Yes, You Can Still Make Bank Selling Your Old Books
I remember the stress of spending thousands of dollars on books in college. Yes, this was before pdfs. I’d try not to spill coffee or beer on them so I could sell them back later.
There are a number of ways to sell used books online, and yes, you can do this at home. Start by selling the books you aren’t going to read from around the house.
Figure Out Your Book’s Value
There’s a great app called Scout IQ that lets you enter the book ISBN and will spit out a general worth. This is like the coin collector’s Red Book I had growing up.
You can change these triggers yourself, but they provide a good starting point.
The app will either tell you to “accept” or “reject” a book when you scan it based on:
eScore – How many days in the last 6 months at least one copy of the book was sold.
Sales rank – It looks at the sales rank for the book, with #1 being the best seller in a category.
Profit – It calculates an estimated profit after fees.
The “live” version costs $14/mo. This version pulls the latest pricing information from the Internet while you’re out scanning items. If you have a weak data connection while sourcing, you can download a database of the latest prices for $44/mo. The database version is also much faster!
Look inside the books you have. Sometimes they will have signatures, inscriptions, etc from the author, or someone important. That changes everything. Sometimes paperwork (“ephemera”) that is more valuable than the book. Sometimes even cash. First Editions with dustjackets matter. One without can be $1.00, and one with can be $1000.
A good rule of thumb is to aim for a profit margin of at least 50%. However, this can vary depending on the demand for the book and the condition it’s in. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you can expect to make a reasonable income. $40,000 – $60,000 a year after a few years of learning the ropes.
Types of Books
As I mentioned textbooks are almost always a good sell. But only if it’s not an outdated version, so make sure universities are still using the version. You can do so by calling a couple of the bookstores at larger universities or reviewing their websites.
Non-fiction books tend to maintain value, especially ones with beautiful photos, but remember those need to be in great condition.
Religious books have fewer sellers so the competition is lower and once you build a relationship with the buyers they usually keep coming back.
Arts and crafts books are tried and tested especially as people embrace the slow movement, so books of sewing, crocheting, and gardening.
Sheet music tends to sell well too, but make sure it’s authentic since there are copyright considerations.
The holy grail of Books are the rare books. There are, by their very nature fewer of these, and fewer sellers. But like rare art, if you find good sources for these you will get the highest ROI. A few sources include bookstores that are closing, estate sales, and occasionally auctions.
Where To Find Valuable Books
The first rule of doing so is that most books are not worth selling. If you see Goodwill (or anyone else) selling them for only a few dollars, then those books definitely fall into the “not worth selling” category.
You can post on Nextdoor or Facebook that you’ll pickup books for free and begin to be known as the book nerd.
Library sales are good but unpredictable since in theory they know the value. For some books, they may have never been opened so are in good condition.
Other places he regularly finds books to sell include:
How to Prepare to Sell
Selling is about reputation so you need to make sure your listing reflects the condition of the book or your reviews and ratings will tank. So, first gently clean your books with acid free cleaners and keep them away from the sun and moisture.
If you sell at Amazon you have lots of competition, plus lots of fees - sellers fees and shipping. You may need to consider bundling multiples books, like a series to reduce costs.
Where to Sell Your Books
Around Your Town or City
Depending on where you live, you may have several choices of used bookstores. Places like Half Price Books will value your books and make an offer based on how much they think they can get for them.
You could make a bunch of money or just a few bucks. And you can usually opt for store credit rather than cash if you prefer.
A garage sale is a good place to try and sell books you couldn’t sell online or at a secondhand bookstore. You probably won’t make a ton of money; most shoppers at yard sale and estate sales want a quick bargain, just like you do.
Depending on where you live, you may be able to join a citywide garage sale to catch as many potential buyers as possible.
Amazon
The obvious choice for many is Amazon, but using this platform is also more complicated than the other options on the list.
How to Sell Books on Amazon
Open an Amazon seller account by entering your usual Amazon login (if you don’t have an Amazon account, you’ll need to create one here). Once you’re logged in, you’ll need to choose which countries you want to sell in.
Then, you’ll need to provide personal information about your country of citizenship, country of birth and a form of ID, such as a passport or driver’s license number, as well as information about your bank account (for Amazon to pay you for your sales) and your credit card (for Amazon to deduct the selling fees).
Next, you’ll select one of Amazon’s two fulfillment methods:
Merchant Fulfilled Network (MFN): You pack and ship every book that someone orders from you. Depending on the seller plan you choose (more on that later), you’ll either need to include shipping costs in the item price or set custom shipping costs separately.
Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA): You ship all your books to Amazon, and Amazon handles the packaging and shipping on orders. Choosing this option allows you to offer free two-day Amazon Prime shipping to your customers, which can help your listings stand out.
MFN requires more work on your part, but you’ll also have the freedom to choose your own shipping service, which could save you money.
Once you’ve set up your account and listed the books you want to sell, customers can find them using Amazon’s search bar.
How Much It Costs to Sell Books on Amazon
An Amazon seller account offers two plans:
The Individual Plan: This costs 99 cents per unit sold and is best for people who sell fewer than 40 books a month.
The Professional Plan This costs $39.99 per month and is best for people selling more than 40 books a month who also want to advertise. The fee will be charged every month you have active listings on Amazon.
For every item sold, Amazon sellers pay the company a referral fee, which is a percentage of the total price. For books, the referral fee is 15%. You’ll pay that in addition to the selling plan fees.
