Sell Textbooks

Selling textbooks to an online bookstore is actually quite simple.  For this example, we will use the website eCampus.com.

1.  Navigate to ecampus.com in your web browser and find the link in the top navigation menu that is labeled “Sell Textbooks.”  If you are unable to find that link, click the following link to go directly to that page:

Sell Textbooks

2.  Prior to entering the ISBN numbers for the books you wish to sell, a good thing to do is to be aware of the condition requirements of the books eCampus is willing to buy from you.  The requirements are very simple and I will paste them here, but you may want to read them on their site as well in case they change.  They should stay pretty standard though.

For Books:
A used book is considered in good condition even when it contains highlighting, margin notes, or other markings (with the exception of study guides, which must be clean). However, books must be generally clean in appearance with no torn pages and with the cover or dust jacket intact.

3.  Price Books – After you’ve verified that the books you wish to sell meet the condition standards required by ecampus, you need to enter the ISBN numbers of all the books you wish to sell.  Some books have multiple ISBN numbers (ISBN-10 and ISBN13) and either should work here.  Once they are all entered, simply click the “Price Books” button to see what eCampus is willing to offer for your books.

4.  Add Books – When you get to the next screen, you will see the offer for each book as cash and store credit (you will decide which you prefer in a later step).  Check the boxes of all the books you wish to accept offers on and click “Sell Selected Items.”

5.  Sell Books – The next page gives you the option to increase or decrease the quantity of the books you wish to sell or to remove any book you don’t want to sell.  If you wish to sell multiple copies of the same book, this would be the place to increase the quantity.  If you’re selling more than 5 copies of the same book, you are required to email eCampus for more info.  This is mostly just a confirmation page.  Click “Sell Item(s)” to continue.

6.  At this point, you will be taken to a screen with options to either log in to an existing account or sign up for a new account.  If you’re reading this, it is likely that you will be signing up for a new account.  Enter your email address in the form to the right and click “Continue.”  Then enter your details to create an account and click “Continue” again.

7.  You will now be taken to a screen which allows you to decide whether you would like to receive a check, direct deposit, or store credit for your books.  If you choose “Direct Deposit,” a new form will drop down, which lets you enter your bank account information.  Below this, you must choose your shipping method and your shipping address and click “Continue.”

8.  You will be taken to a receipt page with two buttons in the middle of the screen.  The first one will take you to a packing slip, which you must print and include in your shipment.  The second will take you to a prepaid shipping label, which you will need to print and use to ship your books.  You are also reminded of the following:

1.      Your items must be postmarked within 7 days to guarantee the quoted buyback price.
2.     Please remember to pack your items carefully for shipment, so they are not damaged in transit.
3.     Be sure to include a printed copy of this page with your shipment. *(the packing slip)

9.  Ship the books! Once you’ve completed all these steps, you should ship the books back to ecampus, using your prepaid shipping label (they pay for the shipping, not you).  Be sure to include the packing slip in the package or you may not get credit for your books.  Once your books are received and processed, you should receive your payment in whatever format you selected in step 7.  I cannot guarantee the timing if your payment, but from my experience, it is usually pretty quick.

Additional notes:

Making a Change – If you wish to change your buyback order, you should simply create an entirely new order, starting from step 1, that includes all of the books you wish to sell.  If you ship items that don’t match exactly with what you have on your order, your payment will almost surely be delayed.

Cancelling your Buyback – If you wish to cancel your buyback order, simply don’t ship the books.  If you do not ship the books, your order will automatically be canceled in 7 days.

IMPORTANT - Unacceptable items will be destroyed, not returned. If you think your book may not meet the quality requirements, you should not send it.  You will not get it back if it is not accepted!

This process is very simple and it is almost certainty the quickest and easiest method for selling textbooks online.  If you’re still having trouble, there is plenty more information on the eCampus website.  Check out their Buyback Steps first.  If you still have trouble, feel free to ask me questions in the comments or contact eCampus directly.

Selling your used textbooks at the end of the semester is a great way to help raise money to buy your textbooks for the next semester.  In the past, the only viable places to sell used textbooks were your college book store or a private book store off campus.  While these options are convenient, the buy back prices offered for your books are usually quite low compared to what you paid for the books originally – even if you originally bought them used.  Luckily, two options for selling textbooks online have become very popular and offer you a way to recoup much more of what you originally paid for the books:

Sell Textbooks to an Online Bookstore – Selling your textbooks to an online book store is a good option if you need money for your used textbooks as soon as possible.  Online book stores that buy textbooks normally give you an offer for your books right away.  If you accept it, they buy your book from you and mail you a check after you ship them the book.  While their offers are normally a good amount higher than what you would receive in your school book store, you can almost always make even more money using the next option.

Sell Textbooks Directly to Students – Selling your textbooks to other students online is as simple as selling books to an online book store, but you can make much more money on each book you sell because there is no middle man.  The drawback of this method is that you have to wait for someone to buy your books once you list them.  Depending on how you price your books, their popularity, and the time of year you sell them, they will often sell in just a matter of hours to days.  Every once in awhile, you will be selling a book that is not used as much any more, or you are selling at a time when classes aren’t begining, so the book may not sell right away.  You could always delist books that don’t sell and sell them to online bookstores for immediate offers to make this method much less risky.

In the next few articles, I will give a step by step walk through of each option from sign up to actually shipping a book and receiving your money.

Coming soon…