Advice on selling books online

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Hey guys,

I was wondering if anybody had any experiences with selling books online. I have a couple books from my pre-req classes that I had no choice but to buy from my school book store and will never use them again. I have a book from my Lifespan Development class that I bought, spent $130 something for it, then when I took it to buy back they said they couldn't take it back because they have newer versions now. I literally went to every bookstore in my area, they wouldn't take it either. I don't want to take a complete loss for this book or any of the others.

Has anyone used Textbook Rush to sell their books? Or even the Amazon Trade-in program? Any other sources will work as well, I just need to get these books out of my room!

Thanks in advance.

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Specializes in PACU, pre/postoperative, ortho.

My son has used Amazon with no problems. I believe they give you Amazon credit rather than cash.

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Specializes in Medical-Surgical, Pediatrics.

I recently sold a book to Chegg. They give you two options to receive money: you can get a American Express card and Chegg will put money on it. Or you can get a Chegg credit. This was my first time doing this with them. My other option was to sell it on Ebay.

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day:

When I try to use Amazon, they typically offer 10% to 25% of the original purchase price even if the book is as closed to new as possible.

Is there any place where you can get 50% or higher when the book(s) are in excellent condition?

Thank you.

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You can trade in your books, but you'll probably get more money if you sell them. I have some of my books up for sale on Amazon; however, I will NEVER buy from a "student" seller on Amazon (like myself) - that's just me. The first time I purchased from a student (someone who had never sold anything before), they never sent the book. The second time, the person told me that they no longer had the book - over a week after I ordered it. They had sold one or two books before (a student). I had to scramble in order to get my book before my class started, and ended up paying 3x as much. Nowadays, I only buy from reliable sellers whose books are fulfilled by Amazon - and it helps that I have a prime membership (2 day shipping!).

Basically, anyone can set up a seller account on Amazon - it's pretty easy. The person will pay through Amazon and the money will be routed to your bank account. They take a small fee out of the purchase price and will add $3.99 so you can pay for shipping. You can set your own price, but you want it to be lower than or similar to the other prices you see or you won't sell it. Be sure to describe the condition of your book ACCURATELY (good, very good, etc.) and SHIP IT AS SOON AS YOU SELL IT. No one, including yourself, wants to receive a late textbook! You'll be notified by email when it's sold.

One more thing - It's always best to sell your books as soon as your done with them because the value goes down when a new edition comes out. I like to keep certain books (anatomy, etc) but I definitely have a bunch that I'll never look at again! Good luck!

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Well with any book, you're never going to get as close to the same amount as you paid for the book. Especially if there is a newer version out, which means schools will start switching to the newer book in due course and ultimately the book you own now will become priceless. That's how they make a killer with school textbooks. I honestly recommend doing either Amazon or Chegg, or you're going to be sitting on the book while the selling value goes even lower. You could possibly sell the book to another student from your school if the class requires it at a fraction of the cost.

I don't think you'd get anything above $40 and that's even a fetch. Just look around and see what people will give it to you for.

Goodluck.

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I think the best option is just to sell it to a student at your school. At my school the first week of class there's literally flyers EVERYWHERE with students selling their books from the previous semester.

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I would try the school or go through a student organization or FB page....even the advertise page/wall at the school.

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I absolutely forgot I could put flyers up at school! More than likely that's what I'm going to do. Thanks guys!

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Specializes in Hospice, Palliative Care.

Good day, everyone:

I've tried selling at our campus which has several FB groups for trade ins, selling, etc. The one time someone took a bite, they never showed up, gave excuses that it would be another week, then disappeared. I've tried craigslist in our area (of note, I didn't list our physical address, but set it up to meet at a local, public, market nearby); no bites.

Thanks to this thread, I found out there's a second way to deal with Amazon (I was trying the trade in program) where you can be a seller. While that look like it would potentially earn more money, it also looked like I might have to deal with returns and the like. So my wife and I agreed to just use the trade in at least for this round of four books. It was $20 less potential money, but then it was once, done, and all four books handled at once vs. one at a time here and there.

Thank you.

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Specializes in IMCU, Oncology.

I just sold my Dev Psych book to Amazon and got a good price. I also sold my microbiology book on ebay and got a great price too.

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Ebay or Amazon is the best option.

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