8 Great Book Buyback Companies To Sell Books To

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Michael J. Jung

Selling books online to book buyback companies can be a great way to make extra money – if you know which buyback companies to sell your books to.

The problem is new sellers don’t always know which book buyback companies are the most reputable, pay the fastest, or even pay at all.

Moreover, some don’t bother to learn what type of books a buyback company will and will not accept before they send them a box of books.

As a result, rookie book scouts can send books worth a lot of money to book buyback companies, only to receive an email telling them the book is not in “acceptable condition” and will not be paid for.

Fortunately this won’t be a problem for you, since I’ve created a list of the 8 best book buyback companies I’ve personally sold used books to – and what type of books they will and will not take.

Read this list carefully! It could mean the difference between a great payday and no payday at all!

(By the way, all of these book buyback companies appear on Bookscouter.com, making it easy for you to compare price quotes between them).

Textbooks.com

Located in Columbia, Montana, Textbooks.com is one of my favorite book buyback companies to sell books to. They buy a wide variety of books including textbooks (of course!), paperback novels, history books, recent bestsellers, science books, business books, classic fiction titles, self-help books, and even a few young adult novels.

Textbooks.com will accept ex-library books as well as books with minor highlighting, underlining, and handwritten notes in the pages.

That said, you should never send Textbooks.com (or any book buyback company for that matter) books with water damage, unpleasant odors, stains, missing pages, broken bindings, or torn covers. If you find a workbook or study manual, make sure the pages aren’t already filled in – no book buyback company will be able to sell that book.

One fantastic feature of the Textbooks.com book buyback program is that they guarantee their price quotes for 30 days – so the price quote you receive for any books you sell to them will not change for several weeks, unlike other book buyback companies whose price quotes can change every day.

You can also buy books from Textbooks.com and receive a 10% bonus if you re-sell books that you bought from Textbooks.com back to them. To get this bonus, you’ll need to log into the Textbooks.com account you used to buy the books in the first place so Textbooks.com can see you’re re-selling a past purchase.

If you sell books to Textbooks.com, be aware that you need to sell at least $10 worth of books before they’ll let you complete your order (not usually a problem since they buy so many books and offer very competitive price quotes).

I’ve never had a problem receiving payment from Textbooks.com which can come via Pay Pal (which usually takes two to three weeks) or by check (about a month).

By the way, Textbooks.com offers a free UPS label you can use to send your package that provides very fast shipping – just remember to drop your package off at a UPS store!

Want to learn more about Textbooks.com? Check out my interview with them!

Cash 4 Books

In recent years, I’ve sold many books to Cash 4 Books since not only do they offer nice competitive prices for books, but they also pay very fast (sometimes in as little as one or two weeks). The minimum order for this company is only $5.00 worth of books.

According to their FAQ page, Cash4Books will accept ex-library books, but only if they are marked as “withdrawn.” (I personally rarely send them ex-library books unless they offer me a really good price).

Cash 4 Books will accept books that have minimal (as in less than 50% of the book) highlighting, underlining, and/or writing.

Cash 4 Books also offers a free app that you can download onto your iPhone or Android and use to scan book barcodes and find Cash 4 Book’s buyback prices. Personally, I prefer using Bookscouter (since you can see prices from multiple buyback companies) but the Cash 4 Books app can be useful if you run into a situation where you can’t use Bookscouter.

Finally, Cash 4 Books regularly offers bonus codes that you can enter when placing your buyback orders, giving you some extra money on your buyback order. You can arrange to have these bonus codes emailed directly to you when you sign up for a Cash 4 Books account.

Powells Books

While many book buyback companies buy and sell only online, Powells Books actually has a giant bookstore located in Portland, Oregon. Book buybacks are sold through both this store and their website.

I’ve encountered advantages and disadvantages from selling to Powells.

First, Powells accepts more books than almost any other book buyback company I’ve dealt with. From recent bestsellers to children’s books to self-help books, if you can’t sell your books to other book buyback companies, odds are Powells will make you an offer.

