5 Ways to Get Rid of Your Textbooks--And Make Some Money

By Christine Ascher on December 15, 2017

As the semester comes to a close, you might find yourself with a stack of textbooks left over from classes that you’ve already completed and no longer want to think about. Given that textbooks can take up a lot of space, and are of considerably lesser value once you’ve completed the course that you needed them for, the end of the semester is the perfect time to get rid of them.

The one great thing about your unwanted textbooks is that you can actually make some money off of them. If you purchased your textbooks and now want to get rid of them, consider the following options to actually profit off of them.

Image via https://www.pexels.com

1. Advertise on Your School’s Social Media Accounts

Since you’re going to be selling books that classes at your university require, you have a great market for textbooks right where you are. An easy way to find students who are looking for the books that you’re selling is on your school’s social media accounts. Try posting on Facebook and other sites, advertising for the books that you want to sell and mentioning the price that you have in mind for them. You should also mention in your post whether or not you’re open to negotiating on the price, so you don’t end up with a bunch of students trying to get the book for a much lower amount than you’re willing to accept.

Include pictures of the textbooks as well, as this will allow students to get a good idea of their condition right off the bat, before they decide to purchase. While you may need to actually work out a time and place to meet the student who purchases your books so you can hand them over, you’ll most likely be able to find someone willing to buy them pretty quickly, given that you’ll be appealing to an audience of other students.

2. Ask Friend in Your Major

If you don’t want to bother with social media but are still interested in selling your books to students on campus, try asking around to see if any of your friends in the same major or any who need to take the same classes are interested in purchasing your books. Even if they aren’t, they may know someone else who is. Through your roommates, friend groups, and extracurricular activities, you have a large network of students available to you. Many of them will probably jump at the chance to buy their textbooks for the next semester from you, instead of having to find a more expensive copy at the campus bookstore, so this is a great place to start.

3. Sell Them on Amazon

Amazon is one of the go-to sites where students tend to purchase textbooks, so it’s another great resource when you want to sell your books. By creating a seller account, you can list your books for purchase and set your own price (though you’ll be given suggestions based on the price that other sellers are asking for the same product). When someone purchases your book, all you have to do is ship it and you’ll be reimbursed by Amazon for the shipping fee and receive the money for the textbook. Though selling your books on Amazon may take a bit longer than some other options, it’s a simple and convenient way to get rid of those unwanted textbooks.

4. Sell Them to Your Campus Bookstore

If you want to get rid of your textbooks right away, bring them to your campus bookstore. Most bookstores will buy back books as long as they’re still in good condition, and they’ll let you know the price you can receive for each textbook in case you still want to compare with some other options before you hand them over. This is a great option if you’re in a hurry to get rid of your books before you head home for the break, as you won’t have to wait to find an interested student and you can sell all of your books back at one time.

5. Sell Them to a Used Bookstore

In addition to your campus bookstore, you might also want to consider selling your books to a used bookstore if there’s one nearby. Independent bookstores close to campus generally have a lot of college students as clients, so they’ll probably be happy to buy your old textbooks and resell them, provided that they’re in good condition. If there are multiple in your area, check out a few first before selling them to one so that you can determine who will give you the best price. Used bookstores are also a great option if you have some paperback books that you’re interested in selling; often, campus bookstores will only give you a fraction of what the book originally cost when they buy back paperbacks, so a used bookstore may give you a better deal.

Follow Uloop

Apply to Write for Uloop News

Join the Uloop News Team

Discuss This Article

College Textbooks Listings

A Resource Guide for Teaching K-12

Authors: Richard D. Kellough, Richard Kellough

ISBN: 0137050178

ISBN13: 9780137050178

Introductory and Intermediate Algebra

Authors: Margaret L. Lial, Margaret Lial, John Hornsby, John...

ISBN: 0321865537

ISBN13: 9780321865533

Oxford Bookworms Library: The Scarlet Letter

Authors: Nathaniel Hawthorne, John Escott, Oxford University...

ISBN: 0194791831

ISBN13: 9780194791830

See all College Textbooks Listings

Get Top Stories Delivered Weekly

Back to Top

Log In

Contact Us

Upload An Image

Please select an image to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format
OR
Provide URL where image can be downloaded
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format

By clicking this button,
you agree to the terms of use

By clicking "Create Alert" I agree to the Uloop Terms of Use.

Image not available.

Add a Photo

Please select a photo to upload
Note: must be in .png, .gif or .jpg format