Apply to sell branded used books
I NEED HELP! I have many books that I need to "apply to sell" One of the documents required is to "Show the combined purchase of at least 10 units" What does that mean? Do I need to buy 10 units every time a different approval to sell a used book is required? Thank you
Apply to sell branded used books
I NEED HELP! I have many books that I need to "apply to sell" One of the documents required is to "Show the combined purchase of at least 10 units" What does that mean? Do I need to buy 10 units every time a different approval to sell a used book is required? Thank you
42 svar
Seller_MyXY4Myx9zVcR
"Do I need to buy 10 units every time a different approval to sell a used book is required?"
As a used bookseller, you probably have realized buying 10 new copies of a book in order to sell your one used copy probably is not practical, unless you quite often sell used books from that particular publisher.
Those books whose publishers, in collaboration with Amazon, demand multi-book purchases and invoices, can be sold elsewhere with no such requirements.
Dougal_Amazon
Hello @Seller_aJzA13bSPdw8K,
My name is Dougal from the Community Manager Team and I am happy to assist.
Can you provide a bit more context to your question or describe where you are hitting this requirement? OR, if you have a case ID that provides all the relevant info, please provide that ID here and I can definitely take a look.
What you posted here sounds like a step in the Apply to sell a product, category, or brand Seller University video, but I do not want to assume that is what you are experiencing.
Happy to assist further wherever I am able.
Best, Dougal
Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5
They are talking about the form below .... which is what we get, on occasion, when we have a single used book to sell (because that is the nature of the business), and, although it is perfectly within our legal rights (supreme court decision) to do so, someone in amazon has decided that we need to submit the form below along with an invoice before we can be approved to sell that one single used book.
This is one of those rules (submitting an invoice to be approved to sell) that has been applied to every category across the board when in fact there are some categories to which it should not be applied. Used books is one such category.
It is such a major issue to used book sellers, one that we've been beating our heads against the wall about for some time now, that we assume that it's an issue that everyone at amazon is aware of, but, apparently, it is not.
Anyway, i would be happy to answer any questions you may have and i thank you for taking the initiative to solve the OP's (and every used book seller's) issue.
*** the form below is what i get when i try to add the following product ***
The Pillsbury Family Cook Book (1969)
ASIN: B00312SOKM
**** and the point here, in case you're missing it, is that it is impossible to obtain an invoice, when purchasing this, and practically every other, used book ****
Selling application for Brand
You are requesting approval to sell Pillsbury brand items.
Submit documents
At least 1 purchase invoice for products from a manufacturer or distributor
Document must meet the following requirements:
Dated on or after Apr 27, 2024 (within 180 days)
Includes your name and address, matching the information in your selling account
Include the name and address of the manufacturer or distributor
Show the combined purchase of at least 10 units
Omit pricing information (optional)
Please note that, we may verify your submitted documentation by contacting product vendors you identify in your application.
If providing an Amazon Invoice or Order confirmation please show a combined and fulfilled purchase of at least 50 units. For all other invoices show the combined and fulfilled purchase of at least 10 units.
Drop files here
or
Select files
File types: pdf, docx, png, gif, jpg. Maximum file size: 10 MB
Optional Comments
Provide contact information
Email addresses Best email to contact you for questions
Use commas to separate addresses
Optional Phone Best number to call you for questions
If you don't have a trademark, you can file one via IP Accelerator to gain access to Amazon’s Brand Registry. For more information, go to Amazon IP Accelerator.
If you are the brand owner, or manufacturer, and have a trademark, you can enroll your brand in Amazon’s Brand Registry. For more information, go to Amazon Brand Registry.
By clicking on Agree and Submit, I agree to the selling conditions.
Save draft
Agree and Submit
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5,
Thanks for your very detailed response. I do realize that this will be an uphill battle so please stick with me and pardon any question I ask that may obvious, but I want to make sure I am walking through each step so that I can escalate accordingly.
I would like to use your example as a starting point and so you know where my head is at, I am going to walk through the process as it currently is so that I can build a use case with data and proof to convey internally what you are bringing up here in the Forums.
Why is it impossible to obtain an invoice?
Is it because you are only able to obtain a receipt?
Is this also only because the book is used?
What if the book were new, would the step to provide an invoice still not pertain to you and if not, why?
Lets start here and your answers should help me take the next few steps until I potentially have some follow-up questions.
I appreciate your willingness to help me understand.
Best, Dougal
Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5
hi @Dougal_Amazon,
thanks for giving this some attention ...
and i will say, by reading your questions, i feel that you are headed in the right direction ...
first, this issue only applies to used books ...
new books is a whole separate category and it makes sense that an invoice be required for them ...
but there are no distributors or manufacturers for used books ... hence, the impossibility of an invoice, as amazon requires: Responsible Sourcing documentation request requirements
used books are most always one-offs when bought or sold ... that means, the quantity of inventory is most always simply one (1) .... of course, there are times when a buyer/seller may come across the opportunity to purchase a small quantity of a particular used book, but that is not the norm
used books are bought at book sales, estate sales, thrift stores and even garage/yard sales, as you can imagine ... used books can even be from your own personal library ... this is not just me saying this, amazon's own website how to sell books in 2024 lists the exact same methods for sourcing used books
the thing is, is that none of these venues supply an invoice ... at best, an itemized receipt might be given, but even then, any itemization would most likely not contain the details of each item (book) ... i would say that 99% of the time, a generic receipt is all that can be obtained ... for example, at book sales, they will give you a piece of paper with your total on it ... and that's it ... at yard sales, they won't give you anything unless you ask for it ... but never an invoice, especially one as detailed as amazon requires
recently, this issue was discussed in detail in this post because the OP had had their account suspended for not being able to produce an invoice for one of their used books ... a quick read through might give a bit of perspective ... in the post, i try to argue how amazon's policy Responsible Sourcing documentation request requirements and amazon's guidelines on obtaining used books described on how to sell books in 2024 can, at times, be in direct conflict with each other ... my concluding sentiment was the hope that amazon would consider a review of it's policy on required invoices for used books, and, consider an adjustment to said policy ... the post was locked within a few weeks of the last reply and the how to sell books in 2024 website was overhauled
as far as i know, there has been no policy change ...
