Selling Your Used Books Online: Find the Ones Worth Money
Most of us have shelves of books we will never read again. Some are worth a few dollars, a few are worth more, and many are worth nothing to a buyer at all. The trick is finding out which is which without spending hours on it. Book buyback websites make that fairly easy, and you can do most of it from your armchair with a phone.
Start with the ISBN
Nearly every modern book has an ISBN, short for International Standard Book Number. It is a 10- or 13-digit number, usually printed above or below the barcode on the back cover. Sometimes it is inside, on one of the first pages, and it may include dashes or end with an X.
According to BookScouter, most books published since the early 1970s have one. Older books often don’t, and that matters, because buyback sites work almost entirely by ISBN.
Compare offers with a price-checking site
Many companies buy used books online, and their offers can be very different. BookScouter’s help page gives an example: one site might offer a dollar or two for a book while another offers $20. BookScouter is a comparison site that checks many of these buyers at once and lists their offers side by side, so you can choose where to sell.
How to look up a book, step by step
- Go to BookScouter.com on a computer, or install its app on an iPhone or Android phone.
- Type in the ISBN, or use the app to scan the barcode with your phone’s camera.
- Look at the list of offers. BookScouter marks some buyers as “preferred merchants” it considers reliable, and shows star ratings left by other sellers.
- If every offer shows $0.00, that book has no resale value right now. Set it aside for donation or recycling and move on to the next one.
A tip for big piles: scan everything first, then sort into three stacks — “sell online,” “try locally” and “donate.” It goes much faster than deciding book by book.
Shipping your books to a buyer
Each buyer has its own rules, so read them before you accept an offer. As one example, World of Books (which runs SellBackYourBook.com) says it gives you a free prepaid shipping label for FedEx or USPS and pays by PayPal, direct bank transfer (ACH) or check. Its website also offers a bulk scanner that takes up to 500 ISBNs at a time, which is handy for a large collection.
Condition matters
Buyers generally want books in new or almost-new condition. BookScouter says books are commonly rejected for missing pages, broken spines, a lot of writing or highlighting, or water damage. Be honest with yourself before you ship, since a rejected book is wasted effort.
Packing so books arrive safely
- Use a sturdy box that fits snugly, so books can’t slide around.
- Wrap each book in plastic to protect it from water.
- Stack them neatly and fill any gaps tightly with newspaper.
- Tape the box well, with extra tape around the corners.
BookScouter says most buyback companies pay within one to three days after they receive and check your shipment. Payment schedules differ, so check the buyer’s own page.
Older, rare or collectible books
Buyback sites don’t help much with books that have no ISBN. For older books, BookScouter suggests asking a local bookstore with experienced staff. If you think a book could be valuable, look at similar copies on eBay or AbeBooks to get a sense of price. For truly rare or antique books, it points to dealers such as AbeBooks and Powell’s Books, or to a member of the Antiquarian Booksellers’ Association of America (ABAA) near you, so you can talk with someone in person.
What to expect
Many books will bring only small offers, and some none at all. Still, clearing a few shelves could add up to enough for a small bill, such as a streaming plan, in a good month. Treat that as a hopeful estimate rather than a promise; it all depends on which books you have.
A word on taxes and benefits
Selling your own used books for less than you paid for them rarely brings a profit, but the IRS says personal items sold at a gain must be reported. Extra income can also affect Social Security if you are under full retirement age, as well as SSI, Medicaid or housing assistance. This is general information only, so please check your own situation with Social Security or a tax professional.
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