Used Books - One Man's Treasure
Is your attic full of used books? Are you the biggest book hoarder in Seattle? There are a few used-book stores in Seattle that will take them off your hands. Prepare yourself, though. You might be shocked at the small sum you will offered when you sell used books. If you take a little time and sort through your books to find the moneymakers and donate the rest to your local library, both you and the local public will benefit from your treasures!
If you’ve spent some time around a used bookstore, you've no doubt been a witness to this scene: someone pulls up with a trunk load of used books. Load by load, they struggle to carry them into the used bookstore, dropping a few along the way. Once inside, the buyer quickly shuffles through them and makes an offer. "Not much we can use here. We can pay you ten dollars."
"For all of them?" the dejected seller responds.
Knowing what's worth actual cash in used books is not too difficult, as long as you understand a few simple guidelines, and look at it from the buyer's perspective.
Before you trying selling any used books, here are some broad guidelines:
* There are two types of books that are generally worth money - newer titles and collectible titles. Newer books are generally anything published in the last year or so. The best time to resell a hardback book is before it comes out in paperback. Used books stores have the most demand for recently published books, so they are anxious to acquire these. The sooner you sell a new book after you read it, the more you are likely to get for it.
* Collectible titles can cover a broad range, but the most sought-after are genre fiction (mystery, science fiction), first editions of popular works, certain children's titles, art books, and nonfiction categories where the information is not time-dependent. Last year's guide to Mexico is going to be worth very little this year, because the information is all out of date.
* Categories that often have very little value include book club editions, outdated textbooks, dated guides and annuals, encyclopedias, and outdated reference books. Another category that can have very little value is mega-bestsellers. The used book market is all supply and demand, and something that sold millions of copies has a huge supply, so once the demand drops off, there is very little value for the used copies.
* Before you sell a book, here are a few things to check that might make it more valuable than you think.
Is the book signed by the author? Autographed books are often worth much more, even if it's a common title. Is it a first edition? Look for the words "first edition" or the number "1" in the number stream on the copyright page.
Is it a title that was printed in limited quantity? Books published by small publishers often have more value, because less copies were printed.
* In the Internet age, you have several options for selling your used books. Should you sell to a brick-and-mortar store or try selling through a site on the Internet? If you're selling to a regular store, be aware that there are generally two types of used book dealers: a collectible, or antiquarian dealer, and a store catering to the general public. The antiquarian bookseller is interested in your collectible titles only. The general seller may buy some of the other items, as they have a more general customer base.
* Online, you can easily search for your book's title and come up with a possible value. If there are forty-seven copies of the book on Amazon with a price of 47 cents, your copy isn't going to be worth much more.
Of course, for readers, the real value of a book isn’t its monetary value, but in the words on the pages. One of the great joys in life is finding a dusty copy of some old book in the quarter pile, and discovering that's it's much better than that best seller that cost 25 dollars. Don't overlook those hidden treasures!
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