Old College Textbooks

[bjmzl]

Does anyone know a good online place to sell used books.

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

Amazon.com

We have sold all of DH's textbooks there for almost as much as we paid for them in the first place.

Listing is super easy. You don't do anything other than enter the ISBN number, condition and price. You ship the item then Amazon deposits the money into your checking account.

You can also ship your items directly to Amazon and for a fee they handle it all for you from there and just pay you when something sells.

 

[collegejunkie]

i agree with amazon. when you sell your books back through an organization like belltower books or anyone, they are just buying them to put on amazon.

 

[ThisIsTheYear]

Amazon.com

We have sold all of DH's textbooks there for almost as much as we paid for them in the first place.

Listing is super easy. You don't do anything other than enter the ISBN number, condition and price. You ship the item then Amazon deposits the money into your checking account.

You can also ship your items directly to Amazon and for a fee they handle it all for you from there and just pay you when something sells.

OP- I'm sorry for hijacking your post.

ClarabelleCowFan- How old were the books that you listed on Amazon? Thanks!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

OP- I'm sorry for hijacking your post.

ClarabelleCowFan- How old were the books that you listed on Amazon? Thanks!

They were all fairly recent. The oldest one was probably from 2002. DH is working on his third Masters degree now so as soon as he completes a class we sell the books before the next semester starts. It has worked out great so far. A couple of books we even made a profit on!

You can search on Amazon and see what each title is selling for currently then just price yours a couple of dollars lower than the lowest priced one so yours sells quickest. Check weekly though because other sellers will do the same thing and you always want your item to be among the lowest priced for condition.

Another great thing about Amazon is that they don't charge you any selling fees upfront to list the items and then they take their fees out of the money they collect from the customer and just send you the balance. All you pay up front is the shipping charge. Just use Media Mail rates for books and it won't be more than a couple of dollars.

Good luck! We love selling on Amazon!

 

[pam95]

I've used AbeBooks and Half.com.

AbeBooks buys your books from you and either credits your PayPal account or sends you a check. It's really easy. You search their database, and if you like the price that they offer you, then you just print out a postage prepaid label, pack them up and send them in!

With Half.com, you list your items and wait for individuals to purchase them from you.

 

[ssawka]

I also agree with Amazon.com Why pay commission to a middle man? When I was working on my Master's, I used to buy all my text books on Amazon and then at the end of the semester sell them on amazon. I don't think I spent over $10 to "use" any book over the semester.

 

[KigerKat]

It depends on how old the books are. Yes, you can sell pretty much any book on Amazon, but if there are newer editions of your textbooks, then you're probably only going to get about $10 or less for them - most in the $2-$5 range.

I'm a current college student, and I never buy books in the college bookstore. I will always search online for the best price and then try to sell them back right away when the semester is over so I can try to recoup the money I first spent.

A little off topic but slightly related, but I will say that when buying textbooks online, check with your instructor about using previous editions. I have done this for several classes and saved hundreds. Yes, I'm usually not able to sell them back because I only spent about $5 on them, but I don't mind taking a $5 loss.

 

[daughtersrus]

I've been selling my DDs books on Amazon for about 6 years now. I've found that I get the best price the closer that it gets to the start of a new term. For example, DD#2 has been home since last week. I won't list her books until late July or early Aug. The closer you get to the start of the session, generally the higher price I get. Of course, this is assuming that the edition is the most current.

 

[annsteere]

I sell at half.com

Used to use amazon, but they have a return policy that can be a real problem. Twice I've had someone buy my book, keep it for a semester and then return it!

I do occasionally sell other books on amazon. But, until they adjust their return policy for textbooks, I prefer half.com

 

[mystic.wind63]

Amazon, Half.com etc are good. Craigslist is good as well but it's a lot more work. And I don't feel comfortable meeting with strangers this way.

Overall, I'd use a textbook search engine like Textbook Genius to compare buyback prices. You can easily see what all the major sites are willing to pay you.