If you are tired of cramping your books (even your old college or school books) in cupboards and cardboard boxes, then you have come to the right place. It’s one thing to be a bibliophile but a whole different challenge to store those books properly. Let’s face it, books are high maintenance, and we love our books enough to do everything in our power to maintain them, right? From dusting regularly to keeping them away from the Sun, you got to do what it takes to keep your books fresh and crisp.
Best Places To Sell Used Books!
However, when your collection grows massively, it becomes challenging to look after all of them continuously. Especially if you have limited space and cannot buy more room by getting a new bookshelf, you have to decide where you can finally sell your used books. You can also donate your books; there are multiple options for that too. However, if you are looking for leads to sell your used books, then this list will be super helpful for you. This list contains both online and offline options, so don’t worry. We have got you covered!
Where To Sell My Books Online? 📚 🤔
1. Facebook Book Communities
This is one of the easiest and simple ways of selling your books online. Facebook Book communities are my favorite. You get to communicate with bibliophiles all around the globe. Most of these groups are a very well-knit family of book lovers. If you want to sell your books, you can resort to such Facebook groups to find leads. BookWritten is one such fantastic Facebook group. It’s a beautiful community of book lovers who connect by posting in the group and connecting with other bibliophiles.
You will find many readers who will be interested in your book collection. Since people’s taste in books differs from reader to reader, you may find someone who would want the books you couldn’t entirely appreciate. You can write a post in the BookWritten community 📖, attach pictures so everyone can see the condition of the books, and connect with you accordingly.
Once you find interested people, you can either ask them to send a personal message to your inbox or start the conversation yourself. Once you are done negotiating, you can finally go ahead with the final offer you both agreed upon. You can take your time by engaging with others in the group via different posts. Once you find trustworthy people, you can then go ahead with selling your books to them. Also, since the group has so many people from different parts of the world, you may get leads from sources outside the group.
2. 99bookscart.com
The rise in the sale of used/second-hand books makes me happy because it empowers readers all over the world. It’s been almost a year since I started buying second-hand books because they are affordable and sustainable. My experience with second-hand books has been unique, thanks to these websites. 99bookscart.com is one such website. It’s an online marketplace for bibliophiles to sell their used books.
You can sell your course textbooks, children’s books, comics, novels, etc., that they will list on their website. However, make sure your books are in good condition. They do not accept pirated books or torn and damaged books. You will be able to sell your books 40 to 50 percent below the book’s original price. To get started, you have to visit their website, fill out an application form, and register. Pretty simple, isn’t it?Â
3. BookChor
BookChor has become pretty famous because of its massive book sales. I have personally paid a visit to one of their sales, and I had an incredible experience. You will find so many excellent books there, and all you have to do is fit them in your box. To tell you the truth, it was my kind of paradise. But did you know you can also sell your books on their website? And it’s entirely free for students. You can list up to five books on their website at a time, and those listings will be live for three months. After that, they will be taken down from the site automatically.
The books that you choose to list should be in readable condition and not be pirated. If someone finds your listings attractive, they can contact you, and you guys can carry forward your deal personally. BookChor provides the platform for you to list your books and has no participation in any other sale aspect. You have to arrange for the delivery of your books yourself and get paid directly by the buyer by sharing your payment details. The procedure is quite straightforward and simple. You can sign up on BookChor and enter our ID #BC570811 if you find it helpful.
4. Instagram Shop
Instagram started as a social media platform for friends and family to connect. Nevertheless, with the rise in the number of small home-run businesses, Instagram has now transformed into a marketplace for buyers and sellers to connect. Thus, you will find several Instagram stores that deal in used/second-hand books. You can use specific keywords and hashtags such as #usedbooks, #usedbookstores, #usedbooksforsale, #usedbooksale, etc., to find, explore and search for an ideal store for you to sell your used books. You can also follow and use our #BookWritten hashtag to find potential buyers.
Where To Sell My Books Offline? 📚 🤔
1. Second-hand Books – Market Colonies
College Street, the world-famous books market in Kolkata – also goes by the Bengali nickname ‘boi para,’ which means a colony of books – is a paradise for bibliophiles. The Daryaganj books market in Delhi is also pretty famous for its second-hand wholesale book shops. Now, I know that not every city has such massive book markets, which is truly unfortunate, but many cities have such markets but smaller in size. The best part about these used bookshops is you can directly connect with the seller.
This removes the unnecessary hassle of constantly connecting to people online via emails, messages, or even calls. Such direct face-to-face negotiations are quick and easy. You can easily show your books to the seller and sell them directly. I have seen my friends sell their academic textbooks, novels, etc., to these markets. The best part is these sellers also serve as middlemen to get you a buyer for your books. I remember one of my friends wanted to buy a second-hand Harry Potter box set as a new one would be way too expensive.
He talked to several sellers in the market and exchanged numbers with one of them as he knew someone who wanted to sell their used Harry Potter box set. Soon, my friend got a call from the shop owner, and he got the box set for my friend and sold it to him, keeping some commission for himself. My friend got the entire box set for half the price, and the books were in pretty good condition, not to mention the box was intact too. So, even if your city’s books market isn’t as big as College Street and Daryaganj, it’s always a good idea to network with the sellers to get leads.
2. Local Clubs and Libraries
This is probably the simplest way to sell your books. However, it depends on the availability of such clubs and libraries around your area. If you have some of them near you, you can call them up or shoot a mail to see if they would be interested in buying your used books. And even if they aren’t willing to accept the books themselves, they may help you find someone who would love to buy your books.Â
When looking for buyers for your books, networking is the key. Whenever and wherever you get an opportunity to connect with potential buyers, hop on it and share your contact. Be it the online world or the offline world, networking with bibliophiles, bookshop owners, etc., will always turn out to be helpful. If you want to be part of such networks, do make sure to join the BookWritten community on Facebook. Also, let us know if you have sold your books before and how your experience was. We would be glad to read your story in the comments.
I have this question popped into my mind, what if Someone’s book contains pencil marking? Will it be able to make a sale on an online or an offline platform? Please guide.
Hi Anandita, do you mean like annotated pencil markings? Most of the old used books should have them. It shouldn’t be a major issue.
Thank you so much for the guidance. It’s been such a great help. I can now start making a sale seamlessly.