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How to sell used textbooksThe first question to address in selling used textbooks is whether or not you want to sell them. If the textbook is in your major and you may want to refer to it often later, then you just might want to hang on to it. But if it's a book that's in demand and you don't think you will need it again, the time to start planning to sell it is as soon as you buy it. The value of the textbook is going to be determined by two things. First, the publisher's price, of course. The second thing will be the condition of the text. That's why, for top dollar, you must think about re-selling it as soon as you buy it. Books which are ripped, dirty, or full of highlighter, pen and pencil marks are of lower value. So, remember to take care of your textbooks. Use sticky notes to mark pages of importance while you are studying. Do not, as I did once, fling your calculus textbook across the room in frustration. Throw something less valuable. One of the best places to sell on line is Amazon.com
The beauty of Amazon is that it's so big it's the first place everyone thinks of to buy a textbook. Amazon shows the new price and all the used prices of books listed. You pay only 99 cents per item you sell. Many colleges and university bookstores also have a book reselling service. At my university, Simon Fraser, in Burnaby, BC, the bookstore actually buys back used books, if the books are going to be required in courses in subsequent semesters. Other schools may sell on consignment, where you will get paid only if the book is re-sold. Students buying used textbooks must beware to get the right edition. Sometimes it makes no difference. Sometimes the only difference is that page numbers change. But sometimes a revised edition can be significantly different and almost useless. You wouldn't want to hand in an assignment based on the questions on page 234 and discover that the authors of the textbook had changed the questions. Now your answers make no sense at all. Of course the old fashioned means of selling used textbooks still works. Make a list of the books, the courses they are required for and your prices and put up as many as you can all over your campus. You might catch the eye of someone who wasn't even thinking of buying used. Don't forget to include your phone number.
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