Give Your Books Another Life
While youre trying to figure out where to sell used college textbooks online, someone else is trying to figure out where to buy used college textbooks. Its the circle of life in the book world, and your resale earnings could be helping to save a fellow student or teacher a few bucks.
Enter your books ISBN now and get ready to earn!
Benefits To Selling College Textbooks Online
The virtual textbook market can be highly competitive, but selling college textbooks online has quickly become the preferred alternative for most students, because it allows you to offer your books to a wider group of potential buyers.
Browse the internet to find other items that are similar to the one youre offering, so you can set your prices competitively. A quick way to do this is to jot down the ISBN of your book, and then search for it on an aggregate site that will list pricing from several buyers. Some students use this to get an idea of the items value before posting it online or selling it to a friend. This allows you to set your price and target prospective students that live nearby.
Once youve settled on a site to list your book, be upfront about the items condition. Then, pack it in a padded box or envelope, and use media mail to send it at a cheap rate.
To conclude, youve likely spent a lot on textbooks, so why not maximize your financial return? The sale of a used book can get you a little extra pocket change, and help your classmates, who also want to save cash by buying secondhand.
Alison Blankenship helps in the marketing department at TextbookRush. Alison uses her six years of work experience and her past college experience to help improve user engagement and simplicity for college students.
This article was originally published in September 2015.
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Check The Books Edition Before Listing It Online
You might have a super old and rare book on your shelf without even realising it. If youve got a really early edition of a book, particularly one thats fiction and therefore pretty timeless, it could be worth a small fortune.
The edition of a book could be the difference between a price tag of a few quid and thousands of pounds. Its definitely worth checking it out before listing the book online.
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Sellbackyourbookcom Best For Its Customer Support
Instant quotes Payment in 3 business days* Payment via PayPal or check Support response time: 2 mins*
Sellbackyourbooks is also a great site to sell textbooks and get great value for it.
Based on our research, this website offers the best deals across the web and their customer support team reaches back out almost instantly via the live chat on their website.
The selling process is very similar to the other websites on the list such as BookDeal, or BooksRun. Keep in mind though, Sellbackyourbook.com doesnt buy multiple books of the same title. Meaning, if you have more than one identical textbooks that you want to sell, you wont be able to do so on Sellbackyourbook.
Amazon Buyback: How To Turn Textbooks Into Gift Cards
If you want a quick way to offload all your old textbooks on Amazon, you can use the textbook buyback, or as they call it now the textbook trade-in program. Keep in mind that with the trade-in option, Amazon pays you in Amazon gift cards, not cash.
Also, you will likely only get around a third of what you would get going through the process to sell the textbook on Amazons marketplace.
The biggest benefit of the textbook trade-in program is its quick and easy. Amazon will pay you right away for your used textbooks . You dont have to wait for it to sell and you dont have to deal with returns .
Amazon will then guide you through the process to see if the textbook is eligible for the trade-in program. Theyre going to ask you some questions, such as:
- Is the cover and binding intact?: If you answered yes, the textbook is eligible.
- Are the pages torn or have major wrinkling from water?: If you answered no the textbook is eligible.
- are there notes or names on the cover? If you answered no the textbook is eligible.
- Do the pages have excessive writing or highlighting? If you answered no the textbook is eligible.
Then Amazon will ask to make sure that the ISBN matches the ISBN as shown. You have to put a check mark to make sure ISBN matches.
If all is well, you can then click continue to proceed with the next steps. It will then ask you to sign in with your Amazon account if youre not already signed in.
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Booksrun For Getting The Best Deals
Instant quotes Payment via PayPal or check Support response time : 48+ hours*
BooksRun is one of the best sites to sell college textbooks. You can buy, sell, or even rent used and new textbooks through them. They usually offer great deals for used books, however, from our experience their support team takes some time to reach back out via email.
Enter the books ISBN you want to sell and hit search to begin selling your college textbooks. The seller cart page will open where you can check out the books.
Youll be able to print the prepaid mailing label and ship your books within five days of placing your order after checking out the book.
