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Make Money Selling Used Books

Posted Friday, August 21, 2009 by momscashblog | 46 Comments so far

Since I get a lot of key word hits on buying and selling used books online I  thought I’d revisit the topic.  An acquaintance of mine was featured briefly on Oprah for buying and selling 18,000 books online in one year. He (runs his book trading business from the Island of Frenchboro, Maine (pop. 50) and I know of many island and coastal dwellers who buy and sell used and rare books for a living. One of the reasons book selling is so popular on the Maine coast (and other coastlines) is because many famous artists, writers, actors and actresses come to live or vacation in the summer months to get away from it all and “hide out” from the rest of the world.  These people are usually well-educated, well-traveled and have a well stocked library with some very interesting and rare books… but depending on who they are,  even an average book with their signature of ownership on the inside cover can bring in a pretty penny.  These summer estates are usually second, third, or fourth homes for the rich and famous, so when they die or sell the estate, the content usually ends up being sold to local auctions or book buyers for a very good price. Sometimes they send someone to retrieve the valuables but the books are often overlooked.  Who wants to pack up a bunch of old books and send them half way around the world?

Starting any home business online whether selling used books or any other type of business you choose is an excellent   opportunity to make some extra money without the usual  headaches.  There are none of the conventional rules that are needed when looking for a “brick and mortar” business, like trying to obtain a bank loan or any of that other legal stuff that is needed to start a business.  As far as looking for a store front no need for that,  just some space in your house or garage where you can store some of your books is all you’ll have to find.  You’ll need some packing materials, boxes, shipping labels,  maybe boxes to ship the books,  and work space. That’s it!

Of course you can always find books at yard, lawn, and estate sales, library sales and  even at your own home where you  always have books laying around. You may decide that you want  to handle all and any types of books to sell or you may want to stay with a certain niche and sell just cook books, mystery,  field guides, books by certain authors or specialize in rare and first edition books.  Make sure that you let your family and friends know that you are now in the business and have them networking for you,  when they see a yard sale or book  sale somewhere have them call you.  Search the newspapers for sale locations, use Craig’s List to find any sales or to announce your new business, and watch the internet for any sales on books. Have some business cards Make Money Selling Used Booksmade up at Vista Print and give them out whenever you get the chance to spread the word that you are now in the book business. If you have an existing blog/website not generating much money  you can always sell your used & new books on the side. Books will go with any blog or website no matter what the subject.

There are many great online used & new book store sites that are willing to pay you for books of all kinds and some of them even offer an affiliate program.  Look for ones that have free shipping. Here is a list of   sites that I’m using for my book selling business.

  • ckybooks –  This is a family owned business in a college town that only accept books that have ISBN’s.  They specialize in college text books so if you’re on your way back to college here’s a good place to buy or sell those text books.
  • alibris –  (pronounced “uh-Lee-briss”)  This site accepts new and used books,  movies & music to sell or buy. Alibris has been in business since 1998 and offer over 100 million used, new and out-of-print books. This site offers an affiliate program through LinkShare.com where you can earn 5% commission on sales made within 30 days of click through. Note:  if you haven’t signed up with LinkShare yet you can click on my banner here on MCB, they have added a lot of new advertisers to their already impressive list.
  • abebooks.com This website is an easy to navigate site with very competitive prices. It’s a very informative site with great info on the collecting of books. In fact this website made me want to start looking for those “rare books” that one just might come across.  In this rare books section they tell about a book by J.D.Salinger author of The Catcher in the Rye a 1951 very new condition, 1st edition,  First Printing, new dust jacket selling for $11,000.  AbeBooks also has a commission/affiliate program that pays 5% standard flat fee, a premium partner commission is available for high performance affiliates.  You can also make extra commissions by referring buyers to new used and rare books from all around the world.
  • amazon.com We all have heard  of Amazon and know of their reputation for selling & buying books, now they don’t pay with PayPal but they do wire your money directly into your account.
  • ebay.com You can sell your new or used books with eBay and they now have a database for newer books with ISBN’s that you can enter the numbers and will receive all the info. that you need. For rare or older books it’s suggested that you  take a picture of the book[s] and enter them on your auction site with a full/detailed description of the condition of the book[s].

These are only a few of the many different sites that you will find when searching for places that you can sell and buy old & new books on the internet for your new business.  You may want to sign up with just one or two of these sites at first or pick a few more in case one site offers something that you may not find in the other.   Remember to be on the look out for that “rare book” you never know what is considered rare you could just hit the big one!

Do you have any rare or old books, collectable albums and if you do would you think about selling them  or would you hang on to them?  What would you do?


