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Textbooks are a necessity for anyone in college, but there’s one major problem…
They can be very expensive. In fact, the average cost for textbooks is $1,000 a year.
This is where our amazon textbook buyback review comes in.
Instead of just having them collect dust on a bookshelf, we’re going to look at how you can get some money back using Amazon textbook buyback.
Although you can’t always get the full amount of money back or return every textbook, it’s a great way to at least get a little cash back.
There may be some questions still lingering so let’s dive right into the biggest questions when returning textbooks through amazon.
Table of Contents
Is It Worth The Hassle?
Although selling textbooks to Amazon will have benefits such as making back some money, helping others, and making space for something else in your room.
There are also some hassles that can make this whole experience not so fun.
The first major disadvantage is that it can take roughly 10-14 days to actually receive money, although it’s not crazy long it can prevent some that need cash quickly.
Next, the might quote a price for the textbook, but that doesn’t always mean that’s what you’ll receive. When they receive your book you’ll get a final price, if you’re not happy with it they can always ship it back to you.
Another hassle is that you’ll only be paid via Amazon gift cards. Although this is ingenious for amazon it can really be a killer in sending them your book as you won’t be getting cash.
Although there’s a load of benefits. Even the negatives can outweigh the positives depending on your needs.
How Much Will Amazon Pay?
There are many different prices depending on the condition, type of book, and the market.
Selling unused textbooks can make up to 80% of their initial purchase value, this is a great way to earn your money back. But in a lot of cases, you won’t get the full 80%.
Although you’ll still be losing money, it can seem like a large payday because you won’t need the book anyway.
What Books Does Amazon Want?
Amazon will accept a wide variety of books. To get top dollar it will need to be a new book without any damage.
But, new books aren’t always the case because odds are that the book has been used. That’s perfectly okay because Amazon will still pay a decent amount for these used or worn down books.
Heres is an in-depth look into their condition guidelines.
New: This is exactly what it seems, this book must be brand new and you can be offered roughly 80% of the original purchase price for a brand new book.
Used – Like new: This is a book that has very minimal damage, just about none at all. You can get close to 80% of the original purchase price
Used – Very good: This book usually classifies as a well-kept book that might have some damage but overall minimal.
Used – Good: The book will show wear from consistent use. Although you won’t get top dollar this could still be a great way to get some extra money for a book that’s no longer being used.
Used – Acceptable: This is the least amazon will allow. There is visible damage but everything still functions properly, there might be markings, rips, etc.
Rule Of Thumb For Amazon Textbook Buyback Book Conditions
Binding
When examining your textbook you’ll want to examine the binding. The binding is kind o like the spine of the book. If there’s any damage there, the whole book can fall apart. With a weak or damaged binding, it makes books easier to fall and can even allow for detached covers or pages.
Pages
The pages are also very important to check because a lot can be wrong with them. The biggest issue would be missing pages because without certain pages the book could get a little confusing. So when examining be sure that all the pages are there or amazon could lower the initial price you were told.
Water Damage
Water damage can be either a huge issue or no issue at all. But if it is a major issue such as discoloration, wrecked pages, or destroyed covers then you might take a huge hit on how much you’ll make. With water damage, the price goes down because it simply just doesn’t look good or isn’t as usable.
Written Notes Inside Book
Having any notes that were written in the textbook can decrease how much you make. This is because it shows that it’s used and not everyone wants to have someone else notes. Unfortunately, not all notes written on textbooks will be good and this might hurt the value even more after amazon examines it.
Amazon Textbook Buyback Process
Step 1: Open an Amazon Account
The first step is to open an amazon account.
Without one, you won’t be able to do any of the following steps. It’s a very simple and quick process consisting of only a few questions. You’ll want to sign up as a marketplace individual seller unless you plan to sell more than 40 textbooks.
Step 2: Search For Your Book
To sell your book you’ll need to search the book by title or ISBN code. Your book must match the exact book to get an estimate on price; This helps ensure that its the same book. You can do this at the textbook buyback page. The process is very simple and straight forward for your convenience.
Step 3: Assess The Condition
You’ll then want to assess your book for any damage. A good book is one that has no damage to the binding, pages, or cover. You then will need to submit the condition to Amazon as that’s how you’ll get paid. You will then get an estimate for the book, but that can change if the book is either better or worse than the condition you stated.
Step 4: Ship To Amazon
Amazon makes this very simple and even includes free shipping. The only hassle is you’ll need to print off your own shipping label. Once they receive the book you will be sent your money and the book is now off your hands!
Step 5: Collect Your Money
The one major disadvantage is that you will only be paid by amazon gift cards. This will be sent directly to your account. It’s estimated that you can receive up to 80% of your book’s purchase price. This number will fluctuate depending on the condition. Regardless, it’s still a great deal for a book that’s no longer being used!
15 Alternatives To Amazon Textbook Buyback
BookByte
BookByte is a fantastic company that is buying books back. The only requirement is that you send at least $10 worth of textbooks. They even offer free shipping.
To find out how much you can make you’ll need to type in either the ISBN, title, author, or keyword to find your book and get an estimate.
To get paid you will need either a PayPal account or they can mail you a check.