Bookscouter Best For Comparing Offers
Instant quotes Payment via PayPal or check Support response time: 14 hours*
BookScouter is another excellent place to sell textbooks online. Similar to BookDeal.com, BookScouter acts as a search engine and finds you the best textbook buyback deals across the web. BookScouter get quotes from 30+ different buyback vendors to get the best textbook deal.
The site has been featured in publications such as LifeHacker, ABC, Consumer Reports, MSN, etc.
So if youre looking for a simple way to sell your college textbooks, BookScouter can tell you where to get the best deal.
Just run your textbooks ISBN, select the best deal, package the books, drop them at the nearest UPS, FedEx or USPS location. Keep in mind that these shipments can take anywhere from 3 to 10 days. More info on packing and selling via BookScouter can be found here.
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How To Decide If Youre Renting Keeping Or Selling College Textbooks
Every semester, I had questions I asked before I rented or purchased a book. Renting textbooks was a great option when I didnt expect to use the book beyond the semester, or if I didnt have the funds to shell out the full cost of the book but it has many disadvantages. Colleges are notorious for surprise fees, and any damage beyond the regular wear and tear could have resulted in me buying a book I never intended to purchase. Plus, some colleges make us return them before we take our finals which is beyond inconvenient!
Regardless, these questions can helped me pick which books remain, and which books to turn into cash.
- Did I actually use this textbook?
- Was this a textbook I used for a class in my major?
- Was it entertaining?
- Will I use this as a reference?
If I ended up answering yes to any of these questions, then Id consider holding on to it. Textbooks serve as an excellent way to refresh your memory when you forget small things about your college coursework like how to use the limit definition of a derivative. Or to remember what Judith Butler was really saying in her book Gender Trouble.
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What Else You Should Know About Textbook Buybacks
- You must create an account to sell your books.
- We will provide shipping updates along the way.
- We recommend that you use our shipping label. If not, you will be responsible for tracking & insuring the shipment.
- Payments may take 3-5 weeks from the time the item is received.
- There is a small fee to receive payments via check.
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Choose The Right Reseller
If youre not selling your books directly, finding the right reseller for your textbooks can take a bit of trial and error. One company can give you a really low quote or refuse to buy a book at all, while another company offers more.
It pays to shop your books around. You can use a tool like BookScouter to see which sites offer the best price for each book and which sites are currently accepting the titles you have.
Just type each books ISBN into the site. The website searches through 30 vendors who buy back books and lets you know which one offers the best price. From there, you can visit each vendors website to finalize the sale and arrange for shipping and payment.
Since many vendors have minimum buy-back amounts, it sometimes makes sense to go with a vendor thats willing to buy back several books rather than find a vendor offering the highest price on a single volume. Depending on how many books you have and the offers you get, you can sell your books to more than one reseller to get the most cash.
Also, the book titles resellers accept change over time. If they refuse a particular title one month, it can be worth it to check back later to see if theyll buy it.
How To Sell Used Books Online
Got loads of old books or used textbooks lying around, gathering dust on your shelves? Selling books online is a great way to make some extra income if you know how to play it right.
Credit: Unuchko Veronika Shutterstock
We all know how criminally expensive textbooks and academic books can be. So, if you can make some of your money back from them, its got to be worth a go.
The sooner you sell your used textbooks, the better. They become outdated quickly and, the more relevant they are when you sell them, the more money you can make.
Below, weve listed the best places to sell your books. On top of that, there is some advice on what to look out for when selling textbooks online.
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Bonus Idea: Rent Your Textbooks During The Semester
You can rent your books instead of buying and then having to resell them.
Pros: Students are willing to spend more money on textbooks when they really need them. By renting your textbooks during the semester, you can get money from students who didn’t plan ahead. You also have the opportunity to make more cash by renting your books several times.
Cons: There’s no guarantee that you will get your books back. Even honest people might simply forget to return them when they’re done. That means you’ll have to waste time finding them.
With a little planning, it’s possible to make a profit reselling your textbooks. Which method works best for you?
How To Sell College Textbooks For The Best Possible Price
There are plenty of ways to pay less for higher education, although you’ll typically make some trade-offs in order to keep costs down. For example, you can take some of your courses at community college or live at home while you study moves that can minimize costs for tuition or reduce living expenses while you pursue your degree.
