You’re a broke college student, and you want to get rid of the mound of books in the corner of your dorm. If you take them to the school bookstore, you know you’re going to end up earning back a quarter of what you paid, if you’re lucky. So, what other options do you have?

If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, there are a variety of online sites that will help you sell your used books. You can choose to go with a book focused online platform, a big retailer, or even your social networking apps to help you get rid of your books and build your bank account.

If you’re interested in learning about the best way to sell used books online, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve found some of the best options to generate the highest return on your academic books for the least amount of effort. Avoid the disappointment of waiting in line at the school bookstore for your pennies in return. Take the high road and sell textbooks online!

Online Platforms

These online sites’ main focus is to sell textbooks and textbook buyback. They know their stuff, and will more than likely offer you the best money to buy back your used book. If you’re willing to put in the time and the effort, you can find where you will receive the most return on the book you’ve used all semester. With a few extra steps, you’ll reap the benefit of your commitment.

BookScouter.com

At the top of our list is BookScouter. This online platform provides prospective sellers with insight to over 35 textbook buyback sites and guides them as to what site will offer them the most money for the used textbook they’re selling. Frankly, it’s one of the best books buyback places for any student to visit first before they branch off onto any other site.

BookScouter gives you the insight to where your book is in the most demand, and where you will receive the highest payment for it. If you’re looking for an easy way to buy books, BookScouter will also provide you the information as to where you can purchase a text for the most cost-effective price. There’s no other way to say it – this site is helpful for both your money-saving and income-generating needs.

BooksRun

BooksRun gives you the option to sell your college textbook and get paid cash in return. They claim to buy back books at some of the best prices. They send you prepaid shipping labels, meaning you won’t pay anything for shipping. However, they do mention that free shipping is available to US residents only. Just search the ISBN of your college textbook on their site, and you can then choose to either sell the book or view buy/sell/rent offers. You can find the ISBN on the back cover of your used textbook.

If you sell textbooks through the site, you can take your books to either a USPS or FedEx location. Once they receive your shipment, you get paid within four days via PayPal or check. They recommend you not use a drop-off box because it can lead to delayed delivery. Bringing it to a collection facility will also allow you to track the shipment. This is an excellent service that makes selling textbooks online easy. If you’re looking for the best price for your used textbook, you might find it here.

Cash4Books

Cash4Books is another excellent option if you’re looking to sell textbooks at the end of the semester. One of the most desirable features of the site is that before you even list your book for sale, you can get a price quote for the going rate of the particular text. You do this by entering the ISBN on the book’s back cover into the search bar. The ISBN is a 10 to 13 digit number found on your book’s back cover. Searching by ISBN ensures you will find the exact book you need.

Once you receive a price quote, you can select if you’d like to sell your book through the platform. If you elect to move forward, you’ll ship your textbooks for free to the distributor, who will then sell your book for you. The great part is you won’t have to wait until your book sells to another individual to receive payment.

Since you’re accepting the quote that Cash4Books gives you, they will pay you through PayPal the minute they receive your book, no questions asked. On average, it takes about 13 days to receive your payment after placing an order. It’s a simple, secure, and minimal effort on your end. If you want a direct method, Cash4Books is it. They have excellent customer service and offer a great way to sell used books online.

Student2Student

Student2Student works for sellers in several ways. It connects you with others who are seeking the texts you’re selling. You can arrange the sale of your book through their network, and it will offer you convenience by referring to other students on your campus to your sales. It eliminates the need for you to ship and creates a quick and easy way for you to unload your books.

If you are buying a textbook and can’t find a used copy within the network, the site will give you a price comparison to help you find the cheapest books. There are no fees to use the service, and since you get free shipping, there are no costs to use it. Connect with the buyer or seller who matches your needs, and they’ll handle the rest. If you want to make a price comparison to find the best price for your used books, this is the place to do it.

Decluttr

Decluttr lets you sell old textbooks, books, video games, CDs, DVDs, and your old smartphones. It’s effortless to use. Search the site’s database or use their app to find the items you’re selling. Once you find your items, they will give you a price. If you’re satisfied with it, confirm the sale and then you’ll be able to ship. If you’re unsure about the buyback price, you can always make a price comparison with other textbook buyback places.

At that point, there are only a couple of steps left. They’ll send you a free shipping label when you first join, but you will have to print labels for additional boxes. Then, bring it to a UPS drop-off location. You can adhere the label to the box yourself, but UPS will usually do that for you. One your items are received, you’ll receive payment via PayPal, check, or direct deposit the next business day. You may also donate to a charity.

eCampus

eCampus can be a fun site to buy & sell your old textbooks because of their rewards program. You’ll get 175 points just for signing up, plus you get points any time you sell college textbooks or follow or interact with them on social media. There are other ways to accrue rewards points, but, 175 points earns a $5 eCampus gift card. That said, you do have to order a certain dollar amount to be able to use gift cards; for example, your order must be at least $30 to use a $5 gift card.

