If you’re a student looking to declutter your bookshelf and earn some extra cash, selling textbooks to Barnes & Noble can be an option. Whether you’ve completed a course, graduated, or simply have textbooks gathering dust, Barnes & Noble’s textbook buyback program can help you turn your used books into cash. In this post, we’ll make an overview of the largest US bookseller and guide you through the process of selling textbooks to Barnes & Noble.
- Barnes and Noble: The Facts
- Barnes and Noble: Sell Textbooks and Books
- Barnes and Noble: How to Prepare to Sell Your Books
- How to Sell Books to Barnes and Noble
- Where Else Can You Sell Textbooks?
Barnes and Noble: The Facts
There’s hardly a person who doesn’t know Barnes and Noble. The bookstore chain has a long history with its ups and downs. Here’s the quote from the last year’s New York Times article How Barnes and Noble Went from Villain to Hero? “Its unique role in the book ecosystem, where it helps readers discover new titles and publishers stay invested in physical stores, makes it an essential anchor in a world upended by online sales and a much larger player: Amazon.” Let’s look at the most common facts about the bookseller before getting to our topic of selling textbooks to them.
Who Founded Barnes and Noble?
Barnes & Noble was founded by Charles M. Barnes and G. Clifford Noble. The first store, originally called “Arthur Hinds & Company,” was opened by Charles Barnes in 1873 in Wheaton, Illinois. In 1917, G. Clifford Noble became a partner in the company, and the name was changed to “Barnes & Noble.” Over the years, the company grew and expanded its operations, becoming one of the largest and most well-known bookstore chains in the United States.
Who Owns Barnes and Noble?
Currently, Barnes & Noble is owned by the British investment firm Elliott Advisors (UK) Limited. Elliott acquired the bookstore chain in August 2019. Before that, the company also acquired Waterstones, the largest retail bookseller in the United Kingdom, in June 2018.
Where Is the Biggest Barnes and Noble Store?
The bookstore chain describes itself in the following way: “Barnes & Noble makes buying college textbooks easy with more than 600 standalone stores, allowing you to pick up your purchases within hours.” However, if you’re looking for the biggest Barnes & Noble store in the U.S., you should visit the Union Square store in New York.
Does Barnes and Noble Sell Used Books?
At the moment, they are primarily focused on new books. Some people ask why are Barnes and Noble so expensive; however, it’s not entirely correct. According to the comment of one of the B&N employees, “Booksellers don’t set prices.” and “We always sell books at the set market cost, and we have no say in it. Trust me: I wish books were cheaper too!”
They also used to have an alternative: in addition to offering new books, Barnes & Noble used to have a marketplace for used textbooks on its website: “The B&N Marketplace offers millions of new and used items from a network of trusted Sellers, often at discounted prices—all with the security and guarantee of BN.com.” So in a way, yes, Barnes & Noble does sell used books at the moment, and you can still look for some pre-owned textbooks through the platform.
However, it’s a challenging task. We had to check many ISBNs before finding a used textbook offer from a marketplace seller, as it looks like Barnes & Noble is no longer operating and available for new sellers. The offers we’ve found are probably the remaining ones.
So, you can still try checking the bookseller’s used textbook section. Yet, keep in mind that the availability of the books may vary depending on the titles and inventory at the time.
When Does Barnes and Noble Restock?
Another popular question we wanted to highlight regards the bookseller’s restocking schedule. Barnes & Noble stores manage their restocking independently at the local level, so each store decides what books to replenish when needed. They have a distribution center in New Jersey that ships items based on each store’s requirements. As a result, different stores may have different books in stock at different times since they order what they need, and their inventories may not be identical. You should therefore check with your local store if you’re waiting for a specific book.
Barnes and Noble: Sell Textbooks and Books
“Does Barnes and Noble buy books?” and “Does Barnes and Noble buy used books?” are also popular questions about the bookselling chain. The answer is yes, you can sell books to Barnes and Noble. However, keep in mind that they’re focused on textbook buyback in the first place. This means you can try offering other books, but the chances that they will be accepted are not high. You can either sell them online on the Barnes and Noble website or bring your book to a store that has a buyback program. Here’re more useful tips on how to sell books to Barnes and Noble.
Barnes and Noble: How to Prepare to Sell Your Books
Check Your Book Condition
Barnes & Noble’s textbook buyback program only accepts books in good condition, which implies no stains, missing pages, or excessive underlined text, so ensure they are free from any major flaws. Before listing your books, carefully inspect each one for any damages. To participate in the program, you also must have at least $10.00 worth of books to sell. 
Prepare Your Books for Sale
Preparing to sell your books to Barnes & Noble requires a few simple steps:
- Clean and remove stickers, as B&N only accepts clean and presentable books.
- Check for missing pages and ensure all are intact and in the correct order.
- Remove personal items such as bookmarks or notes.
- Package with care and use appropriate materials to protect the book in transit.
How to Sell Books to Barnes and Noble
Now, let’s get to the process of selling books at Barnes and Noble. Go to the Sell Your Textbooks page.
Search for the ISBN
To sell a book to Barnes and Noble, enter the ISBN in the search field. By entering the textbook’s exact ISBN, you ensure you’ll get the quote for an exact copy of your book.
Check Buyback Prices
If Barnes and Noble are currently interested in your book, you’ll get an instant quote. If you accept the offer, click Continue. If you haven’t already, create an account on Barnes & Noble’s website or app to begin the selling process.
Sell Your Books Online
To sell textbooks to Barnes & Noble online, you must fill out the online buyback form. After you get a quote, you pack and send the book to the store with a prepaid label without shipping fees.
Does Barnes and Noble Buy Books for Cash?
No, you have to choose from payment with a check or PayPal.
Sell Your Books in Store
To sell your books directly to the store, find a nearby Barnes & Noble store using their store locator. To understand whether this or that Barnes and Noble’s store buys back books, give them a call in advance. If they confirm, you can come and bring your books for appraisal. The employee at the store will give you a quote, and if you agree, you’ll get paid in a few days. Do not forget to bring a photo ID and your bank info, as they usually pay via direct deposit for the books they buy back in-store.
Barnes and Noble: How to Sell Used Books at Maximum Profit
- You can sell books to Barnes and Noble anytime; however, you can get the highest quotes during peak buyback periods: the beginning and end of a semester (especially if you’re selling textbooks).
- We also recommend checking out market trends and what textbooks are currently popular.
- The last recommendation is to always take good care of your books. Keep them clean and away from any source of damage, sunlight, etc. By doing so, you ensure they will stay in a presentable condition and get better quotes.
We can’t promise they will accept all your textbooks. Chances are you will only be offered a fraction of the price (it happens) for some of your titles. Here’s a case from one of the Reddit users:
Where Else Can You Sell Textbooks?
In conclusion, when looking where to sell textbooks, we recommend exploring alternative options like BookScouter and its price comparison potential. BookScouter provides a user-friendly platform that helps you see all the buyback offers for your book in one place. You type in ISBN, quickly compare prices from various vendors, and find the best deal. Then you opt for this offer and get transferred to a vendor’s website right away. Price comparison saves time and maximizes potential profit, ensuring you get the highest value for your textbooks and books. So, whether you are a student looking to make some extra cash or someone seeking to declutter your bookshelf, you can check Barnes and Noble first, but keep BookScouter in mind, too. You can also check our post about 15 Places Where to Sell Your Textbooks.
