In a previous post I laid out a few good sources for finding used books to sell online. While library sales, thrift stores, etc are good resources, the truth is that I can’t tell you where you’re going to find books. Books are all around us. They are on shelves and in drawers, forgotten in attics and garages, and boxed up in storage units. I can’t tell you when you’re going to find books.
Finding books, to a certain degree, is about who you know. Just about everyone you know is a potential source of books.
I have known neighbors, past co-workers, teachers, relatives, people from all walks of life who have turned out to be unexpectedly good sources of books. You might know someone looking to pare down their collection, someone who’s job gives them access to used books, or someone who’s inherited books they don’t know what to do with. Use your existing network, talk to the people in your life, and you just might be surprised where you find books.
I once met some people at the Penske truck rental counter. I didn’t know them, they didn’t know me, but we got to talking and I ended up finding out that they had some books they wanted to get rid of. As it turned out, they didn’t have a lot of books, but the books the did have were valuable.
If you take the time to talk to people, you can find and get to know the people who have the books, and find the books that the people you already know have. This can be a valuable thing indeed.
Tags: Buying used books, sell books
Hi, I just wanted to add one more thing about finding books, that many new sellers overlook. Do not buy a book without knowing its value unless it is very cheap or free! I got fed up looking for a mobile way to search for books, so I made my own service that should work on any web enabled phone. It is free (for now) for anyone to use, and the site is:
scout.bookspy.net – Mobile
Bookspy.net – regular
You can search by isbn, title, or author, and it returns an Amazon sales rank, as well as the lowest prices across multiple venues.
Hopefully this will help some aspiring sellers out!
Another way to find books without too much effort is to use your local Craigslist. You can look for people who are getting rid of books but you can also post an ad saying you buy books
True. Like I mentioned in my post about where to find books to sell, one of the best places to look on Craigslist is in the “Garage Sale” section, rather than under books. That’s where you’ll find the real gems.
You can also use Craigslist to get rid of books that aren’t selling. Again, the garage sale section is your best bet.