean much to the customer (or to the uneducated book seller). It's better to ignore them and just do a really good overall description of the item.

Now, I'm talking condition. Let's forget about the obvious things like the title, the edition number, the publisher, and so forth.

Start with the dust jacket. Is there one? Does it have age yellowing? Tell the buyer. Does it have little tears at the edges? Tell the buyer. Are the tears closed, or are there big gaps? If there are gaps, they are called chips. Are there rubs on the paper? Is it brittle from age? Sometimes people clip off the price from the inside of the front flap of the jacket. If it is clipped, tell the buyer. Are there pen marks? Are there stains? Does it look like a water stain? Sometimes you can see a water stain on the jacket and it keys you in to some hard to see damage to the book itself.

What I'm saying is, be detailed and be brutally honest. Over describe. You will build trust this way. You will get great eBay feedback. You can sleep well at night knowing that you have not cheated someone.

Now, what about the book itself. Give it the nose test. If it smells like a basement, you have to tell the buyer. Believe it or not, if the book is valuable, some collector's will still buy it. Some will not, but you do not want someone with allergies opening the package and giving you very negative feedback because their health was affected by their purchase.

If it does smell, look for signs of water damage or mold. Mold starts growing with a pattern of little dots. Is there any water staining? To the cover, to the pages, how far into the pages?

After the nose test, I usually flip through the pages to check for writing or underlining, and this also gives me a sense of how strong the binding is. Always tell if there is writing inside. Tell how much. Sometimes buyers don't mind neatly done underlining, but hate it if it's a real mess, so I even describe the quality of the underlining. Or I'll say, "small check marks next to some paragraphs in the margin." I don't want the buyer surprised. It's no sin to sell a flawed book to someone who expects a flawed book.

If the binding is weak, say so. If the book flops open to the same page every time, the binding is a bit weak there, so tell the buyer that. Judge whether it is going to fall apart soon or not. Tell the buyer to handle with care if it is that weak, or that it's still going to stay together with more reads if it has some strength. Sometimes you can open the book and at the hinges you can see some webbing.

The cover might have scuffs, faded lettering, or wear at the bottom of the spine from the shelf (shelf wear). It might have frayed fabric at the top of the spine from people pulling the book off the shelf over the years. The fabric might be faded by the sun, called sunning. In that case the cover might be lighter on the spine, darker on the boards.

What is on the early, blank pages? Is there an owner's name? Tell the buyer. Often it doesn't matter. I'll even say, of a book from the earlier years, "Owner's name in old hand, fountain pen, dated 1889," not that that makes the book special, but it puts a positive spin on it for some folks. Some buyers like a few signs of ownership like that. It makes the book a little unique. If there is an old book plate, a piece of paper pasted on the inside with From the Library of on it, tell the buyer.

By all means, if the book is from a library, say so. Tell about the pocket inside, or the bar code that has been cut off of the page, or the ink stamps.

Remember, being honest is not going to sabotage your sale. Recently, I acquired a number of old science fiction novels, published by Gnome Press, from the 1950s. They were solid enough, but definitely had that musty odor. I clearly stated that in the eBay auction, and I told people not to bid if that bothered them. Many of those marred books sold for over $100.00 each.

Be honest. Be detailed. Your customers will trust you and come back for more.