Still, having rewards is a nice perk, and as a seller, you get free shipping. You can get paid in a variety of ways, including PayPal, direct deposit, or even in-store credit; the latter will give you a better rate. They also have better rates if you sell in bulk. This is a marketplace that manages to make itself unique when there are so many options if you want to sell textbooks through a great textbook buyback program, considering selling textbooks through eCampus.

TextbookRush

In addition to college textbooks, you can also sell electronics, games, and movies at TextbookRush! You can also rent textbooks and even eBooks. When selling textbooks, enter your ISBN(s) and be quoted a textbook buyback price. The site guarantees that any price quotes will be valid for seven days. If you need to know your book’s publisher, try checking the title page; for example, Penguin Random House in New York.

You’ll get free shipping, and they offer three payment methods: payment via PayPal, cash, and store credit. You should receive your payment within a few days of the store receiving the shipment. TextbookRush also has an app if you prefer to use your phone. They also let you sell international edition textbooks in the US. This site is the perfect place to buy, sell, or rent your used textbook, plus buy and sell games and movies.

BookFinder.com

BookFinder.com has been in the textbook buyback business since 1997 and has a database of over 100,000 booksellers worldwide. They’ve been recommended in the New York Times, Newsweek, and Forbes. With such an impressive portfolio, you'll likely find exactly what you’re looking for. Through its book buyback program, book stores compete to buy your book. The result is that you can be sure to get the best buyback price possible for your book buyback. You can compare textbook sellers worldwide; they have over 100,000 textbook sellers in their database. It sounds like the New York Times was onto something – you should get the best buyback price with so many sellers!

Shipping costs are paid by their partners, meaning you won’t pay to ship. You can sell textbooks through the service if you live in the US, Canada, or the UK. Just enter your ISBN from the back cover and see textbook buyback offers from multiple vendors. You can make a buyback comparison and then sell to the one with the best price. You can compare textbook buyback vendors and be sure you get the best book buyback possible. When you make a buyback comparison, you can ensure to get the best price for your college textbooks. If you want to sell textbooks, make sure you check out this site for the best buyback price.

FirstClassBooks.com

Along with selling textbooks, you can also sell back your graphing calculator at FirstClassBooks.com. They have an excellent textbook buyback program. Under the buyback section, you can see the buyback price of the calculators they buy. If you want to sell used books online, simply search the database and check the prices they have listed. You’ll get a free shipping label if you sell two books more worth at least $50 – not a high bar to clear when it comes to textbook prices. Free shipping is through USPS; they also offer free and subsidized FedEx shipping.

Once you sell your used books, you’ll be paid within two days by PayPal or check. You can also browse books for sale if you’d like to get an idea of what other people are selling. Please note that you may sell international edition textbooks, but they only pay 10% of the buyback price of US edition textbooks. Due to free shipping and an easy-to-navigate system, this should be one you consider when selling books (or calculators!).

Chegg

Chegg accepts most textbooks online through its sell textbooks page. Chegg has a straightforward process to help you sell textbooks. Just enter your ISBN in the search, get a quote, and sell your books if you are satisfied. As with many other buyback programs, Chegg will pay for your shipping, so there is no cost to you. This makes it an excellent sell place to sell your used textbook.

Prepaid shipping is free through UPS, and Chegg says they pay top dollar for your books. When all is said and done, you should be paid within 10-15 days of initially shipping them. Chegg offers other services as well, such as textbook rentals, study programs, tutoring, test prep, and more. This is clearly a valuable service that has a lot to offer student and textbook sellers alike.

CampusBooks

CampusBooks is another site that allows you to compare buyback prices from different buyback vendors when selling books. This is a nice feature because it helps ensure you are getting the best buyback price possible for your books. Of course, you should be sure your books are in acceptable condition; books that are damaged will usually not be accepted. Generally, that means the spine should not be broken, the title page should be intact with no pages torn, and no water or mold damage should be present.

You get a free shipping label, and you can be paid by cash, check, PayPal, or in-store credit. The site also offers textbooks for purchase and renting. One feature it has that is unique is called BookBag. This tool allows you to add up to five books and run a price comparison on all of them at once. CampusBooks has been around since 1998, so you know this is a trustworthy company providing an excellent service. Find the best textbook buyback price, get the best price for your used textbook, and sell books conveniently.

ValoreBooks

ValoreBooks is a site where you can sell textbooks, buy used books, and rent books online. They buy back textbooks with the best buyback price. Whether you’re an individual buyer or seller or work at the campus bookstore, this site will be able to work with you to sell books. In fact, they can price up to 10,000 ISBNs at a time! However, you cannot sell back an international edition to ValoreBooks. Once you receive a price quote for the ISBNs you’ve entered, the process is similar to that of other sites. If you find a buyback price you like, you’re ready to sell books!

