This post is sponsored by SecondSale.com and SellBackYourBook.com, sister sites that allow you to make money selling used books and also shop for other used books at up to 90% off retail. All opinions shared are mine and honest.
If you’re a parent whose kids are avid readers (and who likes to read too), you’ve likely wondered what to do with old children’s books. True, you could shelve them at home. But if you’re low on storage space and your kids are constantly bringing new books home, that could become an issue. Also, if they’ve outgrown certain books (like board books or old chapter books), you may be ready to shed some of the book load.
What to Do with Old Children’s Books
By children’s books, I mean fiction, non-fiction, and even textbooks. Some great options for you are:
- Donating them, to a Free Little Library, for instance
- Giving them away to friends and family
- Selling them in person in your local thrift store or yard sale
- Selling them online
The best method for you will depend on how many books you’re looking to sell and in what capacity you’ll be selling.
However, selling online — for most people — is a super convenient way to get rid of old books. Whether you want to sell a good number of old books infrequently as a hobby or as a way to make extra cash, there’s a convenient method for you.
Where to Sell Children’s Books Online
If you’re looking for ways to make money selling used books online, try one of these four sites.
SellBackYourBook.com
SellBackYourBook.com is thriving online resource for selling your books — textbooks, adult books, and children’s books — at a fair price. The main advantage of their service over most of the bigger sites is that they do most of the work for you.
All you need to do is type in the ISBN of the book(s) you’d like to sell and they’ll let you know whether or not they’re interested in buying it. They’ll also give you a quote for each book listed. You do need to have a minimum sellback order of $7.50, which I think is fair. Here’s my test run of the site:
Then, once you’ve filed your order, you’ll need to provide them contact information so they can send you a slip to ship the books over to them FREE of charge. They’ll pay you within two business days of receiving your books and checking them. They pay via check or Paypal.
Bonus? They also run a site where you can buy secondhand books: SecondSale.com. The used books here sell for as little as $3.99 and they also have some new books in stock as well. They had several of my all-time favorites in stock, including Laurie Morrison’s Up for Air and Paula Chase’s Turning Point. I love that they also have an FAQ section after each book listing if you want to know a bit more about the book.
Both websites are ridiculously easy to use, especially for busy parents who want to get things done in half the time. One last thing I love about this site? They won’t buy ARCs (Advance Reader’s Copies) from you if you try to sell them! You can find more buying guidelines on their FAQ page.
Facebook Marketplace
You can sell just about anything on Facebook Marketplace these days, but with kids’ books I find that if you don’t already have a community interested in buying, your items may take a while to sell. And you don’t get paid until you sell. You also need to have an active Facebook account to sell on Facebook Marketplace.
Amazon
Most people aren’t big fans of the Big A (as I call them), but it can be an option. Especially if you want to start buying and reselling used books as a business. If you want to do one-off sales, you’ll have to sign up as an Individual Seller. Amazon will let you price your book, but you won’t get paid until someone actually buys the book. Plus, every time you sell, you’ll have to ship the book out yourself (something SellYourBook.com handles for you).
Professional Sellers pay a monthly fee to be able to use the platform and they can elect to have Amazon ship the books for them. But that means more costs to store the books with Amazon. More fees can cause you to run at a loss if you’re not business savvy.
eBay
eBay is another popular option for selling used books online. Many people find it particularly useful for antique or out of print editions. So if that’s what you had in mind, it might be worth a shot. With eBay though, you’ll have to post your item and then let potential users bid before choosing your buyer. If you’re not used to the process, it might be a bit tedious.
I also really dislike the fact that people sell ARCs on eBay, which is unethical and completely unregulated by the platform.
An Easier Way to Make Money Selling Used Books
I was pleased to see how easy SellBackYourBook.com makes it to sell used books online. It’s perfect for anyone who has books to get rid of and who wouldn’t mind an extra 20-50 bucks without too much hassle. If you’re considering selling your used books, I definitely recommend SellBackYourBook.com. And if you’re on the other side looking for cheaper ways to buy books, have a look at SecondSale.com.
How do you feel about buying and selling used books online? Have you ever tried it? Do you think you will? Let me know! Feel free to send over any questions you have about SellBackYourBook.com.
This is such an excellent resource! I used to live in a fantastic library system but since I moved I found that many books are not available so I am buying more. I can’t wait to try it – anything but schlepping out to Half Priced Books to tell me they want to pulp my books!
Oh yay! I’m really happy to hear that you find it useful. I hope it works out great for you 🙂
Hi, Afoma. As always, this is an excellent post. And I agree with you about ARCs. I used see something similar with professors selling examination copies of textbooks. They were free full-book copies that a publisher would send with the hopes that the textbook would be adopted. It wasn’t just unethical; it contributed to the rising cost of textbooks for everyone. Thanks for including this in today’s newsletter.