Hello, I'm new to this site and forum.
I'm a self-published author and have been selling my books on Amazon, vis their Amazon Advantage program So far, I really like the way they do business (esp compared to the other standards, like Baker and Taylor).
A couple of questions:
a. Does anyone know the cheapest solution *and* sources for packing material for books. My books are hardcover, and often need quite a bit of protection around them. I currently am using #2 Jiffylite bubble mailers for the 1-3 book orders, and an odd assortment of peanuts and bubble wrap for the case orders. But some books still get dinged and sent back. I'm ready to find a better solution. As well as a source for these things.
b. Anyone heard of Amazon's new [i]Extended
Forecast Ordering[/i]. Here's the skinny: "[i]Extended Forecast Ordering will create two large orders to cover
forecasted demand for a twelve week period based on historical
demand in the past six months. Currently, ordering occurs on a
weekly basis and can sometimes happen twice within the same week to
cover demand. There is a small cost of $0.10 per unit for each unit
ordered under this plan.[/i]"
What I'd like to know is if this is simply a better way to ship larger orders to Amazon (for just a dime more), or are there any disadvantages that I'm not seeing? It seems like a great deal to me (save on shipping and handling). As long as it doesn't harm sales in any way, it strikes me as a good game to play.
Thanks. Let me know if I posted this on the wrong forum, and if there's other forums that would better answer this kind of query.
Tuqqer
Re: Working with Amazon Advantage
Yes, I do like Amazon's shipping method, also, for small book orders. I haven't seen these for sale anywhere. However, if you find a good deal on corrugated cardboard and bubble-wrap in bulk, you could make them yourself.
Working with Amazon Advantage
Thanks, Dan. I think you're right: there doesn't look to be any downside to this Extended Forecast Ordering; meaning: less sales in any way, shape, or form. Aside from the extra dime, it looks like it's only a good thing. I've decided to try it out.
I also think you're right, that this program is so new, they don't even have a link for it. Just an email, with a special email that we manually send to them to say yes. Even doing a google search for "Extended Forecast Ordering" brings up nothing.
For the record, I have 2 books and a set of CDs up on Amazon. My latest book just started selling about 40-50 per week. I received my largest order from Amazon ever yesterday: 39 books. That's almost twice what it's ever been. This may be why they're offering the program.
This latest book, too, is a hard cover, and it sells for $28. Which is why I'm willing to spend the extra dime it costs per item for Extended Forecast Ordering fee.
Thanks for the ideas on packaging. Recently Amazon started shipping books (that I've ordered from them) in this very cool cardboard sealer. The seal around the book is very wide, about 2 inches, which is what protects the book. Very lightweight, and much more protective than the bubble mailers I've been using. I want to find a source for these and chec the price comparisons. And I'll have to look around (at Sam's like you suggested) for options for the larger case orders.
tuqqer
Re: Working with Amazon Advantage
Hello Tuqqer, welcome to the site.
Amazon Advantage is a great program, but I had not heard anything about their new Extended Forecast Ordering. It is very possible that this is a new beta feature that they are inviting members to use that have enough historical sales to make the forecasting accurate. What you've shared looks like a very good deal. If you have a link to more info, I'd be happy to dig deeper.
As for packaging supplies, I would definitely recommend trying froogle.google.com and search for "packaging supplies". I see a lot of good prices there, but I don't know if you are particularly interested in purchasing supplies online. You might find a good deal, but then shipping to you might overcome your savings.
Locally, here in Phoenix, AZ, I do find that while the UPS Store seems to have everything, they aren't the cheapest. Places like Staples and OfficeMax have pretty good deals. Sams' Club has a good office supply selection with decent bulk discounts, but they require membership. I personally haven't found any extremely good savings. Maybe someone else may know.
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