Best places to sell old books online

Best places to sell old books online

Got loads of old textbooks sitting around on your shelves, just gathering dust? If so, you could turn them into cash. Just because you’ve finished with them, it doesn’t mean that some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed fellow student couldn’t put them to good use!
Here, we’ll give you the lowdown on some of the best places to sell your books, including how easy it is to sort out and how much money you could potentially make.
Amazon
amazonIt’s not just Amazon which sells books on its website – anyone can sign up and sell books to an audience of millions of people.
If you want to sell less than 35 items a month (which will definitely be the case, unless you’ve been hoarding books for years!), you’ll just need to sign up for a basic account. This will take less than ten minutes.
After that, it’s just a case of uploading the details of your books and waiting for someone to buy them. There’s a 75p one-off fee, as well as a small charge per item, which is 15% plus 14p.
The great thing about selling on Amazon is that it’s where people go when they look for books. If they search for a title and see that you’re selling it slightly cheaper just because it’s been used a few times, they could be very likely to buy from you.
Ebay
eBayIf you haven’t already sold your unwanted items on Ebay, it’s definitely worth having a look. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, and that certainly seems to be the case when you look at the wide variety of goods that people are managing to flog!
You’ll have to pay a listing fee, which varies depending on the value of your item. Look out for special deals, such as weekends when you can list items free of charge.
It works the same way as an auction, so if your books are in high demand, you’ll probably end up making a good chunk of money. Even if you aren’t sure how much you could make, you can set a reserve price so you only have to part with your books if you’re happy with the offer.
Setting up an account and listing your items is a fairly painless process, and will usually only take about ten minutes.
Make sure that you carefully select your titles and keywords to ensure your books are found by the right people. So, for example, if you’re selling a book about accountancy, include words such as ‘business’ and ‘finance’ in your listing.
Ebay is also a great place to look if you’re looking to save money buying books.
Abebooks
abebooksAbebooks is probably the lesser heard-of book selling website, but you’ll be amazed at just how popular it is with those in the know.
In fact, it has over ten years of online book selling experience, and offers millions of titles. It works in a similar way to Amazon, but there’s also the option to sell your books on to collectors or other sellers, which might be a good idea if they’re rare or collectors’ items.
There’s a £17 monthly subscription fee if you’re selling less than 500 books, which could add up if you don’t manage to sell all of your books quickly. On top of this, you’ll pay 8% commission for every sale. Again, the system is easy to use and you could be up and running in less than ten minutes.
Blackwell’s
blackwellsBlackwell’s specialise in academic books, so it makes sense to consider them if you’re selling your old textbooks. If you’ve bought your books from a Blackwell’s store, you can return them when you’re done and receive up to 40% cash-back. This is a great option, as you already know exactly how much you’ll receive, and it’s guaranteed that you’ll receive the money.
It’s really easy, too. Just take the books back to the store with your proof or purchase to get your cash.
Noticeboards
If you have a look round your university, you’ll probably notice that students are trying to sell their used textbooks by putting up posters on noticeboards.
If you’re on a very specific course, this could be a great option, as you’re advertising somewhere where people who need those exact books will be hanging out.
Most of the time it’s free to put up a notice, and you’ll probably be able to charge a decent amount for the books. It’s one of the easiest options too, as it just requires jotting down the titles and your contact details on a piece of paper!
Local markets and car boot sales
If you fancy doing it the good old fashioned way, you could hire a stall at your local market or car boot sale. Prices vary massively depending on where they are and what they specialise in, but some start at just a few pounds.
Obviously this option requires a bit of legwork. You’ll have to get all your books there and hang around while customers browse, but you might hit on lucky and end up selling everything you have in less than a few hours.
With this option, it really is just down to luck. It could be the case that an A-level student who’s planning to study your degree next year is having a browse, and wants to buy all your books at a bargain price. On the other hand, you might discover that no-one is interested in what you’re offering.
Look out for markets and fairs that specialise in books, and consider paying a visit before you commit to taking a stall. You could find out a lot about the average clientele.

When it comes to picking the best place to sell your specific books, it’s all about trial and error. Have a look around in the various places and see what’s available.
Some places will be more popular than others when it comes to subjects and niches, so do a bit of research to make sure that you’re choosing the right option for you.
Have you made cash from selling on your used textbooks? What methods did you use, and would you recommend them to others?