How to Sell Second-Hand Textbooks
Not everyone has the space or desire to keep and store all the textbooks they purchase. Kids outgrow their tenth grade algebra textbooks and college students may no longer want the pile of textbooks after the end of a term. Biology textbooks that have served their purpose for one student may find new life in the hands of another. How much money you make back on your secondhand textbooks depends on finding the right store or person offering the highest price.
Other People Are Reading
Instructions
-
-
1
Sell your textbooks online; many online vendors make it easy to sell textbooks to them. For example, sites such as Bookfinder and eCampus allow you to type in ISBN numbers in an easy to use online form. You will immediately receive a quote as to the offering price for your textbooks. Most online book buyers also pay for shipping costs if you accept their offer.
-
2
Sell textbooks yourself by creating an online listing. Websites such as Amazon, Half.com and Craigslist allow users to sell textbooks directly to the next consumer. Choose your preferred site, create an account and list your textbooks for a price you'd like to get.
-
-
3
Contact a bookstore. Some bookstores such as Powell's Books in Oregon will buy used textbooks. Sellers can opt to sell textbooks in-store or through their online website. Powell's looks for current, up-to-date textbooks that have enough demand in their stores to justify a purchase. Powell's sets an online buy back minimum at three books or five dollars in credit to process an order.
-
4
Visit a college campus bookstore. Many college bookstores buy back textbooks in good condition. However, college campus bookstores may not buy all textbooks presented to them. Factors such as the bookstore's current stock and demand for the textbook in upcoming classes affect purchasing decisions.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Shop around. If you plan to sell textbooks online to a vendor, shop around for your best offer. One website may decline a particular textbook while two other websites make offers of $7 and $20 respectively. A few extra moments shopping around could increase your profits.
Check the competition. If you choose to list and sell textbooks online yourself, do a quick search to see the average listing price for your textbooks. Adjust your prices accordingly to get the quickest sale for the most profits.
Stay connected with your email. If you are listing and sell textbooks yourself, check your email at least once or twice a day for offers.
Factor in shipping costs. When selling textbooks directly to another consumer, factor the cost of shipping into your price. Sites like Amazon and Ebay allow you to enter a separate price quote for shipping and handling. Don't get stuck paying for shipping cost out of your own pocket.
Supply and demand affects price. College bookstores often deal in high volume returns of specific textbook. 400 students all using the same textbook equals a lot of returns. It's not uncommon for college bookstores to offer only a fraction of what you can get selling online.
If you know ahead of time you plan to sell your textbooks after a class, limit your highlighting and make minimal margin notes. Do not mark answers to sample questions in the textbooks. Purchasers may offer lower prices or flat out reject secondhand textbooks that have heavy highlighting and other markings.
References
- Photo Credit the books combined by a pile image by Oleg Guryanov from Fotolia.com
