Where to Re-Sell Textbooks

By Michael Penna
Staff Writer

With the end of the spring semester around the corner, you may be considering selling your used textbooks. Obviously, you want to make the most money you can.

If this isn't your first semester at Housatonic, at some point in time you have probably sold used textbooks at the Follett bookstore right here on campus. After all, it's convenient.

There are plenty of options if you want to sell your textbooks, one of which is online buyback.

Online retailers sometimes offer the best price, but there are downsides.

Convenience may be the most prominent of the issues with online retailers. If you're looking to make money quickly, online retailers aren't the way to go. Not only do you have to ship your books to the company, which can take days, but most companies also have a policy where they won't accept textbooks if they find them to be in an unacceptable condition. So even if you ship your textbooks, the whole process may end up being a waste of time.

Let's say you just finished your Western Civilizations II course and want to sell back your textbook. In this case, let's say your textbook has the ISBN (a 10-digit code printed somewhere on the back of the textbook) of 9780393932362.

For a used copy of this book Amazon.com offers $15.75, Bookbyte.com offers $18.25, and eFollett will give you $13.00.

But before you sell your textbook you must consider each retailer's policy, as there are several differences between them.

As an example, one of eFollett's policies is that "excessive highlighting, underlining or other markings may decrease a book's buyback value." According to Bookbyte's policy, if over 75 percent of the book is written on or is highlighted, it is not eligible for buyback. On the other hand, Amazon accepts books with highlighting, notes, or other markings as long as the item is not a study guide or a workbook.

What qualifies as "excessive" in this case? And will Amazon really accept a textbook that is covered with excessive markings?

These questions are just some of the problems with online buyback: in some cases, it just isn't possible to know the value of your book until you send it in.

Conversely, by selling your textbooks at brick and mortar stores, you can save a lot of time and effort.

"It's pretty quick to just go in and out of the bookstore here on campus," said Kim Nania, a second-semester student at HCC.

As opposed to online buyback where you are almost sure to encounter an uncertainty, buyback at brick and mortar stores is much easier. You can get your textbook quickly appraised and walk out of the store with cash in hand within minutes.

In spite of the convenience issue, if you decide to take your chances with online buyback to make the most money, it is important to do your research beforehand. Look only for reputable online retailers, and be sure to read each one's policy with a careful eye. If you're sure your book qualifies for buyback and you are willing to wait to get your money, online buyback might just be the option for you.