Powells also offers a 50% bonus on all their books if sellers accept payment in trade credit. This trade credit is deposited in an online Powells account you can use to buy books or DVDs from the Powells store. If you’re a student looking to buy your textbooks for a better price or a movie buff, you can get great deals this way.

On the flipside, the books you sell to Powells must be in excellent condition. Where a few book buyback companies might accept books with a little underlining or bent pages, if you send a book like that to Powells, you won’t be paid for it.

Because of this, if you find a book that Powells offers a price quote on, make sure to flip through the book before you buy it for re-sale.

Powells will not accept ex-library books, books with underlining, highlighting, notes, weak bindings, or covers with any markings or excessive wear. Book Club editions of popular books will also be rejected.

To sell books to Powells, you’ll need to get a combined price quote of $5.00 or send them a minimum of three books.

Because of Powells high standards on book condition, some of the buyback packages I’ve sent to them have been reduced in value due to a book that did not meet their standards. Nevertheless, I continue to sell books to Powells since they accept so many books and because they always send me my payment fairly quickly via Pay Pal.

By the way, Powells offers a free Media Mail shipping label that you can slap onto your package and ship via the United States Postal Service.

Sell Back Your Book

Located in Aurora, Illinois, Sell Back Your Book also accepts a wide variety of popular fiction and nonfiction books. In the past, I’ve sold them parenting books, art history textbooks, books on the paranormal, and business books.

Like Powells Books, books sold to Sell Back Your Book must be in excellent condition. That means no ex-library books, texts with underlining/highlighting/notes, or any book covers with lots of wear.

Minimum buyback orders to Sell Back Your Book must be at least $5.00. Sellers also have the option of choosing a free Media Mail shipping label or a faster FedEx label that will deduct $3.00 from your payment if your total buyback order is less than $50.00. I recommend choosing the free Media Mail shipping label.

Like Powells Books, I’ve occasionally had some of my buyback packages lowered in value if some of my books do not meet Sell Back Your Book’s high standards. Because of this, I’m very careful to only send books in virtually new condition to this company.

Payment arrives very fast (usually in two to three weeks) by Pay Pal.

TextbookRush

Located in Grandview Heights, Ohio, TextbookRush (formerly TextbookRus) offers very high price quotes on the books it wants (I’ve sold books for as high as $70.00 to this company). Most of these high-price books tend to be textbooks, but I’ve also sold novels, business books, pop culture encyclopedias, and even gardening books for good prices.

TextbookRush will accept books with minor highlighting, underlining, and handwritten notes. They’ll also buy ex-library books, but only if the books have been stamped “Withdrawn.”

Unlike some textbook buyback companies, TextbookRush will buy (and sell) International editions of textbooks (which are textbooks that are sold overseas and priced cheaper). Instructor editions of textbooks (or textbooks meant for teachers with answers to the quiz questions inside) can also be sold. Just make sure to indicate this when you sell them the book.

Minimum buyback orders to TextbookRush must be $15.00 or more. All buyback orders also receive a free SmartPost shipping label – make sure to check if it needs to be dropped off at a USPS or Fed Ex location.

Like Powells Books, TextbookRush offers a bonus if sellers accept payment via trade credit that they can spend at TextbookRush’s online store. However, this bonus is very small, so unless you buy a lot of books from TextbookRush, take the money.

Sellers can choose to be paid via Pay Pal or check – I recommend Pay Pal as I’ve found TextbookRush pays extremely fast this way. Most of my Pay Pal payments arrive in less than two weeks and I’ve even had occasions where I was paid in less than a week.

By the way, TextbookRush often offers bonuses and special promotions that can substantially increase the value of your buyback package – so be sure to check their website for any special offers when you decide to sell books to them!

CKY Books

CKY Books is located in Nicholasville, Kentucky and purchases a wide selection of books including textbooks, medical, religious, political, history, art, parenting, and self help books.

Books with minor highlighting, underlining, and notes are acceptable. Ex-library books are also accepted, but CKY will deduct quoted prices by 30% for these books (so you’re probably better off selling ex-library books to Textbooks.com).

Minimum buyback orders to CKY Books must be worth at least $20.00. Pay Pal payments come fairly quickly (about two weeks after your buyback package arrives) and CKY provides your choice of free UPS, FedEx, or USPS shipping.

