Posted inventory levels - high or low?

[draggar]

I've started to sell my friend's books (meaning two books that he has written and had published) on Amazon.com for him. Since he has 100% control over the legal new inventory, we are the only people who can sell them as "new" on Amazon - everyone else had to get their books though him.

There are two books for sale, one is $59 and the other is $79 (I won't go into details) and are more expensive than most of the other books (but all of the others are being sold as "used").

Amazon makes me put a quantity in our "inventory" with our sales page. Which do you think would be better for sales:

A low quantity - this would show that we don't have many left so we would get the impulse buyers plus it would go more along with the other sellers who generally have 1-2 in stock. My friend is worried that people may think that these are older books just collecting dust and we are trying to push out old inventory (books have a published date of 1999 and 2005).

A high inventory - this would show that we do have a large number on hand to sell (which we do) and are serious sellers plus it would give the impression that we have a fresh supply of new books that haven't been poked around, read, played with, on some shelf. My fear is that people would think that we are exaggerating our inventory, trying to flood the market, or wonder why we're charging so much (if you have so many, you'd sell more with lower prices when in reality his profit margin on the books is pretty low to begin with so).

A low inventory would be between 1 and 10 books, maybe not a round number (2-4?) and just update the inventory as they sold.

A higher number would be in the hundreds (200-300).

Which do you think would get more buyers?

[Compassion]

Hmmm, that is quite a high price for a book.

I'd say the low inventory.

Too high of a number and a high sales price would bamboozle me a bit if I was looking to buy it.

The low number will make the new copies seem artificially scarce.

How much less are the used ones selling for?

Best of luck with your project with your friend.

[draggar]

The $79 book (animal / medical book)- Amazon only lists the version from 1981 but I the ones he has are from 2005 (and Amazon won't let me add it unless I subscribe to their merchant pro services). I even state the published date. Selling for $3.74 al the way up to $79 (all plus S&H). I'm sure many of the copies being sold are also illegal copies (there was an issue with this).

The $59 book (animal informational guide - highly rated with fanciers). I am the only one advertising it as the softcover book, printed in 1999 but others are listed with the hardcover version from 1990 and they are being sold used from $35 to $79.

The books are expensive but well worth it if it is your thing.

[Nodnarb]

I used to sell goods on Amazon. I always set my inventory at 5 or 6. You don't want to lose a sale because you sell out overnight. Not that it would happen, but it could happen.