Book Selling Tips

After experiencing three different professional situations dealing with buying/selling used books, I have developed some hints to help you clear off your shelves (to make room for new books, obviously!):

1. Find your local used bookstore! There are some chains (Half Price Books, Mr. K's...), but you'll mostly find independents (Recycled Books, Powell's, Reader's Loft...). You'll have to scour phone books and the internet. Check Biblio.com or the yellow pages.

2. Do not expect to get rich. The point is to clean out your shelves and maybe get a little bit of money to buy a couple of new books. But, remember a few things:
a. The bookstore has to make some money off of what they buy from you.
b. The item is not worth what you paid for it. I don't care if you go to Barnes and Noble, buy a book for $25, then drive directly to the used bookstore and try to sell it to them. The book is now considered a used book, and you will not be getting $25 back for it.
c. Sentimental value is not equal to actual retail value. I have seen people come in, tell me they want to sell their box of books, and when I offer them $5 for the entire box, they get angry, telling me these books have sentimental value. A bookstore cannot afford to pay you that much.

3. Check the store's policy. Either give them a call or check the website, and get a brief overview of the store's buying policy. You'll need to find out:
a. When do they buy? Most stores will buy any time they are open, but some stores have specific buyers that are in only certain days of the week or certain times of the day.
b. How do they buy? Do they make an offer on the whole lot, or do they pick and choose items? If you're looking to get rid of a lot of stuff, you'll want to look for a place that buys the whole lot. Even if they cannot use everything, they will usually be able to donate or recycle the leftovers.
c. How do they pay? Some stores have a buy/trade policy, where you'll get a certain amount in trade credit, or you can opt for a lesser amount of cash. Some stores make a direct cash offer. Some stores offer trade only (for example, I went to a store where you could trade in two Harlequin romances and get one back in return). The advantage to a trade is that sometimes stores will have a little bit of leeway, so if you get $10 in trade credit and you buy a book that costs $11, they'll go ahead and call it even. Also, be sure you're clear on the trade policy. I traded items in at a store once and got $25 in trade credit. Then, when I tried to use the credit on a stack of items, I was told that those items did not qualify for trade credit, so I had to cash out the credit, get $15 in cash, and use that to purchase my items. Boo.) The advantage to a cash offer is obvious: you walk out with more money in your pocket than you came into the store with!

4. Pay attention to the types of materials the store buys. Do they prefer Western novels? Dvds? Magazines? Here are a few tips for specific types of materials:
a. Magazines--Current magazines and classic magazines sell best. Something from two months or two years ago is probably just going to be recycled, unless it is a specialty magazine, such as a Halloween craft magazine.
b. Music--LPs are in some demand, but they are in demand at the price of $1. Other than that, you'll need to have a big name, and it will need to be in great condition. Elvis and the Beatles will always be popular.
c. Books--Small paperbacks are not worth much. On the same note, hardbacks can also be worthless. James Patterson churns out about a book a week (exaggerated, but not by much). His books are a dime a dozen (not exaggerated). Books that are being made into movies sell really well. The Help is currently flying off the shelf. Reading list titles (Great Expectations, Fahrenheit 451) are much more popular in July-August-September than in other months. Brand new books will be worth more than books that are a couple of years old.
d. Games--Whether these are electronic, video games, game systems, or classic board games, there are many stores that will buy these for resale. Note that games that require an online access code cannot be reused, so they cannot be resold.
Above all, remember that condition matters!

5. Know what you have. You can check Amazon.com or Abebooks.com to see the going prices of your items. If an item is selling for $50 there, you can probably expect to get between $5 and $10 for your item. If it's in great condition, you might get more; if the store already has five copies you might get less.

This ridiculously long post stemmed from a combination of too much thinking and too much free time. I hope it was helpful for you!