In high school, it is pretty commonplace to have textbooks provided for you—and, assuming you return them, you don’t have to pay a dime. But college students (or high schoolers taking special classes with fancy books) know that books can get a little… let’s say pricey. Though a more precise description would be something along the lines of astronomically expensive.
Whatever it is that makes even the tiniest textbook so darn expensive, there’s something to be said for being able to sell it once you’re done with the class. It can be tricky to decide where to go to sell your used books because there are a lot of options out there to choose from; you may be wondering which website/store is the most reliable or where you’ll get the best bang for your buck (bang for your book, if you will). So we went ahead and took the liberty of doing that research for you: below are some easy-to-use and reliable methods of selling back textbooks for the best prices you can get.
Bookfinder.com
Like any reputable company, BookFinder gives you the option to compare their offered buyback prices with competitors’ in hopes of ensuring that you get the best price for your used goods. Also a plus is that shipping costs are taken care of by the vendor—all you have to do is print out a shipping label and send it on in!
Forbes, Newsweek and The New York Times have all recommended this service for students looking for a reliable online store (and it’s been in business since 1997, so they probably know what they’re doing).
In addition to textbooks, BookFinder is more than willing to buy back just about any book you’re looking to sell, so long as it’s in good condition. So if you’re hanging on to some old novels and you’re a little strapped for cash, this site is a good option for you.
Amazon Trade-In
Because Amazon is a well-known company, doing business with them feels much more secure to many possible buyers. What’s really nice about Amazon is that you can sell not only books, but you can also list any goods (from “wearables” to electronics) on their site all in one fell swoop. The store guarantees up to 80% of the original listing price, and for a buyback company, that’s a pretty good deal. Disclaimer: that “up to” 80% means most likely not always 80%, but it probably happens occasionally.
TextBookRush.com
One problem with any market in a capitalist economy is that prices fluctuate, and sometimes they fluctuate a lot. What this means for you and your pricey little book is that one day you might be quoted one price only to be told two days later that your book is worth $5-$10 less than what you thought. TextBookRush knows this and how frustrating market fluctuation can be, especially when you can’t control the speed of a sale, so they guarantee you a quoted price for 20 days. This means that if they tell you your book is worth $20, no matter what the market price drops to in the next 20 days, your item will stay listed at $20, and that’s pretty nifty.
Also nifty is that TextBookRush offers you three payment options: cash, Paypal, or store credit (really nice if you’re still in school and need to buy more potentially overpriced reading materials). And shipping is free. And they offer you the opportunity to rent books from them, and that’s much cheaper than buying outright—plus it saves you the hassle of all this selling business.
BookScouter.com
BookScouter offers a lot of the same services as the previously listed sites, but has one nice perk—you don’t have to create an account to do it. With no registration required, you can sell back your book the old-fashioned way (er, almost, as you are still online, after all). Just find your book, compare the prices offered by interested vendors, ship your book—for free—and voila! As soon as the book is inspected for damage, your payment will go through and it’ll all be over. Phew.
SellBackYourBook.com
This one is something of a fan favorite. Though not as popular in the business world as BookFinder (with its fancy recommendations from Forbes), SellBackYourBook boasts some pretty assuring testimonials from users:
“Thank you for such an easy and convenient buy back process! I got more for my books on your site than I got on any other site! You guys rock! You even bought back books that other sites would not buy. I am sold on selling my text books here!” —Tiffane L.
As an accredited business with the BBB, you can have faith that SellBackYourBook is going to deliver on their promises, meaning that you will get free shipping, there will be no auction process, and you will receive your payment within two days after your book arrives.
Have another way you prefer to sell your books? Share in the comments below!