How to Get Cash for Used Books
- 1). Bring your books to a second-hand or vintage bookseller. Many of these businesses will pay you cash, particularly if your books have special value due to rarity or historical importance. Save some time and call ahead to make sure the store you've spotted is buying books; some may turn you away if their inventory is full, and some will buy books only at certain times. Be prepared to tell the bookseller the kind of books you have and their condition over the phone; some will be interested only in certain subject matter and only if the books are not too worn.
- 2). Sell your books online using a resale website. Many websites, some possibly local, specialize in the reselling of books; some are connected to major retailers such as Barnes & Noble. If your books are rare and can stand on their own as attractive resale items, consider highly trafficked sites such as eBay. Focus your selling on sites that will draw the right kind of consumer; if you have a first edition of a classic novel you would like to auction off, consider a site that allows potential buyers to bid on the product. Don't list the book on a site devoted to college textbooks.
- 3). Advertise the availability of your books if your collection targets a specific audience. If you've just graduated from college and want to unload your textbooks, place an ad on a free online classified site such as Craig's List, or place posters with your contact information on bulletin boards where students frequent. If your stock of books is education-related, you may be able to bypass the advertising completely and sell the titles to the campus bookstore or its competition.
- 4). Have a garage sale or invest in a table at a flea market. Used book purchases are often an impulse buy for individuals, so setting up shop in an area with a lot of walkers-by can get you cash for your used books, especially if they are priced reasonably. If you take this approach consider rock-bottom prices such as $1 per book and discounts for multiple buys, for example, five for $3. If you combine your book sales with other used merchandise from your home you can recoup the table investment and clear a profit.
Source...