How and Where to Sell Used Books: 14 Best Platforms

As with new books, used hardbacks usually sell for more than paperback books. You can sell most used hardcovers for around $5–$10 per book, whereas paperback books are often worth as little as a few cents.

However, if you have special, antique, or limited edition copies, they may be worth a lot more—potentially hundreds of dollars, regardless of whether they’re hardback or paperback. In practice, they might still be difficult to actually sell for that much (even rare books can be difficult assets to move), but at least on paper, they may be quite valuable.

What affects the value of a used book?

The value of a used book is determined by quite a few factors, including:

• The condition it’s in: The better the condition your books are in, the more you’ll get for them. Tears, discoloration of the pages, or the absence of a book jacket means you’ll get less.
• What edition it is: Again, some limited, early, or first edition books can fetch better prices. Signed books are also much more valuable.
• Whether it’s part of a collection: It’s usually easier and more lucrative to sell books that are part of a set when you have the full collection.
• What type of book it is: All other things being equal, nonfiction books are typically worth more than novels, with textbooks being especially pricey.

How to use your book’s ISBN to determine its value

Most book-selling sites will let you search your book’s International Standard Book Number (ISBN) and see how much it’s worth. Prices vary between vendors, but this will give you at least some idea of what you can get for any given book, which you can use as a jumping-off point for your own research.

There are many online marketplaces that you can sell used books on. We’ve listed some of the most popular sites below:

1. BookScouter

About the site: BookScouter is an aggregator that will connect you with vendors. They have over 30 of these integrated into the platform, giving you plenty of options.

Most vendors will pay you within one to three days of receiving and checking your books.

It’s worth noting that BookScouter’s main focus is on textbooks, though they do accept other kinds of used books as long as they have ISBNs. If your books don’t, you won’t be able to sell them through BookScouter.

Listing/selling fees: None, although a pro subscription (with advanced features for serious book flippers) costs $34.95 per month.

How to get started: To sell your books through BookScouter, follow these steps:

1. Go to BookScouter’s homepage and click “Sign up.”
2. Enter your email address and create a password, then click “Sign up” again.
3. Once you’ve created your account, use the site’s search tool to look up your book’s ISBN and click “Scout.” You’ll see a list of vendors, along with ratings showing whether most sellers have had good experiences with them.
4. Select a vendor, then follow the instructions to sell your book.

2. Biblio

About the site: Biblio is another book-selling marketplace for independent sellers and small businesses. It specializes in used, antique, and rare items.

While Biblio doesn’t have as many users as some of the other marketplaces on this list, it offers unlimited free listings, and reportedly provides solid customer support to both buyers and sellers.

Listing/selling fees: Biblio offers two plans, one free and one paid. Its fees depend on which one you get:

How to get started: To sell on Biblio, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Biblio’s homepage, scroll to the bottom and find “Resources,” then click “Sell Books on BIBLIO.”
2. Create your Biblio account by entering your name (or your business’s name), contact information, address, and password.
3. Select your commission plan, accept the terms and conditions, and click “Begin selling.”

3. BookDeal

About the site: BookDeal is another online book marketplace that accepts a wide range of used books (as long as they have ISBNs and are in good condition), although their main focus is also on textbooks. You can refer to their book condition guidelines for their full requirements.

Their prices are determined by:

• Their estimation of each book’s future value
• The book’s popularity
• The number of copies they already have
• The current demand for the book

The price you’re quoted may be different from what you actually get, since BookDeal examines books for quality issues when they arrive and may adjust their appraisal accordingly.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To sell your books on BookDeal, follow these steps:

1. Go to BookDeal’s homepage and click “Login/Register.”
2. Click “Sign Up.”
3. Enter your name and email address, then create a password and click “Sign Up.”
4. Once you’ve set up your account, enter your book’s ISBN in the search bar on BookDeal’s homepage to see how much you’ll get.

4. Powell’s Books

About the site: Powell’s Books, a Portland-based independent bookstore, operates an online store where you can sell your used books. If you’re based in Portland, you can also just drop your books off at Powell’s outlets directly.

Be aware that Powell’s is very strict about the condition of books it accepts. You’ll need to refer to the condition guidelines in Powell’s FAQ to see if your books are eligible.

If all is well with your books, Powell’s will pay you a percentage of what they believe they can sell them for. They’ll pay you either in store credit or cash (via PayPal).

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To sell your books to Powell’s, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Powell’s Books homepage and click “Sell Books.”
2. Assuming you want to sell online, click “Sell your books online” in the right column.
3. Enter your item’s ISBN and click “Submit.” You’ll see an offer for your book.

5. Textbooks.com

About the site: If you have textbooks from your college days lying around, you can sell them on Textbooks.com, another book-selling marketplace that specializes in used textbooks (as the name suggests).

