As a beginner, you may be overwhelmed with trying to learn about book flipping on Amazon using Keepa. I know that when I began researching flipping books online (and well before I discovered Keepa), I felt buried in all the new information being thrown at me from so many different sources. I had no idea what I needed to start flipping books on Amazon using Keepa and according to some “gurus” it seemed as if I was going to have to spend a fortune just to get started! But I have good news for you, that is not the case. As you will soon see, flipping books online can actually be an easy, low-cost way to make some extra money on the side.
What Do You Need To Flip Books On Amazon Using Keepa?
- Computer – A computer or laptop will most likely end up being your biggest cost when starting your online arbitrage journey with books. You might get away with using a cell phone, but in my opinion, you would most likely hate it and end up being frustrated trying to read graphs on a tiny screen.
- Keepa Subscription – I could not flip books online without a Keepa Subscription. This one investment has made me more profit than anything I’ve ever done online. I would stay away from any other service that says their software finds profitable books to flip. You can go straight to the source using only the Keepa software.
- Amazon Seller Account – Of course, to sell on Amazon, you will need a seller account. At the time of writing, you can choose an Individual Seller Account or a Pro Seller Account. The difference is that the Individual is free, but you will be charged an extra $1.00 per item you sell on Amazon, whereas the Pro Seller is a flat $39.99 per month, but does not have the $1.00 additional charge that the Individual Seller Account has. I recommend getting your feet wet with the free account just to learn the ropes. If you think you will sell more than 40 items a month, then the Pro Seller Account will be your move.
- Prep Center (Maybe) – I’m not sure I would be selling books on Amazon if it weren’t for having a prep center. I work other jobs and I don’t have the time to manually inspect, package and ship every book to Amazon FBA. Working with a prep center makes your life so much easier and it feels good to not have to touch a single book before it arrives at the Amazon Fulfillment Centers.
- Printer – If you choose to not go the Prep center route, which may be a wise choice for a beginner, then you will need a printer. I’ve gone through a handful of printers over my many years, so I’ve had my share of cruddy printers. I recommend getting a simple, black and white laser printer and it should handle everything you need. Ink lasts forever in these things and you can always buy off-brand ink when it finally does run out.
- Labels – This is another item that you will need if you choose to not use a prep center. Some decent half-sheet labels can be purchased in plenty of places and will give you two labels out of every sheet of paper.
- Boxes – You will want some sturdy boxes to ship your books into Amazon if you’re not using a prep center. Shipping companies don’t go easy on boxes and when you are sending 40 lb boxes of books, you need to be able to trust that the box is not going to burst in shipping.
- Tape Gun/Tape – A solid tape gun with some quality tape is another must have if you’re going to ship your own books in. The quality of the tape actually matters here so make sure you’re reading reviews. Some tape can be pure trash and the last thing you need is an open box of books spilling out on the way to Amazon.
- Spreadsheets Software – Having some sort of spreadsheet software allows you to keep up with all of your information when buying books to flip. I like to record much of the information at the time of purchase so when tax time shows up it’s much easier to look over your records.
What Do I Specifically Use To Flip Books Using Keepa?
Now that I’ve given you a general idea of what you need to have to start flipping books online using Amazon and Keepa, I’m now going to be a bit more specific. I’m going to show you EXACTLY what I use in my own business every single day. If it works for me, there a good chance it will work for you as well.
My Book Flipping Office Setup
Office Chair – I find myself sitting in a used Herman Miller office chair that I found on Facebook. I purchased it for $40. You will spend plenty of your time at a desk. May as well be comfortable right?
Adjustable Desk – Because I don’t like sitting ALL the time I picked up a FEZIBO Height Adjustable Electric Standing Desk so that when my butt gets numb, I can stand up. It’s been enjoyable to have this desk and go from sitting to standing in just a few seconds. I did have one issue with the controller, however, I contacted the company and sent a video of the issue and they immediately replaced the controller for free. That’s pretty good customer service if you ask me!
PC with Dual Screen Setup – I seriously didn’t believe people when they said how nice it was to have a dual-screen monitor setup on their PC. Goodness, does it change the game! Having dual screens allows me to have Keepa charts up on one side and my spreadsheets open on the other. My desktop is a simple HP Elite 8300 that I’ve now been using for 3 years and the only internals I’ve added were a bit more Memory RAM. I have a BenQ 27″ Monitor as my main monitor and an old Dell monitor for my second screen. This has been my exact setup for the last 3 years and is still going strong and wasn’t very expensive to get into.
My Software Being Used For Keepa Book Flips
Keepa Subscription – As mentioned above, this has been a game changer for my online book sales. A must-have for anyone wanting to flip and sell books online without leaving your house.
Inventory Lab – I don’t recommend Inventory Lab for new sellers. If we’re just being honest, I don’t really recommend it for anyone, but I haven’t taken the time to leave yet. I just wanted it to be known that I still use Inventory Lab through my prep center.
Google Sheets – I use Google Sheets for all of my spreadsheet needs. I’ve never had a reason to pay for spreadsheet software when this can be used for free.
Little Owl Prep Center – I’ve only ever used one prep center. Little Owl has always taken care of my needs and I’ve never seen a reason to even try another book prep center. They take my books, accurately grade my books, list them, and send them in for a very reasonable price. They aren’t the only book prep center, however. With a little research you should be able to find quite a few book prep centers, so just research them and find the one that fits you best.
Physical Items For Shipping In Books (Before I Used A Prep Center)
Brother HL-L2340DW Laser Printer – This, in my opinion, is the king of no frills, laser printers for any home business. If you need a printer for labels only, then this is the printer for you. Simple and solid, this thing is a workhorse!
Heavy Duty Boxes (Home Depot) – Back when I would ship in my own boxes of books, I was loyal to these heavy-duty boxes from Home Depot. Working in the shipping industry, I know how bad boxes can be treated in transit. These heavy-duty boxes will stand up to most of the abuse on their travels to the Amazon distribution centers.
MF Half Sheet Labels – I’m loyal to this brand label. I don’t know alot about the brand, I only know that they’ve worked well for me and never seem to have issues being used on my Brother printer or issues sticking to the boxes.
Tape Gun/Tape – My tape gun is a Veritiv Tape gun but I don’t have any links to them. I honestly don’t even know where I even got it to be honest. Tape is a little more important to me though. I use Tape King Packing Tape for all of my box-taping needs. It has proven to be a super strong, but not overly expensive tape and sticks well to anything I’ve had to use it on.
This list should give you a pretty good starting point on what to expect needing when you first start attempting to flip books on Amazon using Keepa. Of course your needs may be completely different than mine, but in general I imagine it will be mostly similar. In future posts I plan on diving more into how to use some of these tools, especially what to do with your Keepa Subscription. I will update and post links to them as needed.
-Brian (KeepaBookFlips.com)