Comments
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Ezekiel August 22nd, 2009 (5:53 am)
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Great re-post JJ! My father and mother have been doing this for a while and they have been my proof that selling used books can provide a substantial income literally. They work hard at it as well.

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Deneil Merritt August 22nd, 2009 (10:21 pm)
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Wow, I did not know that selling books was so profitable. Next time I am at a yard sale. I will make sure to look for old rare books.

Diggy - Upgradereality.com August 23rd, 2009 (9:04 am)
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Heya JJ!

THis sounds like an awesome idea, only I’m sure it is not as easy as you make it sound. 18000 books is really a lot of books! :)

Awesome posts Miss!
Keep well!
Diggy

Paula August 23rd, 2009 (2:40 pm)
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I am lucky to work near a famous bookstore in NYC where they always have book signings. All we do is buy a book or two, wit the authors signature and sell it on eBay. Stephen King, Patricia Cromwell and John Grisham are just some of the signed books I have sold for a $100 profit on each one. Not bad.

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[...] Make Money Selling Used & Rare Books | Moms Cash Blog momscashblog.com/blog-for-cash/make-money-selling-used-books – view page – cached You can make money by starting a home business selling used, new, and rare books on the internet. This can be a part time or full time business. You could find a rare book worth thousands of dollars. — From the page [...]

Rondi August 23rd, 2009 (8:55 pm)
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I love this idea! I have a box of used books in my garage–this would be a great little business on E-bay! Great post!

plin August 24th, 2009 (6:36 am)
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I used to sell my books on half.com before they were bought out by ebay. These days I try to not buy books anymore.
Great post JJ, I will keep buying/selling used book option in mind.

Workplace On The Web August 25th, 2009 (4:43 am)
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Hmm..this is an interesting idea. But the problem is, I do not have books to sell. :)

By the way, thank you for leaving a comment in my post. Texas have the tax free weekend annually. It is associated with back to school season. But I do not know if other states in the USA has it.
I had a very busy days though. Then the system was down Saturday morning so some transaction did not go through. But that was fixed after a few hours :)

Marly

lunaticg August 26th, 2009 (1:21 am)
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Hi!
I love to read books. Most of the book I read is to keep. Some of them is hard to find in my country. Selling them is a bit difficult for me. Thank you for sharing this idea.

jj-Moms Cash Blog August 28th, 2009 (3:36 am)
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Ezekiel, thanks for the comment and glad to hear from someone who knows from experience about the book selling business I’m sure it’s not easy as a full time job but I do know it can be profitable.Do you have a love for books from being around them growing up? I know I would!!
Deneil, Yeah finding the right book whether if it’s rare or new can sometimes be a lucky break for someone. But I will tell you since you are into poker it’s kind of like the roll of the dice or having the right hand in poker, you just never know what’s going to bring in the money or what someone will pay you for “that” book. If any of your poker players from the poker show that you watch should write a book and sign the book, later on that book could be worth something esp. on eBay for that type book! Think about it and thanks for your comment.
Hey Diggy, Now I don’t think I ever said that it would be real easy (lol) but on the other hand if you start off small it really isn’t that hard. The 18,000 books were definitely a “special” amount that’s why he was featured on Oprah, but you could realistically make a couple hundred bucks starting with about 30 something really good books, in my opinion. Thanks for stopping by.

Paula, thanks for the comment and it sounds like you and your friends have a good little thing going on there in NYC and you are on the right track especially with anything to do with Stephen King is suppose to bring in money especially if someone has the his whole collection. You go girl!!
Rondi, It would be a great idea if you have some books just hanging around in the garage ebay is one good place to start, but I really would try some of the other sites that I gave you or do a search and look for others. It’s just that I think eBay entails a bit of work involved unless you are already signed up with them then yes go for eBay. Good luck! let me know if you do go for it.
Hey Plin, Good to hear from you and I was going to put down Half.com on the list until I found out the same info that you mentioned. Thanks for stopping by.
Marly, Well if you don’t have books to sell then I don’t know what to tell ya, but then you can at least think about it if you know of someone who is struggling and maybe “they” have books to sell.

Lunaticg, thanks for stopping at my blog to comment and I know what you mean I love & enjoy reading it can take you to another place in time or it can teach you things that you would never know about. I also agree that sometimes it’s very hard to let go of certain books that I have. After researching for this post I’ve found that I have some books that could bring in some money. I’m anxious to find out what they could be worth. I’ll let everyone know if I hit the big one.lol Thanks again everyone and if you’ve decided that making a business of selling books is not in the cards for you right now, then at least keep your eyes open for any book that could bring in a pretty penny. jj

Melvin August 28th, 2009 (8:48 am)
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I think it depends on the geographical location of the person on whether this can be attainable or what. In some specific places, selling used books is really a good industry while on some its not.