One cool thing about CKY is that they buy additional items like movies, music, and games, and you can earn even more extra cash by including these additional items with your book buyback orders.

For more information on CKY, be sure to check out the informative interview I recently published!

Valore

Valore is yet another textbook buyback company I’ve had a lot of success selling to. Many of my textbook buyback packages to them have been worth well over $50!

Valore currently has a minimum buyback order of $15, although once again, since their high textbook buyback price usually keeps this from being a problem. You can also print free UPS shipping labels for your buyback packages.

One cool thing about selling books online to Valore is that it frequently offers bonuses at different times of the year which you can learn about by signing up for email alerts when creating your Valore account. These bonuses come in the form of codes you enter when selling your books, and can give you a 5%, 10% or higher bonus on your buyback order.

Valore pays quickly – I’ve had most of my PayPal payments come in less than 2 weeks after shipping the books. If you request to be paid by check, you’ll probably have to wait an extra week.

Book it Buyback

Based in Alton, Illinois, Book it Buyback is a book buyback company I’ve sold to multiple times with success. They buy textbooks, science books, and also books on paranormal subjects. However, they typically don’t buy paperback fiction titles.

Books with minor underlining and highlighting will be accepted. You can also sell ex-library books to Book it Buyback – but according to their policies, you’ll only receive 50% of the price quote for these books.

Unlike most book buyback companies, Book it Buyback also buys Advance Reader Copies, which are uncorrected proofs of books sent to book reviewers before the book is actually published. However, Book it Buyback only pays 50% of the price quoted for these books.

(By the way, in the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never sold an Advance Reader Copy to this company, so I can’t really comment on how well this works).

Minimum buyback orders for Book it Buyback must be at least $10.00. They currently offer a Media Mail shipping label. Payment arrives fairly quickly via Pay Pal.

Final Thoughts

Depending on what type of books you find to sell online, you may find yourself selling most of your books to one or two of the book buyback companies above.

Visit some of the websites listed above. Learn more about their buyback policies and enter some of the ISBN numbers of your books into their buyback search to see if they’ll offer you a good price quote for your books.

It’s also possible that you may have better luck selling to some of the other book buyback companies offering price quotes on Bookscouter.com. If you’d like to learn more about these companies, check out 2 More Great Book Buyback Companies to Sell Books To and 2 Great Book Buyback Companies to Sell Textbooks To.

To learn more about how you can use this free online resource to make extra money, read my article, How to Sell Your Gold Dust Books Online for the Best Prices, and then subscribe to my blog to receive all my latest tips for selling books online fast!

Want to learn even more ways to sell books online quickly and for higher prices? Check out my new Sell Books Fast Online eBook series and discover great strategies for selling books for better profits on Amazon!

How to Sell Books Online for Extra Cash to CKY Books

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Michael J. Jung

Hey guys! This is the second in a series of interviews with textbook buyback companies that pay cash for books you sell to them online.

Today, we’ll be talking with Todd Bradley, the Account Manager of CKY Books. Located in Central Kentucky, CKY has been a reliable book buyback company for several years and has provided me with fast, efficient transactions for all of the buyback orders I’ve shipped to them.

Let’s hear what Todd has to say:

How long has your company been in business and how long have you offered a book buyback program?

We started selling books online in 2001, through Amazon, Alibris, Ebay, Half, etc…[but] sourcing new inventory was always challenging. In 2004 we decided to create a venue where the average reader could sell their used books for a fair price and repurpose their books at the same time.

How can I sell my books online to CKY and earn extra money?

Once you create an account you are ready to create an order to sell CKY books, games, movies and music.

Creating an account with us is very simple – all we need is your name, address, email address and your preferred payment method [PayPal or check]. We don’t ask for phone numbers or any financial information.

You can enter the ISBNs/UPCs [of your books, DVDs, games etc.] into our site and see the amounts we are offering. Once you get to a total of at least $20.00 you can finalize the buyback and access the free shipping labels. You pick your shipping method. Print your packing slip and shipping. Pack your books and send them to us.

Can anyone sell books to CKY?