You get a prepaid shipping label and can drop your books off at the nearest UPS location. ValoreBooks notes that the weight limit per box is 70 lbs, so if you have a lot of books to sell, be sure not to overfill any boxes. Once you have dropped them off at UPS, you can expect to receive a payment within 14 days. If you have a lot of old textbooks to sell, this site should be your go-to. Just remember you can’t sell an international edition here.

Sell Back Your Book

Need to sell textbooks online? Well, what better place to do so than Sell Back Your Book! The site has an A rating from the Better Business Bureau, so you know you are selling to a quality company. When pricing your old textbooks, you can enter either a single 10 to 13 digit ISBN or enter a bulk batch of up to 20 ISBNs.

Shipping is always free, and you get paid within three business days of your book being received. They do not buy old textbooks, books without an ISBN, instructor’s edition, or teacher’s edition books. Free shipping is through FedEx, though you may choose to use a different shipping provider. If you do, books must be received within seven days of order creation. Overall, this is an easy-to-use site to sell back old textbooks online that is worth a look. You’ll get an excellent buyback price for your used book and a great experience to boot.

Textbook Recycling

Textbook Recycling has been in business since 1997, so they are a dependable company. As its name implies, used college books are their specialty. That said, they also deal with new edition textbooks. They even buy new textbooks, which is something most sites don’t do.

You can also price compare, and they also buy some fiction and non-fiction titles, even if they aren’t college textbooks. The best way to check this is by searching the database by ISBN; if an ISBN isn’t listed, it isn’t one you can sell. Check or PayPal issues payment for book sales, and they claim to have the best buyback price you’ll find anywhere. If you have a used textbook to sell, Textbook Recycling is an excellent place for textbook buyback.

BookByte

Founded in 1999, BookByte is a place where you can either sell textbooks or buy cheap textbooks. You can sell either a US edition or the international edition used textbook here. Their cheap books page is actually a guide that details several different strategies for how to buy cheap textbooks, which is a great resource. College textbooks can be costly, after all.

When you sell textbooks, the process is similar to most other websites. Search by ISBN, accept the price if you’re happy with it, then ship the books to BookByte. They will give you a prepaid shipping label in the US, and you’ll be paid within 3-5 business days of receiving the order. They also mention that price quotes are only good for 30 days, so you’ll need to be sure you send your books right away to guarantee the best price. It’s great that this site has helpful resources for students, and it’s worth checking out if you need to sell back your used books. You’ll get a great textbook buyback price when you sell your used textbook.

CKY Books

Sell college textbooks, movies, and CDs at CKY Books. When selling textbooks (or any of these items), all orders must be for $20 or more. When searching their database for books, movies, or CDs, you can search and price up to 30 items at a time. Shipping is always free if you use FedEx, USPS, or UPS. FedEx is what is recommended by CKY.

All items must also be shipped with 96 business hours (4 business days) of creating your order, so be sure you can send your items quickly. Once your order is received, you can be paid by check or PayPal. The entire process takes about six business days for FedEx or 11 days for USPS. This is a great site to check out if you want to sell more than just college textbooks. Either way, if you are looking for the best price for college books, make sure you check here.

CollegeBooksDirect.com

CollegeBooksDirect.com will buy back your used textbook and other school books. You list your college books starting with the ISBN and can get paid by check or PayPal. They currently accept over 440,000 titles and are one of the smaller textbook vendors. It’s easy to sell textbooks on their website – enter the ISBN and instantly get a price quote for your book.

Shipping is free if your order is $30 or more. You’ll also receive a tracking number so you can be sure your shipment is moving as expected. Their shipping provider is UPS; you can also use another shipping provider, but shipping will not be reimbursed in that case. With a wide selection of books accepted, this is the best way to sell textbooks – especially if other stores won’t buy them.

TextbookX

TextbookX is a site that lets you sell your used textbook in like-new or very good condition. You can sell books to the site, and there is also a marketplace where you can sell numerous other items, such as audiobooks, school supplies, calculators, and faculty books. You can even offer tutoring services and college tips.

When you sell textbooks on Textbookx, you search your books by ISBN. The ISBN ensures you find the right college textbooks. Then, you’ll have to confirm details such as the title and author. Check the title page for that info. They’ll also ask you to rate the condition of your item and get a price quote. Once you upload your order, you’ll receive a confirmation and printable shipping label. Shipping is free with orders of $49 or more. This site is an excellent place to go for textbook buyback, particularly if you have more to sell than just school books.

