GUIDELINES FOR SELLERS TO SELL

Recently, we have noticed that in the retail selling realms of books on spirituality, religion, metaphysics, and the occult there seems to be a reasonable pattern of price. This reasonableness of book price takes into account all the variables from original cost, availability, rarity, and also, the higher costs of private and home publishing.

We thank the many, many thousands of legitimate boosellers and publishers for their dedication and hard work, but also for keeping their prices secure and "inside of a realm of reasonableness." CONGRATULATIONS !!!

You, the Booksellers, have managed to do this at least since a student of Johannes Gutenberg, Master Johan Neumeister along with his lifetime friend Evangelista Angelini (who had introduced printing in Foligno in in 1470) published the first printed editon of Alighieri Dante's Divine Comedy to the public. Ladies & Gentlemen Printers, Publishers, and Booksellers, You have done Your Job Well for 439 consecutive years. Also, you continually sold an object called "the printed, word, magazine, broadside, newspaper, booklet, and book...that stimulate the human mind in a strong, on-going fashion. Again Congratulations.

Now, however,there is a double problem to be faced. There are many spiritual and metaphysical "knowledge items" on the market. They range from DVDs, CDs, Recorded Tape, as well as blogs, Utube, and also specific items, pendants, rings, stones, and so on - All of these related to the selling to people of "the expansion of personal knowledge, experience, human understanding of humans, and needed personal powers.

However, unlike the entire publishing trade (dating from Guttenberg's Bible and first secular publications ), this newer and younger "hermaphrodite child of Original Media" (Original Media being Guttenber's Galaxy; see Marshall McLuhan), has not been able to substantiate itself in the long-term market place, because, frankly, most sellers and most buyers, do not understand the rules of public trade. The idea of selling at what the market would bear is totally destroyed by Alexander the Great (we create a unified standard of balance for different coinages), Emperor Neron of Rome (we have to have one standard for coinage, and no selling of estimated future gains from this coinage), Thomas Aquinas (charging interest is a sin), William Penn & John Woolman (value is understood through need, group welfare, and supply of goods and availability of working people),(Karl Marx ("The Rules of Surplus Value"), The Credit Mobilier Disaster of 1867, The Great Cooldifge Depression of 1929, and the list goes on...

This New Realm of Selling Metaphysical Objects, needs to actually carry out a very simple act. This Act is: try to determine a moderate, fair, and successful price for all their Metaphysical Goods. I have seen price ranges on the same item go from $20-$5,000. This is truly a form of blatant ignorance. Split the difference? If so the math would give the answer of $2,510. for the item. So for this example the market cost might well be approx. $100-$150.

But what about a lesser range? Say $20-$280 for an item. Spliting the difference would make te item equal $150. Better, but not great. The lower seller can easily be screwed by the seller of the higher priced item claiming, the less expensive item is "to cheap to be real". Perhaps a more reasonable price would be near or around the$50. mark.

But still, this is an elaborate form of guessing. Is it not? And therefore the same problems will recur, be manipulated, and used in various interpretations creating a confused mess.

Here we present a possible algorithm as solution to this problem:

First: Create Categories of sale such as "A Spell Kit", "A 925 ring Spell-bonded or Infused", "A small pendant (less that 1 inch long or wide); a large pendant (anything bigger), items with similiar precious stones, gold, or antiquity.

Second: Go thru the auction sites and find 100 items (all total --but from at least 30 different sellers) for each group.

Third: Look for any items that "spike". In other words, you might have 99 items beTWeen $20 and $46 per/each and one for $290. The $290, is a "spike". It is either really or considered, more valuable for a very specific reason or belief. Thus buying this item makes it a very personal decisiion, but should NOT be used to create standard pricing. Remember eliminate the "Spike" from you calculations.

Fourth: What about minor variables in cost? The initial range found allows for a variable of say (using our example: _ less cost $22 or $25. More initial cost $25 to $46.00.

Fifth: Can one sell for much more than that? You bet ! But you are creating Surplus Value where there is none and pricing yourself out of the market. Sure, go do it ! Just make sure you are just charging more and not trying to manipulate the market in your favor by making negative claims and waging attack campaigns in any way against the others.

Sixth: Can one sell at a much lower price? You bet ! But if you do:
1. You may not be able to stay in business.
2. You may lower the market price to where sellers drop out because they can
make more money with less grief washing dishes in a diner.
3. By sellers being either driven out of the market by those who want
Monopoly or lowering the market value to where sellers abandon the entire
specific market -------YOUR MARKET IS GONE...BUDDYROO...and wont come back.

So there is the basis for a solid, on-going, "Happy Market"...that could grow at a healthy 7.5% per year forever....or a "Bad Market" that could go nuts and fad...and have a growth cycle of 75% per year for 2.5-3.00 years and then disappear.

Solidity and Good Life or Deep Wobble and Bad Life. Its your call folks. One way to make things easier is to network with other friendly sellers, but network on this topic alone.

Just remember, Mr. Greed, is just around the corner. An immunization for Mr. Greed, is The Journals of John Woolman. It has been in print since 1811. John Woolman, literally was the Saint of Modern Business and no fool. For immunizing yourself against Mr. Madness, read Charles Mackay's Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds....

The Pet Rock smiles in its recent retirement from public life and assures us all of his continuing well being and friendliness.