Almost anyone. You need to be over 18 years of age [but] it is pretty common for a parent to create an account for a child to use with the adult supervising.

You need to have a US mailing address as our FREE inbound shipping only works from inside the U.S.

However we do have some small percentage of accounts where people find ways around this. Some Canadian customers somehow ship books from a U.S. address but have their checks sent to a Canadian address. Same for some other countries.

What types of books does CKY buy through its buyback program?

Current textbooks are almost always being bought, same with the newest fiction releases. Religion, Political, History, Art, Self Help, Parenting, Medical. CKY buys a bit of everything

On any given day, we are buying roughly 3 million titles. We have purchased between 500k-900k items each year over the last 7 years.

What types of books does CKY never buy through its buyback program?

Well, I never like to use the word never, because as soon as I do I will find an exception to the rule. Generally though, romance novels are bust. Popular fiction that is more than a year old usually has very little value. Everyone reads that stuff, me included, so the market is flooded with it.

There are many TYPES of items we cannot buy, including Teacher’s or Instructor’s Editions Textbooks, International/Foreign Edition Textbooks, Custom Edition Textbooks (textbooks printed for a specific school or university).

Advanced reading copies, uncorrected proofs, and promotional copies of books (books that state “review copy”, “free copy”, “sample copy”, “examination copy”, “complimentary copy”, “not for resale”, or “not for sale” anywhere on the book.

Books with one-time use access codes & subscription/registration-based software/online course materials.

Partial sets or incomplete sets (i.e. only volume 1 of a 2 volume set) cannot be bought.

Items where the ISBN the customer used does not match the ISBN of the item.

Pornography or otherwise offensive and explicit material.

Dated materials/books, calendars, daily planners, dated diaries or journals (this includes code/tax guides that are now obsolete or have been superseded by a newer version).

Book Club Editions and rebound books also cannot be accepted.

Are there certain times in the year when CKY buys more books?

CKY’s biggest buying times coincide with the beginning of college semesters due to the large numbers of textbooks. So January, May, and August are usually very busy.

Acceptable and Unacceptable Book Conditions

I understand you accept books with some highlighting, notes, and underlining in them. How much highlighting/writing and underlining is considered “okay” by CKY?

Great question. CKY does buy books with highlighting and underlining. [But] explaining how much is acceptable is the hard part. The determination of how much is too much is left to our inspectors and their experience in handling hundreds of thousands of books.

We tell our customers this, “If you look at the book and wonder if it has too much highlighting/writing or underlining, then we will likely have the same questions and you are better off not sending that item.”

Do you buy ex-library books with library stickers and stamps?

Yes, we do purchase ex-library books but your payment amount will be 30% less than the quoted price – please note that ex-library books frequently have issues and they make up the largest portion of all rejected items.

When is a book not considered in “good condition” – and unable to be sold to CKY?

This is again based on experience selling used books. Our inspectors thought process runs like this: they are trained to buy as much as they can while reducing or rejecting as little as possible. They understand that with every rejection or reduction we might lose that customer.

That being said, if we see a book that is visibly stained, or has pages that are wrinkled from water/liquid damage, we are not going to buy that book. If it is missing pages, we are not going to buy it.

Think of it this way, if you would not want to buy the book you are selling to us because it is in poor condition, we are not going to want to buy it either.

What do you do with books sent to you in poor condition?

Books that are rejected are held for 15 days in a special holding area. After 15 days they are either put on a pallet for donation or they are destroyed. It depends on the issue with the book and they type of book it is.

If you decide to not pay for a book will you send the book back to the original seller?

YES. Items not accepted/rejected by CKY will only be shipped back to the Seller at the Seller’s expense. Items not accepted will be held for 15 days; after that time, these items will be recycled, donated, or used to support the community and environment at CKY’s discretion.

CKY will post a notice of any deductions for items not accepted via email on the seller’s account after the customer’s order has been processed.

If the Seller would like their unaccepted items returned, the Seller must contact CKY promptly, through email (info@ckybooks.com) or phone (877-311-9544), to provide payment for return shipping costs.

Packing Books to Ship to CKY

What should sellers pack their books in when shipping books to you?