---- when we are required to "apply to sell" our used books, the unobtainable requirement of providing an invoice that "Show the combined purchase of at least 10 units" still exists ...
---- when there is a discrepancy on the inventory of used books sent to amazon FBA during receiving, any reconcile of our shipment still requires an unobtainable invoice, as shown in this attached screenshot from my most recent shipment to FBA ...
---- when requesting a reimbursement re-calculation for an under-valued reimbursement amount given for a lost or damaged in-warehouse used book from our inventory, the very first requirement is the submission of, you guessed it, that same unobtainable invoice ...
and the list goes on ....
in conclusion, it is my belief that amazon knows all of this and knows that it is not right ... but amazon also knows that as long as this unobtainable requirement for used book sellers exists, so does an extra revenue stream exist for the company ....
and the best part is, is that there's not anything that used book sellers can do about it
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5,
I cannot thank you enough for providing an easy to follow response with appropriate Amazon links that illustrate your points.
I was not well versed on most if not all of what you provided. As my specific area of expertise is in Brand Registry, I do understand where the obvious (to me NOW) blocker is for used books purchased at a yard sale for a book, author or publisher who are enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry just can't pass the requirements based on source AND quantity (in most cases).
I now have notes and actions that I can take to my first point of contact to raise the concern where we can discuss and hopefully identify some next steps to take to continue raising this concern.
I do want to caveat my response that I will be tackling this specifically from a Brand Registry front and not all used books as this is where I see the min requirements do appear to contradict the advise coming from how to sell books.
I also want to request your and any other sellers coming to this thread, your patience as this issue is obviously rather large and I know that it will take more than me and my contacts in the Brand Registry team collaboration to generate and drive any change.
I will respond to this thread with updates as I am able to share them and as I have additional questions or need some specific examples, I will be asking here.
Thank you for your partnership.
Best, Dougal
Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5
just replying in hopes that this thread doesn't get locked
:)
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_pP1WLqRuXala5,
Thanks for keeping it alive. In the time since our last correspondence, I have communicated this concern and no have a direct POC that I think is the best person to engage with.
As of today, I have not heard back from them on my request to meet, but I will follow up.
I will provide an update as soon as I have one.
Best, Dougal
Seller_C2UE3it8udZ32
Thanks for working on this, @Dougal_Amazon. I'm encountering this issue too. I just created my seller account, initially to sell books from my personal library. I have a huge number of used books that are just one copy of each title. I'd love to be able to sell these without needing an invoice of ten copies for each book. Some of these books I've owned for a decade or more and don't have an invoice or receipt anyway!
Thanks!
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_C2UE3it8udZ32,
While we wait for my POC to follow up, I would like to grab some additional information from you that may provide either an additional use case OR more volume to the current issue.
Are you being blocked @ASIN creation with the invoice blurb on all the used books you are trying to list or just some?
I want to make sure I am conveying the scale of this to the partner team and the more specifics I have the better I can position the argument for a potential policy change or update.
I appreciate everyone's partnership and patience on this thus far.
Best, Dougal
Seller_lgiukd8RpudNH
@Dougal_Amazon
I have the same problem. Tried to sell a single used copy of a book published by Tor and received a message that I required approval first. If you request approval, the form shown above appears. Obviously, there is some confusion on Amazon's part about what is intended. I am not a distributor or brick-and-mortar shop interested in buying books wholesale. I have one copy of a book published by Tor that I would like to sell. (I bought it on Amazon, by the way.) This has happened with books from other publishers as well, who are refusing to allow individuals to sell used books.
For example, in trying to list the book, I see the following:
You need approval to list in this brand.
Refurbished condition: We are currently not accepting applications for this product. To maintain a safe and trustworthy shopping experience, we restrict certain products from being listed or sold on Amazon. If the ability to list this product changes, you will be able to sell by clicking “Sell this product” or “Apply to Sell”.
Dougal_Amazon
Hi @Seller_lgiukd8RpudNH,
Thanks for another example. I want to do a bit more research, is this used book already being sold on Amazon in refurbished condition? If so, do you have an ASIN that you can share? If not, is it being sold in new condition and do you by chance have that ASIN?
Thank you, looking forward to assisting wherever I can.
Best, Dougal
Seller_lgiukd8RpudNH
Sure, the ISBN is 9781250237484.
There are several stores selling used copies of the book on Amazon. It's also being sold new, at a discount.
Seller_lgiukd8RpudNH
I guess that's my question though. One seems to follow from the other. Are these two unrelated issues or one? And my first question would be Why was my request to sell TOR books declined? Also, TOR isn't the first publisher to have done this. And it has even occurred with older, second-hand books. Obviously, there's something more to this picture.
As for the the book and screenshot you shared, You were declined to sell the Brand "TOR BOOKS," which owns the ISBN and that is why you have been unable to list.
I will be happy to investigate further, but since this is where the books listing issue parts ways, please start a new discussion and any case ID's you can provide on your selling application for the brand you include would certainly help.
Seller_lgiukd8RpudNH
Can you provide a link for doing that? I went to Seller Central and can find no link that would allow my to contact Seller Support or open a case. Amazon seems to enjoy making simple things difficult.
