GuidesUpdated By Federico Ragusa
Selling used books: where, and at what price
To sell used books, search each ISBN to see what other sellers ask for the same edition, then list the ones worth listing on Vinted, eBay or Amazon and send the rest as a box to a buyback service.
Most used books are worth a few pounds and a few are worth a lot. The edition, the condition and how many people want that book right now decide which kind you have, and the ISBN search tells you before you write a single listing.
Which books are worth something
A paperback read once is worth about the price of a coffee, sometimes less. What holds its price: out-of-print books people still look for, first editions of authors who matter, illustrated and photography books, current-edition university textbooks, complete runs of comics, children's books in good shape.
The test is simple: search the ISBN and see how many copies are for sale and at what price. If there are a hundred at two pounds, yours is worth two pounds. If there are none, that does not make it rare: perhaps nobody is looking for it. If there are a few, at a high price, you have something.
The ISBN tells you which edition you have
The same title exists in different editions: the first, the paperbacks, the reprints, the one with the film cover. Each edition has its own price, and the ISBN identifies it: thirteen digits on the back, above the barcode, or on the copyright page at the front. Books printed before 2007 have ten digits, which work just as well.
Put the ISBN in the listing and search it before choosing a price. That way you compare your book with copies of the same edition, not with a finer or a poorer one.
Condition, stated honestly
Someone buying a used book forgives almost anything they are told about in advance. Pencil underlining, a dedication on the first page, a creased spine, yellowed pages, a bumped corner: write them down. Returns and bad reviews come when the book is worse than described, not when it is used.
Photos: cover, spine, one inside page, and the worst flaw up close. A book "like new" with a single photo is more worrying than a book "read, some underlining" with four.
Where to sell
One book at a time: Vinted (postage with its own labels, many fiction buyers), eBay (people looking for particular editions and collectable books), your country's classifieds site (in person or posted, usually without a selling fee). Amazon for books: the listing attaches to the book's page through the ISBN and is seen by anyone who searches that exact title, under Amazon's own rules and fees.
Many books at once: buyback services price the whole box from the ISBNs, pay little and pay fast. A used bookshop in town is worth a visit with the books in a bag: it tells you on the spot what it will take and what it will not.
At what price
Look at what others ask for the same edition in the same condition, postage included, and price yours inside that range. Not above it: above it nothing sells, and a listing that sits for months does not push the price up. If yours is in better condition or comes with something extra (a wraparound band, the dust jacket, an insert), price it towards the top of the range and say why.
Posting a book
On Vinted the buyer picks the postage from the site's options. Elsewhere, most postal services have a cheap rate for books or small parcels; ask for the tracked version. Packaging: stiff cardboard, or an envelope with the book wrapped in a sheet of paper and the corners protected. A book that arrives with a crushed corner comes back as a return.
What NotDone does
NotDone recognises the book from its barcode or a photo, finds the edition, looks at what other sellers ask for the same edition and gives you a price range to start from. Then it prepares the listing once and publishes it on the marketplaces you confirm, one by one, with no commission from us. The app is not out yet; the comparison of offers is already on this site, model by model.
Do used textbooks sell?
Yes, as long as the edition is the one in use. When a new edition comes out, the old one loses almost all its value within a term. If you have school or university books to sell, the time to do it is before courses start, not after.
Is it worth selling a book for three pounds?
Often not, if you post it yourself: after postage and the marketplace fee you are left with pennies, plus the time it takes to write the listing. Books worth a few pounds are better sold together, taken to a buyback service or a used bookshop, or given away.
Buyback service or a listing?
A buyback service is quick and pays little: you type in the ISBNs, it prices the whole box, you send it off. A listing pays more and takes time: photos, description, replies, postage. Use the first for books worth a few pounds and the second for a book that is worth something.
Do I need the ISBN to sell a book?
Yes, if you want buyers to find it. People look for a title in a particular edition, and the ISBN is how the sites recognise it: on Amazon, a used book listing attaches to the book's own page through the ISBN. You will find it on the back, above the barcode, or on the copyright page.