selling old books

[flying_babyb]

like published in 1920's/ Where can I get the most money?

 

[eeyorethegreat]

I think it depends on what the book is, which printing, and the condition. For instance a book that is in superb condition, a rare or well sought after title, and a first printing could pssibly net you a fair hunk of change even a few hunks of change. But just becuase a book is from the 1920's or before even doesn't meen there is a market for it especially if the title is of no consequence, or if the binding is weak the pages, torn or brittle or if there is an old book musty odor. I suggest you do some research on the titles/authors that you have and go from there

 

[clarabelle]

One time I wanted to read an old classic -I can't remember which one.
I went to ebay and bid on a cheap copy without reading the description too closely.
Anyway when the book got here -it was about a hundred years old!
So evidently being old doesn't increase the value necessarily.
Maybe if you called an antique dealer or a used book store?
I would alse check on ebay and see what similar books are going for.

There is a forum for book people on Abe books
Good luck!

 

[cndij]

A search on Half.com is a good way to determine quickly if there is any demand. I had a book from the 20's that I thought might be worth something and there were quite a few of that addition on half.com for under $5.00

Alibris is a good place to sell rare books if it is really rare.

Half.com is a good place to sell books in general. If you have an Ebay account you are already in their system What I love about it is, if the books has an ISBN number on the back, listing is literally less than a minute. You punch the number in, it comes up with the full description, and usually even a picture of the cover, shows you how much other people have the book listed for right now for different conditions so you know how to price competitively. I moved a bunch of old cooking, gardening and medical books for my mom in just a few weeks. No a lot of money, but enough to buy new hardware for her kitchen cabinets on Ebay, she didn't want to spend the money otherwise, so was a win-win for us.
Cindi

 

[Crazy Hakim]

Half.com and don't forget Amazon.com
Search for your book on Amazon.com
Make sure you find the listing for the exact issue, release date.
Look to the right, under the "More Buying Choices"
Review the condition and asking price of those already being offered, and see if you can justify the best price for your condition.
One caution, Amazon.com sets the postage, so be sure you look carefully and if need be, adjust your asking price to cover any really heavy books.
I sell quite a few books and CD's on Amazon. Why? I like the 60 day listing, I like the fixed price and how I can clearly see all others being offered. I like being able to adjust my asking price at each re-listing (no fees if not sold). And finally, I feel I get a higher class of buyer, as opposed to ebay and half.com.

 

[laurafergie]

I am a bookseller. addall.com is the best search site to compare book prices. It is search engine that searches many book selling sites at once, including all that were mentioned. bookfinder.com is another, but it is owned by abe books, and as such filters quite a bit.

As far as learning to sell and recognize if your book is a particular edition, and condition issues and actually worth anything. Go to ebay's bookseller forum. In the upper right hand corner is a link to more information than you ever bargained for. For a very complete glossary of terms with some photos used in the business, go to abe.com and click on the help section.