Got Books? Get Cash
Clear a profit while clearing your shelves.
By Barb Webb
Salt Lick, Kentucky
Even the most avid readers don’t have endless storage space, which means we sometimes have to part with books. Happily, with just a little extra work, you can usually find readers eager to buy them, leaving you with more space and more money!
Here are my top five tips for selling your old books. (Connect easily to all Web sites mentioned our links page.)
1. Auction them
Groups of paperbacks, popular books, audio books and autographed copies sell well on auction Web sites like eBay.com and auctions.yahoo.com. Selling books in groups, rather than individually, generally attracts more interest in your auction and brings a higher return. Begin by looking at similar titles to see how much they’re selling for. Then calculate the auction fees and factor in postage before deciding if it will be profitable to list your books.
2. Consider consignment
Consignment programs are great for books in like-new or brand-new condition, and for best sellers. Check local resale shops to see if they have a bookshelf. Parenting and pregnancy-related titles are big sellers in children’s resale shops. On the Internet, companies like half.ebay.com and amazon.com allow you to list your books risk free, charging their consignment fee only when you sell the book.
3. Look into buy-back
If you have college textbooks, reference books or classic novels to sell, consider selling through a buy-back program. Visit your local college bookstore to see if any of your titles are eligible for resale. Then check Web sites like textbooks.com, campusbooks.com and ecampus.com for program details. As a bonus, most on-line companies pay the shipping costs to deliver books to them, so you have no out-of-pocket expenses.
4. Seek out collectors
Rare titles and collectibles are often worth more than other books. So explore the collector market before pursuing other options. Check with local used bookstores and antique malls to see if there’s any interest in your collections. The Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America (abaa.org) provides lists of booksellers who deal with collectibles, and a wealth of information on book selling and collecting. Also consider researching the value of your books at bibliofind.com and bookfinder.com, and selling them to a broader audience at Web sites specializing in rare books, like AbeBooks.com and cdickens.com.
5. Swap and trade
If you’re interested in buying new books, think about trading your titles for new ones. Start a book-trading group with family, friends and neighbors, or ask your library for help forming a local book swap. Web sites like frugalreader.com, bookmooch.com and paperbackswap.com broaden your options so you can trade nationally or even internationally with other readers. It’s a great low-cost way to keep your reading pile current and clean out your old books, since you’ll save about $4.50 on every book you swap instead of buying it new.
If you still have books left after exhausting your sales opportunities, don’t throw them out! Donate to literacy programs (check literacydirectory.org to find one near you), your local library or nonprofit resale shops like Goodwill (locator.goodwill.org). Your books still have a shot at finding a new home—and you may net a tax break, too!
Barb Webb is the author of The Mom’s Guide to Earning and Saving Thousands on the Internet.