Hey there! If you’re interested in making money by selling books, let me share some tips from my experience. I’ve been flipping books for profit for over a decade, buying them at clearance sales, library sales, and garage sales, and then reselling them on Amazon. Another lucrative method is selling books, CDs, and DVDs to chain bookstores like Half Price Books and Hastings Entertainment.
While garage and library sales are great places to find used books, sometimes retail stores offer better deals. For a couple of years, I bought books from a local franchise that discounted new books to as low as 47 cents each. I’d fill a shopping cart, sell the valuable ones on Amazon, donate some to a university library, and trade the rest at Hastings.
Another bookstore, which has since closed, used to offer new books for $15 per sack after they had been in stock for a couple of years. Every few months, I’d buy several sacks, sell the valuable ones on Amazon, keep a few for myself, and trade the rest at Hastings. It was an easy way to make money.
If you want to try this at your local Hastings or other used bookstores, here are some tips:
1. **Condition Matters**: Buy books in good condition without marks or remainder marks. Hardbacks should have their covers, and paperbacks should be trade paper size, not mass market. Ensure they have a barcode on the back.
2. **Shop Around**: When you take your books to sell, the store associate will scan them and might reject some if they already have enough in stock. Don’t get discouraged; try other stores because different locations might need what you have.
3. **Choose Credit Over Cash**: After scanning, the associate will offer a cash price and a higher credit price. I always take the credit because it’s more valuable. You can use the credit at any Hastings store or online.
4. **Use Credit Wisely**: Besides buying more books, you can use Hastings credit to buy gift cards for other businesses like restaurants and movie theaters. Over the years, I’ve traded books for food, phone minutes, shoes, and gifts.
So, where do you start? Begin at home by sorting through your books, CDs, DVDs, and video games. Decide if you’d rather have these items or some cash. Once you have a dozen or more items, take them to Hastings or another store that buys used books.
If you’re serious about this, start scouting bookstores for clearance books. Clearance items are often at the back of the store. Look for books priced under 50 cents each. Once you find a store with such deals, keep going back. Also, check out library sales and garage sales.
Sometimes you’ll find books to sell on Amazon; other times, you’ll find books for Hastings. And if you don’t find anything to sell, you might still find something you’d like to read. After all, if you love books, this can be a win-win situation.
So, are you ready to start making money by selling books? What side hustles do you have?