How to Sell Books
Repair any damage done to the book., Determine the price of your book., Look into selling your books online., Check for used bookstores in your area., Try selling your books at a yard sale.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Repair any damage done to the book.
If you have a pile of well-loved books that you’re trying to resell, the first thing you’ll want to do is get them in tip-top shape.
You’ll get a much higher price for a book that doesn’t have rips, bent pages, writing, or frayed edges.
Although not all of these things can be fixed, do your best to repair any damage done to your books.
Unfold any ‘dog-ears’ and remove old bookmarks or sticky notes, tape the edges to prevent them from fraying further, and patch any tears that might be visible.
For textbooks that are worth quite a bit of money, it may be in your best interest to purchase book-repair materials commonly used by librarians.
If you’ve written in your book, erase marks if possible or use white-out to cover up ink. -
Step 2: Determine the price of your book.
It may not always be easy to know how much a book is worth, but you should try to find a ballpark price range prior to selling it.
That way, you’ll know what to charge or whether you’re being offered a decent amount.
Check the price online of books in similar condition as your own; if prices vary, take several that seem ‘normal’ and take the average to get the price for your book.
If there are no other copies of your book on the market (it is a vintage copy or textbook), look at books similar to your own to gauge your selling price.
A damaged book will never be worth very much, no matter what the content is. , If you’re looking for ease and a quick sell, your best option for selling your used books is to try an online store.
Look for venues/sellers specific to your type of book
- textbooks, vintage, cookbooks, fiction, etc.
- and go through the process of registering online with them.
There are two general ways you can sell online: sell directly to a large buyer, or create a posting for your book that people can search.
The former gives you the fastest means of selling your books, but the latter gives you more control over price and where your books go.
Look on websites like Amazon or Ebay to see what their selling process is like.
If you don’t want to pay for shipping, look into possibly selling locally via a website like Craigslist. , Although chain bookstores tend to be the go-to for many readers these days, there are plenty of used bookstores around for those of us on the more frugal side.
Used bookstores get their stock from people trying to sell books.
You go in, drop off the books you want to get rid of, they search/price the books they want, and give you a quote for the total.
Used bookstores are nice because they get books off your hands immediately, but they may not buy all your books from you.
It is becoming more and more common for used bookstores to give store credit rather than hard cash for any books they decide to purchase from you.
Make sure you check on this policy before trading in your books.
Keep in mind that used bookstores can sell good-quality books for much more money, so if you’re trying to get rid of books that are bent up and damaged, they probably won’t buy them from you. , If the weather isn’t too bad and you have quite a load of books you’re trying to get rid of, it might be in your best interest to host a garage or yard sale.
Here, you’ll be able to set up shop and sell tons of books, fast.
Yard sales are a favorite hunting grounds of book lovers, as there tends to be a large variety for little cost.
Put your books on display, price them cheaply, and people will be snatching them up off your hands quicker than you can put them out! Advertise your garage/yard sale a few days in advance for the most traffic.
Place an ad in a local newspaper, or put up signs around your house so that people know where to come to.
If you have a friend with lots to sell, you can draw in more people by doubling up and creating a big yard sale.
Bringing in more stock from a friend will get people much more interested than just a few books sitting out on a table. -
Step 3: Look into selling your books online.
-
Step 4: Check for used bookstores in your area.
-
Step 5: Try selling your books at a yard sale.
Detailed Guide
If you have a pile of well-loved books that you’re trying to resell, the first thing you’ll want to do is get them in tip-top shape.
You’ll get a much higher price for a book that doesn’t have rips, bent pages, writing, or frayed edges.
Although not all of these things can be fixed, do your best to repair any damage done to your books.
Unfold any ‘dog-ears’ and remove old bookmarks or sticky notes, tape the edges to prevent them from fraying further, and patch any tears that might be visible.
For textbooks that are worth quite a bit of money, it may be in your best interest to purchase book-repair materials commonly used by librarians.
If you’ve written in your book, erase marks if possible or use white-out to cover up ink.
It may not always be easy to know how much a book is worth, but you should try to find a ballpark price range prior to selling it.
That way, you’ll know what to charge or whether you’re being offered a decent amount.
Check the price online of books in similar condition as your own; if prices vary, take several that seem ‘normal’ and take the average to get the price for your book.
If there are no other copies of your book on the market (it is a vintage copy or textbook), look at books similar to your own to gauge your selling price.
A damaged book will never be worth very much, no matter what the content is. , If you’re looking for ease and a quick sell, your best option for selling your used books is to try an online store.
Look for venues/sellers specific to your type of book
- textbooks, vintage, cookbooks, fiction, etc.
- and go through the process of registering online with them.
There are two general ways you can sell online: sell directly to a large buyer, or create a posting for your book that people can search.
The former gives you the fastest means of selling your books, but the latter gives you more control over price and where your books go.
Look on websites like Amazon or Ebay to see what their selling process is like.
If you don’t want to pay for shipping, look into possibly selling locally via a website like Craigslist. , Although chain bookstores tend to be the go-to for many readers these days, there are plenty of used bookstores around for those of us on the more frugal side.
Used bookstores get their stock from people trying to sell books.
You go in, drop off the books you want to get rid of, they search/price the books they want, and give you a quote for the total.
Used bookstores are nice because they get books off your hands immediately, but they may not buy all your books from you.
It is becoming more and more common for used bookstores to give store credit rather than hard cash for any books they decide to purchase from you.
Make sure you check on this policy before trading in your books.
Keep in mind that used bookstores can sell good-quality books for much more money, so if you’re trying to get rid of books that are bent up and damaged, they probably won’t buy them from you. , If the weather isn’t too bad and you have quite a load of books you’re trying to get rid of, it might be in your best interest to host a garage or yard sale.
Here, you’ll be able to set up shop and sell tons of books, fast.
Yard sales are a favorite hunting grounds of book lovers, as there tends to be a large variety for little cost.
Put your books on display, price them cheaply, and people will be snatching them up off your hands quicker than you can put them out! Advertise your garage/yard sale a few days in advance for the most traffic.
Place an ad in a local newspaper, or put up signs around your house so that people know where to come to.
If you have a friend with lots to sell, you can draw in more people by doubling up and creating a big yard sale.
Bringing in more stock from a friend will get people much more interested than just a few books sitting out on a table.
About the Author
Patrick Mendoza
Enthusiastic about teaching crafts techniques through clear, step-by-step guides.
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