If you choose Amazon FBA for your fulfillment method, you’ll be charged a monthly fee for storing goods at an Amazon Fulfillment Center. The fee depends on how much inventory you’re sending them and the time of the year.
In addition, you may end up with refund fees, high-volume listing fees or a rental book service fee. A full breakdown of the other costs can be found here.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
Follow listing guidelines. Be as specific as possible about the condition of your item so customers know what they’re buying.
Be honest. If you list a book incorrectly on your seller account (for example, by saying it is in like-new condition when it shows signs of wear), you’re more likely to get negative feedback, which can lead to your removal from the platform.
Figure out your prices. Many sellers recommend adding up all of your costs and comparing that total to the book’s original value.
Who Should Sell Used Books on Amazon?
If you have a lot of new or gently used novels, children’s books or nonfiction books to sell, Amazon may work for you. However, if you only have a handful to unload, you may want to look elsewhere, as Amazon can end up costing you more in fees than you’d make from sales.
AbeBooks
Sellers who use AbeBooks are responsible for setting up their listings, storing their inventory and shipping their items.
How to Sell Books on AbeBooks
First, you’ll need to decide if you want to pay for a professional account or just sell a few items through the website’s Book Buyback section.
To do the latter, you then have to choose between Ziffit or TextbookRush as your partner. Unless you want to sell textbooks, your best bet is Ziffit.
You can search Ziffit’s database through its website or using its free app. You’ll either type in the book’s 13-digit ISBN or scan the barcode with your smartphone.
Once you find the book in the database, the service will display an offer.
How Much It Costs to Sell Books on AbeBooks
If you want a professional AbeBooks account, you’ll have to apply for it then pay $25 or more a month.
The free option is to sell your books through TextbookRush or Ziffit. Neither TextbookRush or Ziffit require you to pay for your shipping label — every book buyback gets a free trackable FedEx mailing label — but you’ll have to provide your own box.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
Keep your shipping label receipt. This is proof of shipping so you can use the free drop-off service at your nearest FedEx.
Sell frequently. Those who choose Ziffit get paid weekly either via PayPal or direct deposit, so selling more will get you a higher weekly payment.
Use the app. If you want to quickly scan barcodes rather than type in the entire ISBN, the Ziffit app is available on Google Play or the Apple App Store.
Who Should Sell Used Books on AbeBooks?
AbeBooks is known for selling rare or collectible books, so if you have any of those in your collection it’s worth considering this service. TextbookRush is ideal for selling textbooks (shocker!), while Ziffit is a good option for books that don’t fall into either of the aforementioned categories. Because Ziffit and TextbookRush are free to use, listing your books or opting for textbook buyback is a good money-saving option.
Etsy
You already use it to shop for cute, handmade goods, but you probably didn’t know there’s a whole community of people selling books on Etsy.
How to Sell Used Books on Etsy
Use your Facebook, Google or Apple login to create an account, or set one up using your email address.
Set up your shop by choosing a name, the currency you’ll accept and what items you want to list (including photos and descriptions).
You can choose to offer free shipping or have buyers pay for it. If you pick the latter, you can choose a rate or have Etsy calculate it for you.
The Seller Handbook has hundreds of informational articles to help anyone who is starting out.
How Much It Costs to Sell Books on Etsy
There are a few costs associated with selling items on Etsy.
Listing fees: You’ll be charged 20 cents for each item you list for sale.
Transaction fees: When you make a sale, you’ll pay 6.5% of the price you display for each listing.
Advertising and promotional fees: You can purchase paid advertising on Etsy. Learn more about those fees here.
Shipping fees: Etsy lets sellers in certain areas buy shipping labels to fulfill their orders. If you are outside these areas, you’ll have to pay for your own shipping label.
Etsy Plus: Sellers who are in good standing can sign up for Etsy Plus for $10 per month. Etsy Plus provides a variety of tools to help sellers grow their brands, as well as offers customization options and discounts on items like shipping materials and business cards.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
If you opt for free shipping, you’ll take the brunt of that cost yourself. But if you make buyers pay for shipping, they may choose a different vendor that offers it for free. It’s important to weigh both options to see which makes the most sense for your situation.
Who Should Sell Used Books on Etsy?
As with Amazon, using Etsy to sell secondhand requires more of a time investment, so it’s a good option for people who have a room full of titles rather than a shelf’s worth to list.
It’s also worth considering Etsy if you’re offering rare titles that also are in great condition.
BookScouter
Unlike the other sites listed in this article, BookScouter will scout several book-buying websites and let you know how much each is willing to pay for your titles.
How to Sell Books on BookScouter
Simply go to the website and enter the ISBN of each book you’re selling, then click “Scout.” The website will then show you a list of buyers along with the price they are offering for that specific title.
Once you’ve reviewed the offers, you can click “Sell” next to your chosen buyer and you’ll be directed to that buyer’s website to complete the process.
How Much It Costs to Sell Books on BookScouter
You can search BookScouter offers for free, but, depending on the offer you choose there may be some associated fees.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
BookScouter only shows you offers for your books from third parties. Before completing a sale, make sure you check the seller out to confirm they are legitimate.
Who Should Sell Books on BookScouter?
BookScouter is a good option if you have a small collection of books to sell. If your collection is larger, it might be better to go with a bigger platform like Amazon or Etsy.
