A large stack of old university textbooks gathers dust along with some novels that were read while growing up. The books have been getting dusty for awhile now. Is this scenario familiar?
You may think you’ll need to open a textbook someday but likely you’ll do just fine “Googling” any specific piece of info you need. Instead of letting them sit unused for many more years, how about you sell them to customers who will have use for their knowledge?
It can be advantageous making some of that cash back from the college textbooks you spent copious amounts of money on. It’s best to dive in right away — the books will lose relevance as new editions come out. You’re more likely to make a good sum back if you sell them promptly. We’ve compiled some tips on selling your books online.
Consider Shipping Costs
When selling books online, you need to take postage costs into account. If the book is heavy, it will cost more to post. And if it’s a large book, the postage fee might be more than the book itself! Don’t forget to factor in packaging costs too — you don’t want your beautiful hardcover to be damaged in the post.
Assess Your Books
Without even realizing it, you may have a very old and unique book on your shelf. It might be worth a good deal if you have a particularly early edition of a novel, which would be treasured by book enthusiasts.
If a book is 1st edition, for example, you could earn thousands of dollars — depending on the book. It is extremely important that you assess the book before posting it for sale on the marketplace.
Compare Different Book-selling Marketplaces
The various book-selling websites may value your books at different levels. Each platform will offer their own specific pros and cons.
It is a good idea to consider which book-selling website will be a good fit for your particular type of books. For example, if you are wanting to sell a science fiction novel on a site that’s geared toward non-fiction biographies, you should look elsewhere.
Selling Books on Amazon
Selling second-hand books on Amazon is a great option as they are the biggest online bookseller in the world. It is free to become a seller and the sign-up process is quick and easy. Also, Amazon has an excellent customer base, so your books can be seen by a large number of potential customers.
Benefits of selling books on Amazon:
- Potential buyers across the world
- Reliable and easy-to-use site
- Good for textbooks and rare editions
Take Pictures of Your Books Before Shipping Them
When you sell your books online, you must send them in for the website to evaluate them. You have no way of managing the shipping and handling process of your items.
On the chance that your books will decrease in value as a consequence of water damage or other issues, pull out your camera! Before shipping the books, capture numerous pictures to document their condition.
Sell Discontinued Second-hand Books
There’s bound to be a group of customers on the lookout for specific titles that are out-of-print. You can make a decent amount from rare books or out-of-print novels. This market isn’t quite as saturated — you can set a higher price for these unique books.
Now you should have all the information needed to venture online and sell your old or unwanted books, to make some extra cash.
