How to Sell Used Books Online

Selling used books can be profitable if you know what you're doing.

Do you have books sitting around your house and collecting dust? Would you like to turn those books into money? Read on for a list of tips that will help you sell used books online.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

1. 

   FICTION BESTSELLERS

   First, let me save you some trouble. You might assume that fiction bestsellers would be a goldmine, right? Wrong. Because they're massed produced, these books won't bring much, if anything. So leave your John Grisham and Danielle Steele books alone for now and focus on other, more profitable books.

2. 

   COLLECTIBLE BOOKS

   You might do well do put older, more collectible books on eBay. Do your research first to see if a book you have is sought after. Read the 'How to Find Out What Will Sell on eBay' article under the resources section below.

   If you do decide to list on eBay, use an auction listing, which might generate a bidding war.

3. 

   CURRENT BOOKS

   For more current books, Amazon is the place to be. You can harness the power of this book-selling giant and become a seller with them. It's free to create a seller account and it's free to list. You only owe Amazon if your book sells and they take a percentage of the sales price.

   Listing on Amazon is easy too. There are no pictures to take or lengthy descriptions to write.

4. 

   TEXTBOOKS

   Don't overlook textbooks, which can often bring significant money. More recent books will bring the most, so don't sit on these too long. Again, Amazon or another similar online seller, is likely to be the best sales venue for these books.

5. 

   CHILDREN'S BOOKS

   Children's books are popular and can be good money-makers. If the book is old and collectible, follow the instructions under Step 2 above.

   More recent children's books do particularly well as lots (sets) on eBay. Children's books that do well in lots are Dr. Seuss books, American Girl books, and series books, like Goosebumps. Newbery and Caldecott award winning books also do well in lots.

6. 

   COOKBOOKS

   Don't overlook cookbooks when selling online. Older cookbooks can be quite sought after, particularly Betty Crocker cookbooks. Newer cookbooks by celebrity chefs will also do well. And those spiral bound church and community cookbooks that you didn't think were worth anything do surprisingly well in lots.

   eBay seems to be a good market for collectible cookbooks and cookbooks sold in lots. Again, follow the method outlined in the article under 'Resources' below to see what will be a good seller. Celebrity cookbooks and other individual cookbooks might do just as well on Amazon.

7. See more resources for selling used books online under the 'Resources' section below.

Tips & Warnings

• Books are easy to pack and ship, making them the perfect item to sell online.

• Books can be sent via the US Postal Service's Media Mail, which is a cheaper (although lengthier) method of shipping. It is probably best to give buyers a choice between cheaper Media Mail or faster Priority Mail.

• Vintage books of all kinds can be sold on Etsy.com. The exposure isn't as wide as eBay or Amazon, but the listing fees are much less expensive.

Resources

• How to Sell Used Books on Amazon: The Stay-at-home Mom's Secret Step-by-step Guide to Making Thousands of Dollars a Month
• The Home-Based Bookstore: Start Your Own Business Selling Used Books on Amazon, eBay or Your Own Web Site