We prefer sturdy boxes unless you are just sending a book or two.

What type of free shipping do you offer?

We offer FREE Shipping via United Parcel Service (UPS), Federal Express Ground (FedEx) or United Postal Service (USPS – Post Office).

I would personally like to suggest that all customers use either FedEx or UPS as they are fast and reliable. Last year FedEx lost 5 shipments out of roughly 11,000. Last year UPS lost 13 shipments out of roughly 15000. Last year USPS lost/damaged 312 out of 2100 shipments.

Do you provide any shipping insurance for packages sent through your buyback program?

Yes. FedEx and UPS are both insured for $100 per package.

CKY may provide a fee paid FedEx/UPS shipping label. CKY does not accept responsibility for packages lost by the carrier.

CKY can file a claim for damages/loss on the shipper’s behalf if requested. It is the shipper’s responsibility to maintain a record that may assist with filing any claim that may arise. This might include photos of the items and packaging or other documentation. Failure to maintain such a record can result in rejection of the claim by the carrier.

Postal packages do not have insurance. We encourage customers to purchase shipping insurance at their own expense if they wish to use this service.

What are the biggest pet peeves you have about the types of books you receive through your buyback program?

Our biggest pet peeve is poor packing of the books for shipment. You would be amazed at how many packages we get with a single $100 textbook tossed into a big screen TV box with no padding or protection. Please take a few minutes to package your items safely for travel to ensure your get paid your full amount.

Selling DVDs, Music, and Games to CKY

What other products does CKY buy?

CKY also buys games, movies and music. What you earn is based on the value of what you sell. Newer games and movies etc are worth more than older ones.

Do you need a different account to sell non-book items to CKY?

No. You can use the same account to sell anything you might have.

If you have a lot of books, movies, CDs, and games to sell, can they be shipped in the same package, or should different products be shipped separately?

They can all be shipped together, to consolidate shipping. Just remember to pack them securely so nothing gets broken. We cannot pay for broken items.

Thanks Todd! Remember, if you’d like to contact CKY with more questions about selling your books for extra cash, you can reach them via email at info@ckybooks.com or their Toll Free Phone number (877-311-9544).

CKY also has a “Leave a message” box on their website, in the bottom right corner that can double as a live chat feature.

Want to receive more tips and tricks for how to sell books online for extra money? Subscribe to my blog!

Do you have a question or suggestion for a future blog article? Email me at sellbooksfastonline@gmail.com.

How to Pack Your Books and Ship Them to Buyback Companies

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Michael J. Jung

One of the biggest pet peeves buyback companies like Textbooks.com and Sell Back Your Book have is when people send books in poorly packed boxes that get damaged in transit, resulting in torn up or even missing books.

The reasons for this damage can vary. Maybe the seller shipped the books in a flimsy box that fell apart on the way. Or maybe the box was too big for the book, causing the book to bounce around inside the whole trip until its binding broke and the pages tore.

Regardless, the end result is the same – buyback companies can’t pay for missing or damaged books, meaning you won’t get your money.

This can be a costly problem – especially if you’re a student who just sent out a textbook you expect to be paid $100 for, only to be informed that your book was damaged in transit and can no longer be accepted.

To keep you from encountering these problems with any of the buyback companies you might send books to through Bookscouter I’m going to take you step-by-step through how you should pack your books and ship them.

Please take the time to read through this article carefully – it could mean the difference between a nice payday and no money at all!

Step 1: Assemble Your Packing Materials

In my previous article, Finding Free Boxes for Shipping the Books You Sell Online, I showed you how to find, select, and store free sturdy cardboard boxes that are ideal for shipping books.

Once you’ve stored your boxes, you’ll want to keep the following items close by:

Strong Packing Tape: Be sure to buy a few rolls of strong packing tape, along with a tape dispenser if you don’t already have one. This is something that really makes the difference between a sturdy and flimsy package, so be sure to buy high quality tape. Never use scotch or masking tape.
Newspaper: Get in the habit of storing the newspapers you’ve already read in a separate box. You can also store junk mail (just remember to tear out any identifying information).
Plastic Bags: Fill up another box with plastic bags you saved from your trips to the grocery or thrift store. Make sure they’re all clean, dry, and free of any smells.
Scissors: You’ll need these to size up your shipping labels

If you want more high-quality packing material, you can also buy some bubble wrap or packing paper to secure your books.

