Here’s a quick source of books to resell that a lot of Amazon sellers miss.
Weird source of books to resell: Habitat For Humanity “ReStore”
On the surface, the Habitat for Humanity ReStore isn’t very interesting. Here’s how they bill themselves:
“Habitat for Humanity ReStores are nonprofit home improvement stores… that sell new and gently used furniture, appliances, home accessories, building materials and more to the public at a fraction of the retail price.”
Since we can’t sell used plumbing fixtures on Amazon, why am I talking about ReStore?
ReStores often have books you can resell
Yes, they have books. Not all of them, but a lot. And a lot of Amazon sellers never think of ReStore as a book source.
What is Habitat For Humanity’s “ReStore”?
Short answer: They operate hundreds of “used home improvement” stores in all 50 states.
I’m almost 100% certain there’s one a short drive from where you are right now.
And many Amazon sellers miss them. I did too, until very recently.
These have a very “overstock store” feel (another great book source), and a lot of their inventory is new.
They’re so easy to miss because, as we read above, there’s nothing to indicate they have anything other than used oscillating sanders and rusty welding helmets. But there’s more to the ReStore than that.
Scene from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore.
I’ve found books to resell at 75% of ReStore’s
Of the four ReStore’s in driving distance of me, three of them carry books.
It’s not that I’ve never heard of ReStore (they’re everywhere). It’s not even that I’ve never been to one until recently (they come up in most searches for “thrift stores,” and I’ve walked into them on more than one occasion before realizing it wasn’t a thrift store at all, then thinking “What the heck is this place,” and walking out).
It’s that there’s nothing to indicate they sell books. You have to probe pretty deep in these stores to find them.
There’s a small catch: These stores are a little weird, and as one cashier told me, they operate somewhat autonomously. Basically they can carry whatever they want. For example, some will carry used furniture, some won’t.
Likewise, some ReStore’s will carry books, and some won’t.
Have fun with this
It’s pretty rare that I stumble upon a new source of books to resell that’s been under my nose the whole time, so I had to share it with you. Have fun.
PS: If these have been your secret until now, sorry for ruining it.
Thanks for the tip! There’s a ReStore about 5 miles from me, so I’ll check it out soon.
Awesome, let us know what you find.
I went to the one near me on Thursday. Books are 5 for $1.00!! I found a good buy, but then when I went to ship it in today, Amazon told me they had enough in stock so hopefully, I can get it in the next shipment.
The new inventory limits are a very bad development…
Has anyone written about this? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before….
It amounts to Amazon now declaring that you are prohibited from shipping in certain products to an FBA warehouse over a certain quantity.
I’ve had this happen to me from time to time, but it was usually just one item out of a shipment of 50 – 100 items. But just the other day I created a shipment of 46 books/DVDs/VHS/CDs and Amazon made me remove 12 items from the shipment, saying I was already at the max quantity for each of them (which must be zero since I don’t presently have any of these items in inventory).
I really hope this isn’t the new norm, because there really isn’t any way of knowing ahead of time, while we’re sourcing, what will and will not be allowed to ship. I would hate to have 25% of my shipment disqualified on a regular basis. Hopefully I’ll be able to get these 12 items in with another shipment.
This will be really bad if this continues. Fingers crossed they’re just working out some kinks.
Peter do you think that the inventory limits will stay around? How serious of an effect do think it will have?
I haven’t seen them yet personally, so it hasn’t hit close to home. I’m not sure I’m aware of the full extent of what’s unfolding, but if its limited to not shipping in more than one copy of any book, I’m pretty ok with that.
I had it happen to me today on a book which was my only copy, and which has a decent sales rank, and it had only one FBA copy in the warehouse from a different seller. People on the Amazon forum report it happening on books for which there is no FBA copy from any seller in the warehouse.
https://sellercentral.amazon.com/forums/thread.jspa?threadID=295378&start=0&tstart=30&sortBy=date
Thanks for sharing! Reading this now.
I got it on my last shipment. Two books and a puzzle. Whatever the new rules are, they are not as simple as “books” or “puzzles”, because I added more of both to the same order and they were accepted.
Just started for me yesterday. Thought I had an exceptionally good day sourcing books and then came home to list and ran into the new restrictions. Has nothing to do with how many copies of a book I have, supposedly some mysterious formula with slow selling items and how many FBA books are already at the warehouse or on their way, it seems. Out of about 60 books so far 16 have been restricted.
I was restricted from listing several well ranked books with either no FBA offers or just 1 and was allowed to list books over 3 million with more FBA listings. Although why I wanted to do that is another question! With one textbook ranked 2,000 I was excited to find I never even got to the listing stage..after putting in the ISBN and hitting search the paperback textbook came up as restricted right away; was bummed because the lowest FBA was $25.00. How it normally works is you go through the entire listing process and right at the end where it assigns a warehouse you either get rewarded with the name of the warehouse or big, red restricted, remove item notice. Should mention that I use Amazon product listing and not a third party software. It will be a big problem if you buy books and then get home to discover you are not allowed to list them and don’t have access to that info BEFORE you buy.
Hey Peter,
This is happening to me as well. Shipment of 60 books, all unique ASIN’s, 4 books were flagged for removal. Of the four books, only one of them had a sales rank over 1 million (1.46) and I never had any of these books in stock before. The remaining books under 1 million ranged from three FBA to eight or nine. Seems to be no rhyme or reason….it is very scary.
Oh NO! You busted me… Just last month I got over 300 construction books at the restore.
Oh well I just found another source That’s even better.
Internet Rules require that you share it with all of us.
Ya Jim, sharing is caring.
yep it’s one of my best. specially on the bag for a buck days.
These places are funny. As you mentioned, they seem to be wild west in nature. Been to a few in my area that couldn’t be more different. One has a great book/media section, the other I went to that day was more like Lowe’s or something.
Thanks for the reminder.
Been using them for many years now, as have most of the dealers here, as they are well picked over. A good rule of thumb is, if it’s a thrift store, it’ll have books. Nearly every non-profit that’s large runs a thrift store, as well as regional battered women shelters, humane societies, etc. Nearly all of these places have dealers daily [evidenced by stickers being partly removed to reveal barcodes to scan, and the fact clerks talk about the “scanner people” when you check out. 🙂
I think the reason these are generally overlooked is that they aren’t billed as “thrift stores.” So far in my area I don’t get the impression anyone is touching these.
There are two in my area, both within 20 minutes, that I frequent. In fact, I visited one of them today! They are goldmines. 50 cents for paperback and $1 for hard cover. They also have good “sales”. For example, we got 75% off of our purchase during their New Year sale. 120 books for $20. Thanks for ruining my source. Lol
From 2005 to 2015, our Albuquerque ReStore carried books… 5 to 10 cents each! Found tons of great inventory. They no longer carry books.
Hi, Peter –
HFH stores are hit-or-miss, the locations in my area (just north of you) do offer books – but they’re typically “stale,” i.e., rarely culled or replenished.
That’s not to suggest that you can’t find a few “gems” (and the prices are ridiculously low), but the best way to harvest books at HFH is to search the collection bins in the back. Why? Because most locations are understaffed and focus on collecting/sorting items with higher margins, the demand for books is minimal, and too often the books in the bins are retrieved by a recycling service (located not far from you) before they’re put on the shelves.
However, if you want to gain access to the back collection bins, it’s hit-or-miss. Best to find an employee (preferably an assistant manager) who is friendly to your efforts, offer a flat $20 donation to their general fund (in addition to paying for the books, typically $1), and inquire about their favorite libation (i.e., discreetly bribe em’) for access to their “secret” trove.
The first time I gained access to the back bins, I discovered 20+ boxes of textbooks and technical manuals (many published 10+ years or more) apparently donated by a college professor – and 3 hours of work yielded $1,600 in net profits (with an average [gross] sale price per book of $32.50)…
There ya’ go, that’s the real “secret” to HFH stores…
Amazing. The best content on this site is in the comments. Thanks for that.
Unless all the websites are lying, all of the ReStores in my area will NOT accept books for donation. Right now I’m assuming that means they don’t sell books if they don’t accept them. I checked Cumberland, Salem, Gloucester, Camden and Burlington Counties in NJ. I’m near four of the five. I know someone who works in a ReStore in Norristown, PA, and I can ask her, but I never cross the bridge to PA, so unless she says they have hundreds, I probably won’t check it out. 40 minute drive up the “Surekill Distressway” plus tolls.
I’d say you’re probably right that if they don’t accept book donations, they don’t sell them. Maybe worth calling to confirm?
I was thinking that I should go in person. As one person mentioned, they have other items, often new in package, that sell well. I’d need to learn of their sale days and just what other potential FBA items they have, so it may not be a total loss in the long run.
I regularly hit a ReStore near my family. Most of the decent books are priced as “collectible” but I did score a John Austen illustrated edition of Hamlet from the 1920s for $50 that I–eventually–sold for $400. Haven’t visited since I started doing FBA though. ReStore’s are also good if yr renno’ing your house and need some surplus flooring.
I have several in my hunting area, which covers about 300 miles in diameter. They all sell books, but the prices vary. In most HFHs, the prices are 50 cents for paper backs and a dollar for hardbacks. But, one store sells them 4 for a dollar and some times they have a half price sale. Another HFH, how ever, is a little more upscale. Their normal price is $2 per book and have some priced at $4 and $6.
However, I am also having success at sourcing mini electrics, kitchen appliances and electronics at these stores.
By the way. Thanks for all the tips, suggestions and stories.
I live about a mile from a ReStore and if you are doing FBA there are a lot of other things you can pick up like boxes of dust masks, plumbing parts in original packing with bar codes, and so on that sell well especially when purchased on a discount day. My store has some books but they are not turned over and
are mostly worthless.
Awesome tip!
Neither ReStore near me carries books but if I’m in a new area I’ll be sure to check. Thanks for the tip.
They also have media such as DVD’s, CD, and VHS tapes new in shrink wrap.
Habitat restores are actually some of my best sources – I had no idea this was a secret!
Maybe if its been a secret to me, it makes me feel better to declare it a “secret” to everyone else.
Nice! I actually get a lot of electronics here as well… it’s nice because they give you a 7-day warranty to make sure that it works (which is unheard of for thrift shops).
Now you tell me! I was driving back home from a library sale today and saw a Restore. I drove up to it and it looked like a place that would not have books, so I drove away. I think there are others in my area, so now I will have to check them out. Thanks for the tip!
Thanks Peter! Gonna do a search now to find stores in my area!
Have been up all night entering in CD’s to FBA. Had 93 I was sending in. Getting ready to print labels and they deny 34 of the CD’s. I received this message, “You are already at the maximum inventory allowed for this product, due to capacity or other restrictions. This product must be removed from this shipment.”
So frustrating that I wasted all this time processing them and get the message as I’m getting ready to ship them off.
Here’s an article on what’s going on: http://lisasuttora.com/amazon-fba-rejects-asins-shipped-by-3rd-party-sellers
A lot of this, I think, ties in with what Peter has been writing about on the evils of lowballing other FBA sellers. The “penny sellers”, who caused the bottom to drop out of the bookselling market by underpricing everyone else,. collecting a small profit from the shipping charge by using bulk mailing rates, and making up for the tiny profit per book by dealing in bulk (and using cheap donated or wholesale books) started the problem.
Then, some FBA sellers started copying and adapting thus business plan by undercutting other FBA sellers by pricing books at $3.99 or so (the FBA equivalent of selling books for a penny – that’s about as low as you can go and still make a few cents profit), sending huge numbers of slow-selling books to the Amazon fulfillment centers, and again hoping to make a profit by the sheer volume of books sold at low prices.
This hurts other booksellers (like me!) of course, but it’s also created a problem for all Amazon FBA sellers because (I think) Amazon does not consider the small fees they get from each $3.99 sale to be worth the volume of slow moving crappy titles that these dealers have flooded Amazon’s storage capacity with at low prices. And now they are starting to clear house.
This might be worth a blog post from Peter on strategies to deal with this new policy. I am personally doing removal orders (destruction) for deadwood titles that do not have the likelihood of a large return (mostly stuff that piled up when I was just learning the ropes of the trade), and freeing up space for better inventory. I am a lot less likely to be purchasing very long tail items currently. For very long tail items currently in storage that have a reasonable likelihood of a good sales, (someday) in the >$50 range, I may have those returned and go back to some FBM sales. Or maybe not, I’m still formulating a plan.
I got that two for two of my books. I had no idea what it was about until just this week when I learned about their warehouse limits. I’m not sure how they determine when the limit is met since they so often split shipments anyway.
Just had about 40% of my shipment denied. This is brutal.
I’ve been going to the Habitat stores in outlying towns pretty regularly, most have shelves of books. I usually also look for other small items to sell. The manager at one told me has a deal with the owner of a nearby large home improvement department store which ships all their clearance items on a pallet, so they never know what they will get. I found about 20 new plastic bags that are used to mix concrete in and squeeze it out (kind of like a giant cake decorating/frosting bag). I bought them all for a dollar apiece and they all sold quickly at $25 each on Amazon. I mostly sell books but its good to look outside the borders.
I had 4 books rejected the other day also that I had never sent a copy of in before. I eondered what the heck was going on. Now I know. We will have to somehow revamp sourcing strategies. I really dont like hearing that there was no fba on some of the ones that were rejected.
I had been meaning to check out the ReStore near me for a while, so this post spurred me on to finally go.
Cons: No books, most of their inventory had the prices written on them in sharpie.
Pros: A few things packaged in plastic were worth reselling after I removed the marker. Great taco place across the street.
Overall, not terribly profitable, but a bad way to spend Saturday afternoon.
*Not a bad wat to spend a Saturday afternoon
I have been going to our local ReStore for years. They sell books for 10 cents. It’s not my best source, but it’s worth visiting from time to time.
These new ASIN restrictions are stressing me out! I haven’t gotten any rejected yet, but I hope they figure out another way to get rid of dead, non-moving merch to free up space; either that, or modify the seller app to include real-time restrictions. Would be great if that information could then be fed to ProfitScout and other apps, otherwise we’ll have to double-check every item we source with the seller app.