At the end of the semester, college students line up at the university bookstore for book buy back, hoping to recover at least a fraction of the purchase price for their pile of textbooks. Too often, however, students find that some of their books are now worthless, due to new editions taking the place of old for the upcoming semester. The good news is, in an electronic era where textbooks can be bought and sold online, this is a scenario that need never happen.
Consider Selling Back Textbooks Online
You don’t need to be the owner of a bookstore to sell books online. The internet now has many resources that enable students to easily sell their new or unused textbooks, and it is easy and worthwhile to do, even when a student only has a few texts to sell.
Selling Books Though Amazon
Listing unwanted books on Amazon is a simple process, but does require a little bit of setup. First, go to the Amazon website and set up an account, providing your email address and a password. Once a general account is in place, there is then the option to set up a "Sellers Account."
Amazon Seller's Account
Setting up a sellers account involves providing Amazon with contact information and selecting how you would like to receive money from books sold (bank account or Amazon Gift Card). Sellers are also required to register a credit card.
Listing Books for Sale on Amazon
If, before setting up a sellers account, you first want to determine the price that your books are selling for online, select "Advanced Search" and enter the books ISBN number, typically listed above the bar code on the back of the book. Using the ISBN to search for a title ensures that you find the exact book you are looking for. This is important, since books with the same title can have different printing runs and editions.
When the book you are searching is displayed, the lowest new and used prices will be listed as well as the number of copies that are for sale. A box on the right side of the screen asks "Have one to sell?" with a "Sell Yours Here" button.
If you already have a seller’s account set up, selecting the "Sell Yours Here" button will prompt you to enter information on the price you are asking, the condition of the book, and the shipping options that you are offering. If you do not yet have a sellers account, you will first be prompted to set one up.
Receiving Payment for Amazon Book Sales
Having an Amazon sellers account costs nothing. Sellers are only charged when a book is sold. Amazon takes a percentage of the book sale price as commission and credits the seller a shipping allowance, the amount of which depends on the type of shipping the buyer selects (standard, expedited or international). As books are sold, the money accumulates in the seller’s payment account and is transferred approximately twice monthly, unless the seller requests more frequent transfers.
New sellers have to wait two weeks for their initial payment. Amazon wants to ensure that customers are receiving the books that have been ordered, and that no complaints are being filed against the seller.
Amazon Seller Feedback Rating
Customers buying books from Amazon sellers are able to leave feedback on their buying experience, and sellers are able to request feedback from buyers. Having a positive feedback rating as a seller is very important. Buyers want to purchase from people they can trust, and often seek out sellers that have a track record of high customer satisfaction.
Other Online Book Selling Resources
There are many other websites where students can sell new and used textbooks online. Amazon is just one of the biggest. Whichever vendor you are considering for selling back textbooks, at least give online sales a try. You may end up with more money in your pocket at the end of the semester.
To learn more about purchasing textbooks online, see the Suite101 article "Save Money Buying College Books Online."
Tami Port - Tami Port is a college professor of cell and microbiology and creator of ScienceProfOnline.com, a free science education website.
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