One type of packing material you should never use is packing peanuts (those plastic or Styrofoam pellets some people use for packing household appliances). They’ll constantly shift in transit, resulting in damaged books. Shredded paper is also considered a poor packing material for the same reason – it won’t provide enough support.

Step 2: Choose a Box for Your Books

Once you’ve completed a buyback order and printed your packing slip (which lists all the books you’re selling and the prices the company will pay you for them) and your shipping label, it’s time to start loading your books.

Select a box for your books and fold up the bottom flaps so you can see how well the books fit inside the box.

The books should fit easily in the box – you shouldn’t have to squeeze them in (and possibly damage the edges). Make sure the box isn’t too big for all your books. Check out the photo below to see how the books should ideally fit:

If your box looks too big or too small, switch it out with another until you find a better fit. Once you’ve selected the box, seal up all the bottom flaps, including those at the sides, with packing tape.

Step 3: Secure Your Books

Take out each stack of books and slip them into a secure plastic bag (be sure to put the packing slip in with the books). Tie the bag and put the books back into the box. This will protect the books from the newspaper you’ll use to later pad the box.

Step 4: Pad the Edges and Top of the Box

Take a few sheets of newspaper and crumple them into some plastic bags to form some packing cushions for your books. Be sure not to over stuff the bags – the cushions should squeeze easily into any gaps in the box to keep the books from shifting.

Now stuff one more bag full of newspaper and lay it on top of the books – this will protect the books from being damaged when the box is cut open.

Putting the newspapers in plastic bags will keep the books from being stained by newsprint – however, if you’d like to use more quality packing material, you can use bubble wrap or packing paper.

Step 5: Seal up the Top of the Box

Tape the top of the box with packing tape the same way you sealed up the bottom – be sure to tape up all the sides of the flaps to keep the box from popping open.

Step 6: Attach Shipping Label

Use the scissors to trim the shipping label to size and attach it onto the box with packing tape. (Be sure not to cover any barcodes with tape).

Take the package to your closest UPS, FedEx, or USPS drop off (depending on the shipping label you used). You’re done!

Final Tips

Try to limit the amount of books you put in each buyback order to keep your packages from weighing too much – 10-20 books per order should be okay.
Once you’re done packing your books, pick up the box and shake it a few times – if the books don’t rattle inside, they’ve been properly cushioned.
If you’d like to make your boxes look “cleaner” you can always turn them inside out – however I’ve never had any problems with sending my packages with markings on the boxes.
That said, do not turn the USPS Priority or Express mailers found at the United States Post Office inside out and use them for boxes. The free shipping labels provided by most textbook buyback companies will not cover the cost of priority or express shipping and the mailer must pay the extra cost.

I hope this article informed you on how to pack your books. If you’d like to receive more tips and tricks for how to sell books online for extra money, please subscribe to my blog!

Do you have a question or suggestion for a future blog article? Email me at sellbooksfastonline@gmail.com.

Finding Free Boxes for Shipping the Books You Sell Online

Posted on May 9, 2016 by Michael J. Jung

If you’ve been reading my interviews with buyback companies like Textbooks.com and Sell Back Your Book, you’ll know that one of the biggest pet peeves these companies have is when people send them books in flimsy boxes that get damaged during shipping.

Amateur book sellers have been known to stuff books into cereal boxes, shoe boxes, even used pizza boxes, only to have those packages get torn apart and shredded mid transit – resulting in a bunch of damaged and lost books that buyback companies can’t pay you for.

It seems these sellers are just too lazy or plain clueless when it comes to selecting good cardboard boxes for packing and shipping books. They just grab whatever box is lying around the house – no matter how flimsy or dirty – and then act surprised when their books get damaged during shipping.

Please don’t adopt these bad habits! None of the buyback companies you’ll find on Bookscouter will accept books damaged in transit – meaning you need to find strong boxes to ship all of your books in!

