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Step 1
Decide in which genre of books you want to specialize. Sell books in a genre that sparks your passion, so you will enjoy the process of choosing the books to sell, marketing the books and actually selling the books.
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Step 2
Begin collecting books to sell, starting with going through your own library of books. You can also find good used books at garage sales, flea markets, new and used book stores, thrift shops, Goodwill, the Salvation Army, library sales, book fairs, antique sales and estate sales.
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Step 3
Choose a spreadsheet or database program, such as Microsoft Excel or Microsoft Access, to help you keep track of the books in your inventory. It is essential to your online used book store's success to stay atop of your inventory and your sales.
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Step 4
Obtain a State Resale Tax Identification Number as customers in your state will be required to pay sales tax on their purchases. You can apply for a tax ID number by going to your state's Department of Revenue website.
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Step 5
Choose a name for your online used bookstore and then register the name with your city or state. Be sure to also purchase the domain name so you can create and publish your online used bookstore's website.
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Step 6
Write detailed and accurate descriptions for each book in your inventory, including the bibliographic information such as ISBN number, publisher and copyright date. If you're not sure how to write such a description, visit any of the larger online bookstores, such as Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com, to see how it's typically done.
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Step 7
Design or have a website designed for your online used book store, keeping in mind that you'll have to have a way, such as by credit card or PayPal, to accept your customers' payments. Make sure that your online used book store is easy to navigate and includes photos of your inventory when possible.
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Step 8
Get the word out about your online used book store. In addition to writing press releases and submitting them to local newspapers and radio and TV stations, spread the word online by blogging about your new online book store and by chatting about it with book lovers on message boards.
