Is this something you face at the end of each semester?
| “I feel really bad just throwing my textbooks away knowing they could help someone, but in most of them there is at least a bit of writing for example I highlighted topics that were in the advanced information for science and sometimes I ticked off practice questions that I did. Is there any place that accepts books like this or do they have to be super new to be sold?” |
—Redditor Emotional_Alarm8279
You’re not alone. In this post, we’ve collected the most valuable recommendations on how to sell your used textbooks for extra cash, and this time, we’ve backed them up with the quotes of real Reddit users. Our today’s tips are based on the experience of real people.
1. Make a Book Inventory
The first thing you need to understand is that some of the books you use in your studies (even the most expensive ones) will only be useful to you in the present. So part with them with ease and without regret.
| “You’re thinking about saving these lower level workbooks for your hypothetical future self. This version of your hypothetical future self has forgotten all the Spanish that you’ve already learned. […] If this hypothetical situation does happen 10 years from now, do you really think these old textbooks will be the best resource to relearn a language? Once you start to analyze this a bit, it’s easier to see how these books have already served you and it’s okay to let them go.” |
—Redditor offthabooks
The next step is to sort out the books depending on their value and condition. By no means keep the books that may help you in the future. Send the rest of them—the ones in excellent and like-new conditions—to the “sell” pile, and the ones with heavy wear signs, page damage, excessive highlighting, or cover creasing, can be given to other students at a meager price or even for free.
| “It’s very common at my school for upper year students to sell their textbooks to other students, regardless of the condition, as long as they are willing to drop the price based on that condition. Many students don’t care too much about the condition of the book they are buying so much as the price.” |
—Redditor xPadawanRyan
2. Sell Textbooks during the Season
Another important tip is to sell the textbooks during the season, which means that the best times are before or at the beginning of the new semester when everyone is looking for new textbooks. You can find places that buy books and accept used books all year round; however, the chances to sell are higher during the high season.
| “The time to sell textbooks is the week a new semester starts. No one is shopping for books in November.” |
—Redditor ThunkAsDrinklePeep
3. Try Selling Textbooks on Marketplaces
You can also check Facebook Marketplace, which most students (and not only students) use for selling books and textbooks as well as other stuff.
| “Try selling on multiple platfroms like clusterbooks or facebook. It will help you to reach more people and sell it quickly. For Facebook group the audiance is limited but if you post it on other platforms they do marketing and rank on google so you have high chances to sell it. Try all of them.” |
—Redditor ReturnSecret1404
Some colleges even have a Facebook marketplace; you can try selling your textbooks there. It’s not a 100% guarantee, but at the very least, you can find people who’ll eagerly accept your very used old books, which is a good thing, too.
| “My college has its own Facebook market page for students. I find this is the best way to buy and sell anything over cash or venmo if your college has its own market-thing.” |
—Redditor BluJayTi
4. Sell to Online Bookstores
If you are looking for the best place to sell your textbooks, check online bookstores – they are an excellent alternative to everything we’ve mentioned earlier. Online bookstores, such as Abebooks, TextbookRush, BooksRun, etc., have buyback programs that accept used books and textbooks. They usually have transparent terms, cheap or free shipping options, get various types of books in different conditions, and pay more than college bookstores. Indeed, they won’t give you $200 for a book you bought for $200; however, their buyback prices are always higher than in brick-and-mortar stores. Remember, you can always check an ISBN on BookScouter.com and see who pays the highest price for your books with a single search.
| “I’m considering using Booksrun for my 1L books. They’re pretty easy to navigate and accept highlighted books without codes. Not the best deal money-wise (my quote was just under $300 for $1500 worth of books) but better than $0 (and I don’t have space to build a law library in my apartment).” |
—Redditor tofunugget66
| “Textbookrush.com is always the highest in quotes for my used books. Your books have to be in really good condition though..read the fine print before sending them!” |
—Redditor Yas_please
5. Use Buyback Comparison Platforms like BookScouter
@bookscouter Want to get rid of #textbooks ? Sell your #books for most cash with BookScouter.com😜 #selltextbooks #sellbooksonline #sellbooks #collegestudent #students #studenthacks #collegehacks
You can save time and effort and use BookScouter.com to find the best offers for your textbooks in just a few clicks. Why is it an excellent alternative to everything we’ve already suggested? Online price comparison platforms like BookScouter make finding a new home for your textbooks easier. Integration with numerous online booksellers allows such platforms to update prices instantly and display them in real-time, so you can always access the most relevant information and to track how to get the most money for your textbooks. BookScouter, for instance, only puts trusted online bookstores on its website, so you’re protected from scam, since there are only reputable online sites from which BookScouter is retrieving offers and prices in bulk for your convenience.
| “You can sell textbooks you don’t need anymore. You just type the ISBN number in and this website will give you a list of sites that will give you money for them. Most of them will give you a prepaid shipping label: https://bookscouter.com/” |
—Redditor tobiibot