AbeBooks

AbeBooks is a great site to sell your used textbook. You can also sell fine art and collectibles. This site works more like a marketplace; you create listings of the items you want to sell, and anyone who uses the site can decide to purchase them. Please note that there are monthly fees to sell on this site, so it probably only makes sense to sign up if you regularly have items to sell. See more about monthly fees on this page.

Because this site is a marketplace and you sell textbooks online to consumers, you have the option to set your shipping rates/speeds. AbeBooks has features that make it stand out; for instance, when you list items for sale, they’ll be added to six international sales platforms. This makes it easier to sell certain items such as rare books, fine art, and collectibles. This site is worth a look, especially if you are starting your own book textbook buyback business and sell textbooks regularly.

FacultyBooks

This final suggestion has been in business since 1975. FacultyBooks will buy back used college books, study guides, teacher’s editions, and complimentary copies. Indeed, despite its name, this site is not just for teachers. Shipping is free with FacultyBooks, and they’ll even send you packing materials! If you decide to sell textbooks, you’ll get paid by check, direct deposit, or PayPal.

When you ship your used books, you will bring the package(s) to a UPS or USPS location. The site notes that you should use an authorized shipping outlet when selling books for either of these options. If you ship through any other carrier, you will have to cover the shipping yourself. This site accepts 440,000 titles from its database, making it the best way to sell your used books.

Large Retailers

We classify these options as places to sell textbooks that you know and are familiar with. These larger organizations don’t solely focus on selling books, so you may find that you aren’t generating as much of an income for your sale. However, the ease and convenience offered may be worth the reduction in price, if you’re more focused on only getting rid of them.

Amazon

If you’re a student, you've likely checked Amazon for college textbooks. You should also add checking Amazon if you need to sell textbooks online, too. According to a recent press release from Amazon, there were over 50 million books for sale on Amazon at the beginning of 2019. 50 million! If that tells you anything, it should be that books are a hot commodity on the site, and it’s an excellent place to consider selling books.

There are a few ways you can sell on Amazon. Your first choice is to pack and ship your books yourself. Your second choice is to have Amazon create your listing and send your books. This means you’ll sell your texts to Amazon directly. Your final decision is to create a listing on Amazon yourself but give all of your texts to Amazon to do the shipping for you. To sell books at the end of the semester, we’d recommend going with the FBM method, or the one which enables you to pack and ship your books yourself. If this is the case, we recommend including the cost of shipping into your price to assure you don’t lose any income.

Barnes and Noble

While you may only consider buying books from Barnes and Noble, you should also add them to your list of potential vendors where you can sell textbooks online. Barnes and Noble are slightly different in their methods, in that they ask you to have at least $10 worth of texts to sell before they accept your sales. You’ll know if you have more than $10 for sale by giving your books’ ISBN to the retailer to provide you with a price quote. From there, you’ll receive a shipping label to send your texts to them via USPS. Once received, Barnes and Noble will reimburse your expenses and pay you through PayPal.

Social Networks

While social networking is a great way to stay in touch, it can also be a useful tool when you’re trying to purge your unwanted items. Textbooks are no exception. Social networks enable you to connect with those in your local area, who need and want the books you’re trying to sell. Consider using a social network to sell used textbooks if you want to avoid the hassle of making a run to the post office and paying for shipping.

Craigslist

If you’re comfortable with the idea of selling items on Craigslist, this may be the perfect way for you to rid your stock of textbooks efficiently. It will allow you to avoid shipping fees and will enable you to deliver your books safely to their new owner.

A word of caution for a new Craigslist user. Always remember to meet with your potential buyer in a safe, public place, preferably during daylight hours. While we would hope that most people who are buying textbooks online have good intentions, you can never guarantee the type of person who may show up. Exercise caution and use your best judgment to assure you’re prioritizing your safety first and foremost.

Facebook Marketplace

Using social media to sell your used textbook may work to your benefit. If you hop onto your Facebook Marketplace, you can market the books you have available and reach other social network users in your area who may need the books you’re selling. You will be able to reach a large population of peers who go to a variety of higher education institutions in your area and very likely have use for the books you no longer need.

Like we mentioned with Craigslist sales, be smart about where and when you meet your buyer. Don’t be afraid to ask a friend to tag along with you when you meet up to sell textbooks online. You can return the favor by treating them to a scoop of ice cream on you, purchased with your text selling profit.

The Bottom Line

Selling your textbooks doesn’t have to involve you waiting in lines, accepting minimal payments, or toting your books all over campus. Use your online resources to sell textbooks quickly and efficiently for a profit that makes it worth your effort and time.

Don’t hesitate to list your books for sale in a number of the resources we’ve outlined. A lot of times, people will try to bargain with you on the amount they’re willing to pay. By having your books available for sale on several platforms, you’ll be sure to receive the most return. Finally, make sure you pass your class before you sell your book. There’s nothing worse than having to re-buy the same book after you’ve already sold it!