How to Start an Online Business Selling Used Books

Book lovers often dream of starting a business selling books. The internet has made it possible for those booklovers to start their own online bookstore, which is a much simpler business model than a bricks and mortar bookstore.

Follow the steps in this article to learn how to start a business selling used books.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Determine what your source of inventory will be.
   
   This can be the most difficult part of starting an online bookselling business. Used books are available at garage sales, estate sales, library sales, and used book stores. You can also place free ads on Craigslist and similar sites offering to buy used books.

2. Determine what your selling venue(s) will be.
   
   Used books are sold on eBay and other auction sites, Craigslist, sites dedicated to selling books (Alabris, etc.), and the world's largest bookselling site: Amazon.com. Vintage books can even be sold on craft sites like Etsy.
   
   Different books might require different venues. Textbooks will do well on Amazon while collectible books do well on eBay. Do your research about the best place to sell the kind of books you'll be acquiring.

3. Obtain, prepare, and price your inventory.
   
   Now is the time to hit the road and gather your inventory. Once it's in hand, clean it up, photograph it if necessary, and price it for sale. Place your listings on the site(s) you chose in Step 2.

4. Gather shipping supplies.
   
   Online bookselling requires shipping the product to customer. You will need plastic or bubble wrap, envelopes, and shipping labels. Postage can be purchased at the post office or, more conveniently, online.

5. Refine the process.
   
   You may find that a particular kind of book is more profitable or easier to find. Similarly, one site may work better for selling than another. Continue to refine the bookselling process depending on individual circumstance.

Resources

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

[ceholmes]

on 7/29/2009 gret article! I will look into this! recom

[booksalemanager]

on 6/29/2009 Our site is a new online directory of used book sales. We have added feature such as zip code searching and email notifications when new sales are listed in your area.

This may help some readers with where to look for books for resale.

Check us out at www.booksalemanager.com.

Also if you have any questions, feel free to contact me through the site.