Fortunately, sturdy cardboard boxes are not only incredibly easy to find but also 100% free – if you know where to look.

Here’s how I find, select, and store my free boxes for shipping books.

Visit Discount Retailers

If you’ve ever shopped at a big discount retailer (particularly Walmart and Target), you know they unload boxes of merchandise every day to restock their shelves.

Guess what? Once the merchandise is unpacked, employees are more than happy to let you have the boxes for free. It makes their job easier (since they don’t have to throw out as many boxes) and gives you a steady supply of sturdy cardboard boxes for shipping books. Win-win!

These stores unpack most of their boxes late at night (around 11pm or midnight) so be prepared to make a few nightly visits two or three times a month to load up on boxes. Be polite and ask the employee on duty if you can take a few boxes (I haven’t met an employee yet who said no).

Selecting the Best Boxes for Shipping Books

Be sure to get cardboard boxes made of corrugated cardboard. This is a thicker type of cardboard made from two layers of cardboard with a third ridged layer sandwiched between them. It’s very sturdy and will easily support the weight of all the books you’ll load into them.

Do not get boxes made of a single layer of cardboard (like cereal boxes). These are way too flimsy and will tear apart during travel.

Also, make sure the flaps on the boxes fold up completely to seal both the bottom and top (some boxes used for storing canned goods and cereal have open bottoms and/or tops, which makes them impractical for shipping books).

Choose small and medium-size boxes that can hold anywhere from 2 to 20 paperback books. Refrigerator-size boxes and most computer boxes are too big for shipping books.

I’ve found my best boxes for shipping books in the office supplies and plastic utensils sections of discount retailers. These boxes (which were originally used to ship notebooks and plastic forks) are sturdy and ideally shaped to securely transport several books.

Do not get boxes that were used to ship detergent, scented candles, or other items with strong odors. These smells cling to cardboard and will get into your books.

This is especially important when you ship books to companies like Powells and Sell Back Your Book which insist the books arrive in the same excellent condition they were in when you packed them – even if the box protected the books, any strong odors will damage the books and prevent you from getting paid.

(Be sure to double check your boxes for any strong odors when you’re ready to store them – strong smells can seep into other boxes and make them unfit for shipping).

Storing Your Boxes

Most of the boxes you’ll find at Walmart or Target will have the tape on their bottom and top flaps cut off, allowing the boxes to be folded flat. Keep your boxes this way – they’ll be easier to transport in your car and store in your house.

Find a cool, clean, dry place like a closet to store your boxes until you need them.

I like to divide my boxes into two piles – small boxes (that fit 1-3 books) and medium boxes (that can fit anywhere from 5-20 books). This’ll make it easier for you to select the type of box you need when you’re ready to start packing.

Finally, keep a supply of strong packing tape in a container near your boxes to seal them up again when you’re ready to start packing your books. You’ll also want to keep your other packing materials in that same container I’ll cover exactly what you need and how to use them in my next article How to Pack Your Books and Ship Them to Buyback Companies.

I hope this article informed you on how to find better shipping materials for your books. Want to receive more tips and tricks for how to sell books online for extra money? Subscribe to my blog!

Do you have a question or suggestion for a future blog article? Email me at sellbooksfastonline@gmail.com.

How To Make Sure You Get Paid for the Books You Sell Online

Posted on April 26, 2016 by Michael J. Jung

Recently, I encountered a problem everyone who sells books online dreads. My payment for some of my buyback orders wasn’t sent to me.

This is something you’ll encounter every now and then if you sell books to buyback companies on a regular basis. While the companies you find on Bookscouter are usually reputable, even these companies encounter occasional glitches that delay your payment.

This is why it’s so important you keep good records of all of your buyback orders (something I cover in How to Record Your Sales When Selling Books Online) and keep track of which of your orders were paid and which are still unpaid.

To make sure you get paid for all of your books, please follow the following tips:

Learn How Buyback Companies Pay Before You Sell to Them

Most of the buyback companies you’ll find on Bookscouter are good businesses that pay quickly and efficiently.

That said, different buyback companies pay in different ways and on different time tables, and you should always make sure you know each company’s payment policies before you sell them any books.

