How to sell books online

How many of those books on your shelf will you ever open again? Selling used books online can be a great way of clearing out, and making money at the same time. This piece is a guide to some of the best websites for selling your books online.

AbeBooks

AbeBooks.co.uk is probably the most reputed online book retailer. There are also special sections for first edition, signed, antique and out of print. The site also offers a platform for booksellers. Professional bookseller
If you have more than 150 books to sell, you can set up an online shop and list your books on AbeBooks’ six international websites. However, there will be a small monthly fee according to how many books you want to sell, starting at £17.00 for up to 500 books (as at 26.05.11). For every item you sell, AbeBooks will charge an 8% fee of the total selling cost, starting from £0.30 minimum. Only a few to sell
If you just have a few books to sell, you could try the website’s Book BuyBack scheme. There are no subscription fees - all you have to do is search the ISBN and the website will tell you how much they are willing to pay you. Though prices can be low, shipping is free and it’s quick and easy if you only have a few odd things to get rid of.

Amazon

Amazon.co.uk began as an online books retailer, and only in recent years has the company expanded to sell DVDS, electronics and games. The site also offers a selling platform for all of their product types, including books. How?
Professionals can sell unlimited numbers of books for a monthly fee of £28.75
(as at 26.05.11). If you want to sell immediately, you can only sell things that are already listed in the Amazon catalogue. However, you don’t have to pay Amazon anything until the book sells. Then you will be charged a 17.5% Referral Fee on the product’s final selling price (excluding shipping costs), and a Variable Fee depending on the product type – for books, this fee is fixed at £0.49.

Ebay

The eBay books category is very comprehensive. The Insertion Fee starts at £0.15 if the item costs over £1.00. The Final Value Fee will be 10% of the final cost of the item. Ebay is certainly one of the biggest marketplace sites, but it is less specific when it comes to books – you’re less likely to get a sale. It's better to head for a book specialist site, as it will be the first port of call for people who are looking to buy cheaply. *All prices as at 26.05.2011.