Annie August 29th, 2009 (4:13 pm)
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Nice post, JJ. I have actually checked in to ckybooks for my Son’s books. I am glad to know there are other options out there.
Take care,

Annie.

Helen August 29th, 2009 (8:57 pm)
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One of the best places to get used books is at used book sales sponsored by non-profit organizations. Since 1994 my husband and I have been telling people how to find these sales at BookSaleFinder.com. Most of these are library sales – but nearly all books are donated by local patrons; they are not library discards. People all over the country tell us that they built their online business primarily from books they bought at these sales! And every Wednesday 18,000 people get our weekly Sale Mail telling them about book sales in their area. JJ is right – online book selling is a perfect home business!

Laura September 2nd, 2009 (3:39 pm)
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Great post JJ. I just love my books, I find it so hard to part from. :)
But it is great to know that if needed to know, where I can offer them. Selling books will always be a great business. This is how the founder of Amazon began. Wishing you the best..

Single Mom Paying Off Debt September 2nd, 2009 (11:52 pm)
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What a great idea !! Thanks !

Paul September 3rd, 2009 (2:18 pm)
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Really interesting, never realised books were that profitable!

Duane Cohen September 3rd, 2009 (3:04 pm)
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I came across your website and all the wonderful comments from people who love the idea but have no books to sell. I have been collecting from yard sales, thrift stores, etc, and I have hundreds of rare collectable books, first editions, autographed. Including E B White “Stuart Little”, an 1885 first edition “Boots and Saddles by Gen. Custer’s Wife.
newspapers (Kennedy assination, Elvis, John Lennon Deaths, devestating Hurricanes, snow blizzards, first steps on moon, Son of Sam and many more. Also hundreds of Original Cast plays 33rpm albums. Toys, old cars..I will pay alot to someone who can help me sell them. I do not want to list everything on E bay..too much work for me. 100% disabled vietnam vet and I need the $$. email me. duanecohen@DCemail.com

ACE September 3rd, 2009 (7:22 pm)
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In my opinion, geographical location will not hinder anyone from selling books online. Anyone can create a good blog, create some interesting article such as this one and promote your products in your blog. There are also a lot of online bookstore (mentioned above) that offers affiliate program, wherein you don’t have to buy the books you want to sell. Instead, the bookstore will provide for you all the necessary online marketing tools to get a sale. Signing up for a blogger blog doesn’t requires much time as well as setting it up, so there’s no reason for anyone to earn a little extra money.

——-

Ace Cash Express

Moms Cash Blog September 4th, 2009 (5:36 pm)
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Hi Duane, Thanks for stopping by I’m glad you did. It sounds like you have one heck of a collection there and I am not an expert but I would think it’s worth a good chunk of money. I’m hoping someone here will read this and be able to help you out. I know I will keep my eyes & ears open and if I can find anything out to help you I will. Have you checked with two of the sites that I mentioned above in my post, Alibris Books or Abe Books have a section on buying rare items. I’d also look into a local Auction House BUT don’t just take the first price that they offer, just get an idea & then look around. I’ll keep in touch w/ you. Good luck!! jj

Las Vegas Real Estate September 9th, 2009 (4:47 pm)
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I’m glad I ran across this post. My wife and I like making the yard/garage sales on the weekends but I have never considered the possibility of picking up and marketing books.

Sounds like a new hobby for us that could help in these troubling economic times.

Thanks again!

Kathryn Allison September 10th, 2009 (5:20 pm)
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Thank you for the great post. I did not know about the affiliate programs other than Amazon. I will be checking out abebooks and alibris and also bookmarking your blog. I am not in a good area for signed copies of books but I have made money selling used books. One of the tricks is knowing the types of books people are willing to shell out big money for. I will be writing a post about this soon on my new Wealthy-Mommy Blog. Thanks again!

forexqs.blogspot.com September 14th, 2009 (11:41 pm)
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Adam Bertram September 16th, 2009 (3:15 am)
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This was a great post. It outlined most of the important facts of selling books online. I do have to disagree you though on one point about selling books directly to these sites. You can typically make TONS more money selling on the marketplaces directly to other customers.

I also wanted to let you and your readers know that I have a blog dedicated to teaching others about selling books online if anyone is interested in coming by and checking it out. It’s at sellyourbooksonline.com. As a die-hard online bookseller I had to have an avenue to talk about it, give some tips and basically just share the knowledge I’ve learned. I hope to see you there!