This site is narrower in scope than the other marketplaces on this list, but it reportedly pays out promptly and will cover your shipping costs.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To get rid of your unwanted textbooks, follow these steps:

1. Go to Textbook.com’s homepage and click “Sell textbooks.”
2. Enter your book’s ISBN in the search bar and click the arrow.
3. Review the quote the site gives you; this will be valid for 30 days.

Note that quotes are approximations, and your final payout might be less than you expected if Textbooks.com finds your item has quality issues (such as missing pages or water damage) when they receive it.

6. AbeBooks

About the site: AbeBooks is another online platform (owned by Amazon) that connects used-book buyers to sellers.

Since AbeBooks is an open marketplace, what books you can sell comes down to what the buyers on the platform are looking for, and not AbeBooks’ own policies. That said, you’ll be able to use the site to offload most types of books, although the site has a particular focus on rare books (as well as fine art and other non-book collectibles, such as posters).

Listing/selling fees: A basic subscription plan (allows 0–500 listings) starts at $25 per month; commission fee of 8% per order.

How to get started: To sell on AbeBooks, follow these steps:

1. Go to AbeBooks’ homepage and click “Start Selling.”
2. Log in with your Amazon account (if you have one) or click “Sign up now” to create your account.
3. If you’re creating a new account, enter your name and email address, then create a password and click “Create your AbeBooks account.”
4. Use AbeBooks’ search bar to look up the ISBN for your book and see how much it’s worth.

7. Barnes and Noble

About the site: You’re probably familiar with Barnes and Noble, and if you’re a book person, there’s a good chance you’ve visited one of their physical bookstores. What you might not know is that the company has a “Textbook Buyback” program you can use to sell certain used textbooks.

You need to sell at least $10 worth of books at a time. Once Barnes and Noble receives your items, they’ll pay you either by check or PayPal.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To participate in Barnes and Noble’s buyback program, follow these steps:

1. Go to the Barnes and Noble homepage, hover over the “Books” icon, then go to “Departments” and click “Textbooks.”
2. Click “Textbook Buy Back” on the right.
3. Enter your book’s ISBN and click “Get Quote.”
4. You’ll see your book displayed alongside the quote; if you want to accept it (and have reached the $10 minimum), click “Continue.”
5. Enter your name, address, and email address, choose your payment method, accept the terms of use, and click “Submit.

8. SellBackYourBook.com

About the site: SellBackYourBook.com is another platform that buys used books. You can sell either individually or in bulk. They accept a wide range of books, including fiction, non-fiction, and textbooks, and they don’t charge any fees to sellers.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: Follow the steps below:

1. Go to SellBackYourBook’s homepage, enter your book’s ISBN in the search bar, and click “Sell.”
2. You’ll see your book displayed alongside the quote; if you’re satisfied, click “Complete order.”
3. Enter your email and create a password, then enter your name, address, and select your preferred payment method. Click “Complete Sale.”

9. Valore

About the site: Valore is a service that both rents and sells textbooks. You can also sell your own used textbooks to the platform. You can get instant quotes for your books by looking up their ISBNs, and Valore offers free shipping.

Your books need to be in good condition for Valore to accept them, although they aren’t as strict as some of the other book-selling platforms on this list. After you ship your books, Valore will evaluate them and let you know if they’re eligible; if they aren’t, they’ll send them back to you.

You need to sell at least $15 worth of books at a time to use Valore. They’ll either pay you via check or PayPal.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To sell your textbooks to Valore, follow these steps:

1. Go to Valore’s homepage and click “Sell Textbooks.”
2. Enter your book’s ISBN in the search bar and click “Get price quote.”
3. Once you’ve added your books (and reached the $15 minimum), click “Proceed to checkout.”
4. Review your list and click “Payment info,” then choose your payment method.

Selling on a book-specific online marketplace isn’t your only option. It’s also possible to offload used books on general marketplaces that accept all sorts of secondhand items, such as:

10. Amazon

About the site: You almost certainly know about Amazon, but you might not know that the company originally started out as a marketplace for books. You can still sell them on the platform, even though it’s expanded its focus greatly since its early days.

Amazon’s massive audience (and nearly universal name recognition) makes it a viable option for selling books directly to customers. You’re free to set your prices, which gives you more freedom than many of the other reselling markets we’ve listed (which will lock you into the quote they give you).

However, there’s a lot of competition on Amazon, so depending on the condition of your books and your prices, it might not be the quickest way of selling them. Moreover, you’ll have to pay for shipping yourself, alongside Amazon’s seller fees and a subscription fee.

Listing/selling fees: Subscription fee of $39.99 per month; selling fee of $0.99 per item.

