Books by E-mail: The New Mail Order Books by E-mail: The New Mail OrderAt one time, general catalogs such as Sears and Penney's dominated the mail-order market. Folks, especially those living in rural areas, could pick up the phone and order anything from overalls to saucepans. Today, almost any business can and does sell its products via mail order. A study in 1990 revealed that about $151.6 billion in products and services were sold through mail order, and that number has been rising ever since.
Books have been successfully sold through mail order for many years through book clubs. Rare, collectible books, however, were mostly sold in shops. A fraction of these shops' sales were by mail order, but only to select customers on the booksellers' mailing lists. Today, the marriage of computers and marketing on the Internet has allowed booksellers to post their catalogs electronically, saving on printing and postage expenses, while reaching a much larger market. It is no secret that the Internet has created record sales, even for dealers who previously thought of themselves as successful. By harnessing the power of computers, and abiding by mail-order regulations, booksellers can double, even triple their sales and establish a much larger base of repeat customers.
Electronic catalogs can save hundreds of dollars in printing, copying and mailing expenses. They're also easy to maintain and distribute (just post it on your web page). While many 'net-surfing collectors don't mind browsing through catalogs, they're still paying for that on-line time by the hour, so it's a lot better if you have a search engine as well. Offering a free search service is a plus, too. If the collector doesn't find his book nestled in your inventory, you won't lose him as a customer if you can find the book for him.
If you have an electronic catalog, take advantage of e-mail to receive and confirm orders. It's quick and provides a good "paper trail" of the transaction. Make sure your e-mail address is either posted on the web page, or "hot-linked" as an on-line order form.
A note on credit cards: while you're not obligated to accept them, you should know that over 50% of mail order products are purchased with them. So, although you have to pay the credit card company a merchant's fee of 3-5% of the transaction amount, the increase in volume and size of orders gained will more than compensate for this. Also, don't try to limit your credit card fee expenses by demanding a minimum charge amount, this is illegal.
Both the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Postal Service have strict rules governing mail order. In a nutshell:
Merchants should take great care in packaging their products for shipment, especially when shipping rare books. Each book should be individually wrapped, either in tissue, poly bag or bubble wrap. This prevents them from chafing against each other. To protect them within the box or envelope, you can use anything from newspaper to bubble wrap to the dreaded foam peanuts.
As a collector, I can say that a whole new world of books was opened up to me the day I discovered the Internet. Thanks to dealers who have taken the time to post their wares electronically, I have been able to expand my collection threefold. There are some great bookstores out there, and I still frequent those stores that have cappuccino and couches with fat, lazy cats dozing on them. But, for those rare first editions your collection wouldn't be complete without, the Internet is the number one place to browse.
For more information on mail order regulations, obtain a copy of the FTC Weekly Report or the U.S. Postal Service Monthly Mail Order Bulletin. The following tomes were of invaluable assistance in researching this article: