eBay auction data is now available through viaLibri
We are pleased to announce that, as of last week, live eBay auctions are now covered by viaLibri’s search engine. This is in addition to the “buy it now” listings which we covered already. viaLibri now fully covers all book listings on eBay.
The time sensitive nature of auctions means that they pair particularly well with our saved search service, Libribot. If you add the details of an item to your Libribot wants list then we will check several times a day to see if any matching eBay auctions have started. We’ll then email you details of the new listing.
Ready to get started? Simply search as usual. eBay auction results will now appear seamlessly alongside our other listings from more than 170 sites worldwide.
Registration is open now for viaLibri Virtual Showcase #4
We are pleased to announce the Fourth and Latest Edition of the viaLibri Virtual Rare Book Showcase. We feel sure you will want to take part. Among other new features it introduces important innovations in the way showcase exhibitors are charged. With previous versions you were required to pay up front the full cost of exhibiting. You were charged regardless of whether or not any items were sold. This meant that you could pay a significant registration fee and yet still not sell a thing.
We decided there had to be a better way. The time had come to try something new.
Beginning with Showcase #4 the registration fee has been reduced from $150 to $75 while still letting you list up to 60 items. There will be no additional charges if you do not make a sale – There is only a small commission paid by exhibitors based on what they sell. In addition, if you are a viaLibri Harvest subscriber then the registration will be waived. The only charges you will be the commission payments that are due if you make a sale.
We are convinced that this new low risk payment model will prove to be very popular with all the booksellers who decide to give it a try.
You can learn more about how Showcase commissions work by clicking here.
What We Learned From Our First Three Showcases (And What To Look For Next) Next)
Just in case you had been wondering, we thought we should let you know that another viaLibri Virtual Showcase will be happening again soon. Preparations have already begun.
When we first began back in December we weren’t at all certain how booksellers and collectors would respond to seeing yet another virtual event claiming space on their already crowded calendars. Now that much helpful feedback has been received we are ready to apply our lessons to showcase number 4.
After our third showcase, we heard a similar concern from several booksellers: “I love your website, but what if I don’t sell anything?” It’s a fair worry. Trying a new sales channel involves risk, especially when dealing with rare or specialized items that need patience and effort to sell. That feedback set us to thinking: What could we do to eliminate the risk?
To answer the question we decided to try something different. At our next showcase you will only have to pay $75 to be an exhibitor and will be able to display up to 60 books for sale.
The twist? If nothing sells, that’s all you will pay. Only when you actually sell something do we charge a small commission (4-10%), invoiced after the showcase has closed.
Additionally, if you are one of our Harvest Level Premium Subscribers your savings will extend even further and you will pay no registration fee at all. For everyone we say, “Try us out. See what happens. If it doesn’t work for you it costs you nothing.”
We have seen great books find eager buyers at every showcase so far. Serious bibliophiles are highly motivated in pursuit of their interests. Selling should not be hard. The only thing needed is for the right book to meet the right collector. We also understand that building a new marketplace takes time, and not every book finds an immediate buyer.
Our new marketing model reflects that reality. We are confident in our platform and our growing community of book lovers, but we also want our booksellers to feel secure in the possibilities we aim to offer on our site.
Whether you’re a showcase veteran or someone who has so far only been curious or cautious, now feels like the perfect time to give our showcase a try. After all, what’s the worst that could happen? You only need to showcase some of your choicest and freshest books to an engaged audience. If you sell nothing it costs you nothing. And who knows whom you may meet in the process.
In the meantime we recommend that you sign up for our mailing list so you don’t miss the chance to register for the upcoming showcase.
Dante approverebbe. | We think Dante would approve.
(An English translation can be found below.)
Abbiamo buone notizie per tutti i bibliofili italiani che visitano regolarmente il nostro sito: l’interfaccia utente di viaLibri è ora disponibile anche in italiano, portando a quattro il numero di lingue utilizzabili dai nostri visitatori.
Per scegliere la tua lingua preferita, ti basta cliccare una delle bandierine visibili in alto a destra. Le opzioni sono inglese, francese, tedesco e ora anche italiano, tutte le lingue presenti anche nel Virtual Rare Book Showcase.
Le descrizioni dei libri e gli altri contenuti creati dagli utenti continueranno naturalmente a comparire nella loro lingua originale. Per questi, continueremo a offrire la nostra funzione di traduzione integrata, che consente di accedere facilmente a una traduzione completa nella lingua selezionata.
Queste funzionalità saranno particolarmente utili per chi utilizza il nostro nuovo Virtual Showcase, dove è facile imbattersi in articoli e venditori di lingue diverse. Inoltre, se stai pensando di partecipare all’ultimo momento come espositore e hai una selezione di libri o clienti italiani, questo potrebbe essere il momento giusto per registrarti.
We have good news to report for all Italian bibliophiles who regularly visit our site: the viaLibri user interface now also comes with an Italian version, bringing to four the number of languages our visitors can use.
To choose your preferred language you only need to click one of the flags displayed in the upper right corner. The options are English, French, German, and now Italian, all of which will continue to be a part of the Virtual Rare Book Showcase as well.
Book descriptions and other user-created content will, of course, continue to appear in their original language. For these we will continue to provide our integrated translation feature, which makes it easy to access a full translation of all the item descriptions in your chosen language.
These features should be especially useful for anyone using our new Virtual Showcase where they can expect to encounter items and sellers from a variety of languages. Additionally, if you are considering becoming a last-minute exhibitor and have a number of Italian books and/or customers then this might be a good time for you to join in.