In the meantime, you can also avoid buying unnecessary tools or gadgets you may not actually need for your studies. You can even rent college textbooks or buy used instead of investing in brand new editions that cost hundreds of dollars each.
If you do buy used textbooks in order to keep costs down, you should also know your savings don’t have to end there. Just like you purchased used textbooks, you can also turn around and sell them to recoup some of the cash you paid. This strategy can help you free up extra money you can use for the next set of used textbooks you need to finish your degree.
Once your class is over, you’ll probably never look at your college textbooks ever again. So, why not sell them to someone who can use them and earn some money at the same time?
College textbooks
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Best Places To Sell Your Textbooks For The Most Money
Youre a broke college student, and you want to get rid of the mound of books in the corner of your dorm. If you take them to the school bookstore, you know youre going to end up earning back a quarter of what you paid, if youre lucky. So, what other options do you have?
If youre willing to put in the time and effort, various online sites will help you sell your used books. You can choose to go with a book-focused online platform, a big retailer, or even your social networking apps to help you get rid of your books and build your bank account.
If youre interested in learning about the best way to sell used books online, youve come to the right place. Take the high road and sell textbooks online! Avoid the disappointment of waiting in line at the school bookstore for your pennies in return. Weve found some of the best options to generate the highest return on your academic books for the least amount of effort.
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Bring Your Old Books To Local Markets And Car Boot Sales
If you fancy selling second-hand books the good old-fashioned way, you could hire a stall at your local market or car boot sale. Stall rental prices vary massively depending on where they are and what they specialise in, but some start at just a few quid.
Obviously, this option requires a bit of legwork. Youll have to get all your books there and hang around while customers browse, but you might be lucky and sell everything you have in less than a few hours.
Look out for markets and fairs that specialise in books, and consider paying a visit before you commit to taking a stall. Nothing wrong with a bit of research .
Some markets will be more popular than others when it comes to subjects and niches, so do a bit of research to make sure youre choosing the right place to sell your books.
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Can I Sell My Textbook If It Has Writing Or Highlighting In It
A used book is generally considered to be in good condition if it contains highlighting, notes, or other markings. However, the book should be free of torn or missing pages and have a cover that is in good condition. In general, a used book should be clean in appearance.
If it has a lot of writing or highlighting, make sure you let potential buyers know that and consider offering the book at a lower price.
Best Places To Sell Textbooks Online
If you have used textbooks youre looking to get rid of, there are plenty of options available. Here are the ten best places to sell your textbooks for cash:
BookFinder is similar to BookScouter in that it shows you multiple vendors that are willing to purchase your books. Once youve searched for the ISBN, BookFinder pulls from popular sites like Amazon and BooksRun.
BookFinders textbook buyback partners provide you with a free shipping label, so you dont worry about shipping.
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What Is An Acceptable Condition For Books
The acceptable book condition largely depends on where you sell your books. But generally, the books shouldnt have water damage, and all the pages must be included. Also, the books shouldnt have any odors like mold or cigarette smell. For BookDeal, highlighting and notes should be less than 10 pages.
Sell Books Directly To Your College Bookstore
College bookstores are another easy places to sell both new and secondhand textbooks. They buy such books and resell them to students.
Dont carry your books and head out to the bookstore to haggle prices. You should first consult, via email or the phone, and get to know which books are in demand.
When you get the go-ahead to present your books, ensure that they come with as little damage as possible.
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Tips For Preparing To Sell Your Used Textbooks
If youre planning to sell your college textbooks, its important to keep them in good condition the state of your book determines how much youll be able to recoup when you sell it. Avoid marking the book, so dont highlight passages or write in the margins. Try to avoid eating or drinking while studying as well, and keep your book shelved when its not in use. Anything you can do to minimize wear and tear on the book as youre using it will help assure a maximum return once youre ready to sell it on.
Another important tip for selling your old textbooks is to do it as soon as youre finished with the book. Dont wait prices can and will drop when a book becomes less popular or if a new edition is released. While you leave it on your bookshelf, you could be losing any chance of reclaiming the money you spent in the first place. Given how pricey textbooks often are, thats no small chunk of change!