Selling used books on Amazon isn’t the money maker it was a few years ago. When we first started listing used books on Amazon in 1999, you didn’t need a large inventory of books to make a nice part time income. Now, there are so many sellers selling GOOD books for a penny it’s difficult to find many books to really make it worth your time.
That doesn’t apply to selling textbooks though! There is a great deal to be made selling used textbooks online. Many students still haven’t realized the benefits of selling their last semester’s textbooks online rather than selling them back to their school’s bookstore for much less than they could sell them for themselves. Then there are those that want to keep their textbooks for whatever reason, not thinking about how quickly the information is outdated. They may not be aware of how much they can sell them for, even if they didn’t pay full price for them.
My son goes to a private college and many of the students there don’t care about keeping their textbooks OR selling them. My son and his roommate made several hundred dollars last year just selling textbooks offered on a giveaway table at school. If you or someone you know is a student at a college, there are many places to find used textbooks that still have significant value, some close to $100 or more. I’ve even seen tents set up around our community college with the sign “We Buy Your Textbooks”. There is a way to look up what a textbook is currently worth and can be reasonably certain it will sell for.
HOW And WHERE To Sell Used Textbooks:
There are a few ‘tricks of the trade’, but it’s really quite easy to sell textbooks online. Amazon is the venue of choice, offering you traffic that can’t be matched. However, you will pay the highest fees selling on Amazon. Half.com, an Ebay company, is different from selling on Ebay directly. Their fees aren’t much less, but you do save a little on fees. You will not receive the traffic you’ll find on Amazon. (You will find the best prices on textbooks on Half.com is you’re purchasing them, though!) If you are an experienced Ebay seller, many find Ebay to be the most profitable – but the lowest rate of sales.
Selling a book on Amazon is as easy as clicking on “Sell Your Stuff” and following the prompts. Making a reasonable business out of doing this takes a little training which fortunately is free for the study on Amazon and other major sellers.
Amazon’s Webinar On Selling Textbooks is FREE
Amazon offers a great deal of help for their online sellers, and is offering a webinar Wednesday at 10 am, Jan 13th specifically to help textbook sellers. You can find information on this webinar, and details and fees for selling any book in Amazon’s Marketplace. Books aren’t the only item you could sell on Amazon, you can sell unwanted CD’s, DVD’s, videos games and much, much more.
There are several books (available on Amazon, of course!) that will help you get started selling online, but always check the copyright date. Selling online has changed dramatically in the last five years, even the last few years, so be sure it’s offering you very current information. It’s very easy to sell a book on Amazon, but difficult to make a decent income doing so. It is possible to make a healthy income selling used books online, and is an excellent home business for homeschoolers. The hardest, and most important, activity is finding the right books to sell. Excellent customer service is also critical.
Click here to find information on selling textbooks on Amazon and their webinar this week: https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=200270440
Details and where to start selling books on Amazon: http://www.amazonservices.com/content/sell-on-amazon.htm?ld=AZFSSOA
Christine Miller has written a good book recently on selling books on Amazon for stay-at-home moms. Anyone that needs to make money on a crazy schedule at home will find this book useful, not just SAHM’s! Check out How to Sell Books on Amazon: The Stay-at-Home Mom’s Secret Guide to Selling Used Books on Amazon
I have sold some books on amazon but have found some books sit for to long. Last semester I listed a bunch on amazon and half and sold quite a few. My strategy was to take all of the stuff that didnt sell right away and I sent it to http://www.sellbackyourbook.com. They offered less then I had them listed on amazon for, but the books seemed like duds to me since they were not selling and they actually bought them.
-Richard
At least you got your money back for the books before they lost their value, but sometimes it’s all in your pricing and description. When I buy a book on Amazon, I’m much more likely to buy a book from a seller that tells me more about the condition of the book. It takes a little longer to list the book, but it usually pays off. Thanks for the tip!
there are mnay used books online and the price is cheap too but i wonder if the quality of it is good *;-
If you have a hard time finding good books or textbooks to sell, you can also try selling regular products. If you find a product on sale locally or for a great deal, you can buy it and then sell it on Amazon. You can even ship your products to Amazon in bulk, and they’ll take care of shipping the individual orders to your customers.
Just looking around and found your site – thanks for the share.
I’ve recently been listing books on Amazon. I sold 2 within the first week however the last book I listed at 15 dollars (the going rate for the $100 book) but after amazon took out their portion and it cost me 9 bucks to ship (amazon offers a set price of 3.99 for standard shipping)I only made 3. I’m considering taking off my heavier books because it’s not gonna be worth it
We have run into that problem, also. Adding more onto the price can be a solution, altho it may price your book much higher than others. We also make sure to remove the expedited option. It must have been a BIG book! Do you use the media mail rates?