Barnes and Noble
Another great option is Barnes and Noble. This is a very well-known company located around the nation. One thing they offer is they buy back textbooks. This is a great way to put some extra cash in your pocket.
To get started you’ll need to search the book on their site with your books ISBN number. From there you will get your quote. If the quote looks fair to you then you can ship them the book for free!
eCampus
This company offers some of the top prices. In fact, they commonly will beat Amazon’s prices! eCampus has become one of the most competitive out of all the options. This is a major benefit to anyone selling a book as they’ll offer high prices.
To get started all you need to do is search your book by ISBN. Youll get your quote and if it looks good to you, you’ll ship it in.
A plus is that shipping is free.
To get paid you have two options: Paypal or in-store credit.
Decluttr
Decluttr makes it very easy to sell more than just textbooks. They will also accept any cell phones, CD’s, DVD’s, legos, and much more.
To get started you’ll need to search your books ISBN number. If you’re happy with the quote then you can ship the book to them.
They offer free and insured shipping. A benefit is that you will be paid the day after the company confirms your shipment.
Knetbooks
This company’s main mission is to buy back books in a fast, simple, and profitable way. Their system works similarly to all the other companies except they like to work faster.
The process is simple.
All you need to do is enter the books ISBN number for a quote, if the price looks goo, you can then ship it in.
The best part is that instead of waiting for mail or PayPal, they can directly deposit the money into your bank as soon as the order is confirmed. This is way better than only receiving store credit with the Amazon Textbook Buyback program and other competitors on this list.
Bookstores.com
This company is similar to the others, they offer two different options when shipping your books. You can select either PayPal or instore credit.
The benefit of picking in-store credit is that you will get roughly %10-15 more than choosing PayPal.
To qualify for free shipping you must send them at least $15 worth of books.
BooksRun
BooksRun is one of the more competitive companies, up there with eCampus. They will be offering some of the highest prices, which is a huge benefit to anyone selling books.
In order to sell, you’ll need to have at least $15 worth of books.
Once you checkout, you will need to print out the prepaid shipping label and send it within five days after creating the order.
Textbooks.com
As their name states, they’re interested in textbooks. Which is a huge benefit if you have any unused textbooks laying around.
This company is offering cash for any textbook. Not only can you sell on their site but you can also purchase directly from their site.
To get a quote you’ll need to enter your books ISBN. from there you print the free UPS label and ship it out.
They pay via PayPal or check.
Cash4Books
Their name says it all. This company is buying books for cash. They work similarly to other companies such as the process they work.
The process starts by searching the book with the ISBN number. From there you will get an instant quote, if the numbers sound good to you then you can ship it in for free.
Once they receive the book, they will inspect it, and if it’s in good shape you will get paid via PayPal or check.
Sell Back Your Book
This company is perfect for anyone that is looking to sell a bundle of books. With their advanced search option, you can search bulk ISBN numbers and get quotes instantly.
They also have an app that allows you to scan the book and get even quicker quotes.
They do have a more strict process for what books they buy. Here are some examples of what they do NOT buy:
- Advanced reader copies
- Books with no ISBN
- Offensive material
- Encyclopedia sets
Heres the textbooks they do NOT buy:
- Teachers editions
- Instructor’s editions
- Annotated instructor editions
BookScouter
This website could give you the most money. The way they work is they will search for 38 different vendors to give you the best price.
All you have to do is enter your books ISBN number and you’ll see the best prices. From there you will ship it in for free.
When they receive the books you’ll likely be paid via PayPal or check.
TextbookRush
With over 1 million books for sale, TextbookRush is almost guaranteed to buy your book. Not only d they but books, but they also buy electronics, games, and movies.
You can sell them your items through their app or website. Shipping is free for every item and you’ll be paid via PayPal, cash, or in-store credit.
So if you have a unique book and want it gone, Text ookRush might be the best option for you!
BookFinder.com
This company has been in business since 1997! They have received many accolades from prestigious publications such as Forbes, The New York Times, and Lifehacker.
They work similarly to BookScouter by comparing their prices with multiple vendors and giving you the highest price.
Shipping is free and they’ve even expanded to the UK and Canada.
Campus Books
CampusBooks has been around for a long time similarly to BookFinder.com. They accept a large number of books almost guaranteeing every book.
The books the won’t accept are those that are missing supplemental material.
They will search for multiple buyback sites to give you the best price. Shipping is free and you will be paid via PayPal, check, or in-store credit.
TIP: Its best to sell between August or January to get the highest prices.
CKY Books
This company offers more than just books, they will also buy movies and CDs. So if you’re looking to make some room, you might want to consider CKY Books.
They offer free shipping but the order must be worth at least $20. You can choose to be paid by either PayPal or a check.
This is a perfect buyback company for anyone that lives on the east coast as this company is located in Kentucky.
Final Thoughts
Having unused books laying around and collecting dust can be irritable especially when you need more space. Amazon is the king of books and with the Amazon Textbook Buyback, they will buy back just about any book.
You can make up to 80% of the original purchase price with Amazon.
But, Amazon isn’t the only option there are many different ways to get cash for your unwanted books!
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