Holly - The Work at Home Woman September 16th, 2009 (9:58 pm)
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What a great work at home idea! I love to read, but I usually sell or trade all my used books to the local bookstore. Maybe when I retire I will consider selling used books for fun and profit. Thanks for the resources JJ.

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Cecilia @ canada work at home jobs November 24th, 2009 (6:42 am)
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Like you, I love books. Books are great and even I finished a novel, i don’t want to give it to others like my friend who is practicing Buddhism.

I like to see my books in the shelf, just like I love to see my younger siblings sleeping in their bed. There’s nothing wrong in selling used books because you could help others and its a good way to raise money.

By the way, I wish all people good luck in their life and family, and in their work.

There are many job opportunities online, and it could help us in our financial troubles.

Good luck and kudos to your endeavors. Much care. Good health, and God bless.

Anamika Joshi December 3rd, 2009 (12:25 pm)
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Nice informative posts….But I miss an online store from where i recently purchased three books and also sold my old used ones.. Its a1books.co.in. Also, a1books.com, there US based website has numerous other products other than books…

Right now i am planning to buy one of the eBooks titled “Intimate Strangers by Bill Zehme” from this site.

My experience till now with this site has been a pretty good one. So, would definitely suggest you to just have a look and see beyond amazon, eBay and the likes.

Best wishes
Anamika Joshi

Moms Cash Blog December 3rd, 2009 (9:42 pm)
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Hi Anamika, Thanks for stopping by my blog and for your comments. I will tell you that I do think my post looked way beyond Amazon, & eBay, in fact I listed quite a few different affiliate book networks that I suggest you try to work with. I have not tried the network a1Booksco. but would love you to let all of us to know how you make out with them. Also would love to learn if you should decide to make money selling books. Keep us inform, thanks so much. JJ

organic seo January 9th, 2010 (3:07 pm)
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Anybody know if there is a good market for selling used books online?

Alien talk January 11th, 2010 (3:22 pm)
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I want to make money and I have a lot of items I don’t use anymore. Is it a good idea to sell them on ebay? Do you have any good or bad experiences from ebay? Or should I use Craigslist. I don’t really know the difference because I haven’t use either yet. Where are other places I can make money on by selling my things?

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Brian @ My Payday Loan Cash April 7th, 2010 (5:21 pm)
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selling my books back in college gave me some stability for a month or so. the hard decision was selling them back before or after finals.. haha my mom would love to hear that one..

Kennedy April 21st, 2010 (3:56 pm)
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Do anyone know, where to sell used books. Really i am interested to sell books.

Moms Cash Blog April 21st, 2010 (4:15 pm)
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Yes I do know of several places where you can sell used books. If you read my post one place that I really like is CkyBooks.com and their website is very easy to navigate. If your books have ISBN no’s then you will just put in that no. and the company will shoot you back an email with the price they will pay you for your book.Then they will send you via email a shipping label (print it out) and they will send you a check or pay you by PayPal if you have that. There are others Amazon.com will also buy your books, Alibris.com, cash4books.net is another great site, and then Abebooks.com. But I will tell you there are many more, I’ve just given you some of the well known ones (that I know about or like), but there are many more that are available to you. If you are selling some college text books then I highly recommend http://ckybooks.com as that is what they really started off with and are always looking for text books. Thanks so much for coming to my blog, and leaving a comment I really appreciate it and will get over to visit your blog. If you need more help,please email me and I will do what I can to help you out. You can make some good money getting rid of those books that are taking up room and what better way to make money by selling books that you no longer want? jj

Love Advice · November 4th, 2010 (9:56 am)
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there are many used books sale in our area and i frequently visit them to buy some *

Anxiety Depression December 3rd, 2010 (5:02 pm)
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there are mnay used books online and the price is cheap too but i wonder if the quality of it is good ,*’

momscashblog December 5th, 2010 (5:10 am)
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AnxietyDepression, Thanks so much for stopping by, and leaving a comment. I think if you mean the quality of the books that are being sold as used books, you’ll find that most affiliate networks will only pay you for good quality books. If you plan on selling used books as an online business or a at home business I would suggest that you insist on only good quality used books. Hope you make lots of money if you choose to start a used book store. Good luck jj

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I used to read all the time but then the internet came along and I do almost all my reading on there. Or on my droid phone.

Painted Desert real estate February 23rd, 2011 (1:31 pm)
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How much would one get from used books off the net? wouldn’t seem like you’d make that much of a profit after shipping.

Nevada Realtor February 23rd, 2011 (1:32 pm)
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If I had a rare book worth a lot of money I’d hang onto it of course, but I don’t really keep many books around except how to manuals and stuff. Those are invaluable.

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