Most buyback companies like Textbooks.com, Valore, Chegg, Cash4Books, and Sell Back Your Book pay via PayPal and deposit your money within 1-2 weeks into your PayPal account. (If you don’t have a PayPal account and/or don’t want to open one, most companies will mail your money via check – but this can take a month on average).

A few companies like Sell Back Books offer to deposit money directly into your bank account (which requires that you share your account numbers with them). Sell Back Books also offers the mailed check option.

And still other buyback programs, like Amazon.com’s Trade-In Program, pay in trade credit (not cash) and deposit your payment in your personal online trade credit account. While most people prefer to be paid in cash, trade credit does come with advantages that I cover in Should You Sell Your Books for Amazon Credit?

Make sure to review each buyback company’s website to learn their personal policies on payment. Many of these companies also have policies on the type of books they will buy that may affect which companies you can sell to. I cover many of these issues in my article 8 Great Book Buyback Companies To Sell Books To.

Bookscouter also offers a five-star rating system and a place where sellers can leave reviews of their experiences with different buyback companies. You can find these reviews by going to Bookscouter, clicking the “Vendors” link, and clicking on any buyback company you’d like to research. Read these reviews before selling your books to a new company – they might alert you to any unexpected polices regarding payment.

Email Buyback Companies That Haven’t Paid You

Okay, but what happens if you do all your research and a buyback company still doesn’t pay you?

First, double check your Buyback Order Records to see how much time has passed. If it’s been two weeks since you sent your order to this company, wait a few more days – sometimes a company can experience a slight delay as it processes your order.

If it’s been over a month and that company promises payment in two weeks, however, you need to contact the company. Go to the company’s website, find their email address under the “Contact Us” link and send them a message informing them of the situation.

Make sure to inform the company of when you sent your buyback order, the buyback order number, and the total price quote the company gave for your books. (You should have this information in your records – your online account on the buyback company’s website should have the information as well).

Politely inform the company of how long it’s been since you sent your order and ask them when you can expect to receive your payment.

Here’s a sample email that I use for these situations – feel free to modify it for your own use (I’ve marked the critical areas in bold).

Hello XYZ Books

Last March 21st, I sent a buyback order (Order #123456789) with the quoted price of $35.

It has been over a month since I sent that order, and I have still not received payment.

Could you please let me know when I can expect to be paid?

Thanks!

Usually, this is all it takes for a company to fix the problem – in the situation I described above, both buyback companies (Sell Back Books and CKY Books) responded politely to my emails in less than a day and sent my payments in full immediately.

By the way, if the company resolved your issues quickly and politely, please leave some positive feedback for them on Bookscouter. Just click the “Vendors” link on the top of the website, find the company, and click on “Leave Feedback.” (Both CKY and Sell Back Books got good reviews from me).

If The Company Refuses to Pay

Sometimes, a buyback company may refuse to pay for some or all of your books – claiming the books did not meet their criteria for books in good condition.

This doesn’t mean the buyback company is trying to cheat you – if you sent them a lot of books without checking them closely, it’s possible some were water damaged or had excessive markings inside, making them impossible for the company to resell. In these cases, you just need to be more careful about the books you sell.

In other situations, however, a buyback company will flat-out refuse to pay you with no explanation – and may even fail to respond to your emails at all.

Sadly, this happened to me with a new buyback company I tried to sell to – and I wound up losing several books I could have sold to other buyback companies.

Unfortunately in these cases, it’s virtually impossible for you to get paid – which is why you need to be careful about selling to new buyback companies that don’t have a proven track record of paying quickly for their books.

If this happens, you should leave a review on Bookscouter informing others of your bad experience – this will warn others against doing business with that company and can get Bookscouter to remove that company from their website if enough people give them low ratings.

Fortunately, such experiences are rare – after over six years in the business, I can honestly say that I’ve only encountered two companies like this. As long as you research good buyback companies, keep good records of your buyback orders, and communicate with your buyback companies, you’ll easily generate a steady stream of reliable income from your online book sales.

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Do you have a question or suggestion for a future blog article? Email me at sellbooksfastonline@gmail.com.

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