How to get started: To start listing and selling on Amazon, follow these steps:

1. Go to Amazon’s homepage and click “Sell.”
2. If you don’t already have one, create an Amazon Seller account by clicking “Sign up.”
3. Enter your email and password.
4. Make sure you have the required documents, then click “Begin.”
5. Enter your location, business type (individual seller), your full name, and check the box to confirm your details, then click “Agree and continue.”

11. eBay

About the site: Another e-commerce giant, eBay is one of the most recognized online marketplaces in the world, second only to Amazon. You can list items on it with fixed prices or create auction-style listings that people can bid on.

Unlike Amazon, eBay is specifically meant for secondhand items, and if you’re willing to be flexible with your prices, you can make sales relatively quickly.

However, eBay will take a relatively high commission from each transaction. You’ll also need to account for shipping costs. All of this means that eBay may be a more worthwhile option if you’re looking to sell your books as a collection rather than individually.

Listing/selling fees: Insertion fee of $0.35 per item; final value fee of 13.25% of the total selling price.

How to get started: Follow these steps:

1. Go to eBay’s homepage and create an account if you don’t already have one.
2. On the homepage, click “Sell.”
3. Click “List an item” in the taskbar on the right.
4. Enter your book’s title and/or ISBN, then click the search icon.
5. If there’s a match (meaning eBay recognizes your item), enter its condition, then click “Continue to listing.” If there isn’t a match, follow eBay’s instructions to create your listing from scratch.

12. Decluttr

About the site: Although it isn’t as big as eBay or Amazon, Decluttr is another relatively popular online marketplace for selling all manner of used goods.

Decluttr accepts many kinds of books, from textbooks to children’s books. It will give you a free valuation of your items, and provides free shipping.

Unfortunately, the platform is picky about the condition of the books it accepts. It won’t take books that have any visible damage or defaced pages, and also refuses to take hardcovers without dust jackets.

Moreover, while it’s easy to start selling, you’re unlikely to get much for your books on Decluttr, with most books only selling for a few cents. You also need to sell at least 10 books at a time.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: Follow these steps:

1. Go to Decluttr’s homepage and click the “Sell” icon.
2. Click the “Sell media” icon, enter your book’s ISBN, and click the search icon.
3. When you’ve added all your items, click the basket icon.
4. Check your items and click “Continue to checkout.”

13. Craigslist

About the site: Craigslist is a community message board. You can use it to sell items to your neighbors and other people in your area.

This makes it a quick and low-cost way to get rid of books; because most sales are local, you don’t have to pay shipping fees, and you get to keep all of your profits.

However, the local nature of the platform also limits your customer base. Moreover, Craigslist won’t do anything to facilitate the transaction for you, and meeting customers in person can be risky. This is a viable selling method, but make sure you understand what you’re getting into.

Listing/selling fees: None.

How to get started: To post a listing on Craigslist, follow these steps:

1. Go to Craigslist’s homepage and find your location.
2. Navigate to the taskbar and click “post.”
3. Choose “for sale by owner” and click “continue.”
4. Choose the category “books & magazines” and click “continue.”
5. Enter the details of your listing and click “continue.”

14. Facebook Marketplace

About the site: If you have a Facebook account, you can use the site’s selling platform to get rid of your used books. As with Craigslist, most sales on Facebook Marketplace are local, although shipping is allowed.

You’ll communicate directly with customers and have total control over your listings. However, this service has the same downsides that Craigslist does—namely that you’ll have to coordinate with buyers and arrange the transaction (handing over the items, etc.) on your own.

Listing/selling fees: Selling fee of 10% of the final price (minimum of $0.80 per listing).

How to get started: To sell on Facebook Marketplace, follow these steps:

1. Go to Facebook and log in to your account (or create one if you don’t have one).
2. Click “Marketplace” on the right.
3. Click “Create new listing” on the right.
4. Select “Item for sale.”
5. Follow the instructions to create your listing.

You don’t have to rely on e-commerce marketplaces to sell your used books—if you aren’t much of a computer person, there are plenty of offline selling options, too. These include:

• Local bookstores: If you want to quickly sell books, reach out to local used bookstores. Many of these buy books in exchange for store credit or cash. Be aware that they might not accept books that they already have a lot of copies of or that they don’t think there will be much demand for.
• Garage sales: If you have a lot of other unwanted items you’d like to get rid of, consider hosting a garage sale. You can advertise it on Nextdoor or Craigslist, as well as by putting up flyers around your neighborhood.
• Pawn shops: Selling to pawn shops means you can get an instant valuation and sell quickly. However, pawn shops aren’t known for their generosity, so going with this option will probably mean accepting less than you could get elsewhere.
• College bookstores: If you’re a student looking to get rid of old textbooks, try your campus bookstore, as they often buy back used textbooks. Don’t be afraid to shop around at other local bookstores and see which one gives you the best quote.