How Much Can I Make Selling My Textbooks?

Selling College Textbooks

Buyback programs vary rather widely on how much they will pay for the same textbook. By doing some research before you decide where to sell your books, you will make the most profit.  Because new textbooks are published on an average of every three to four years it is important to sell back your books soon after your course ends so that they will still be in demand and you can get a good price.

Condition also plays a factor in how much you can get for your books.  A book that is like new will bring a higher price than one that is in good condition.  An obviously damaged book may be worth nothing.  Taking good care of your books pays.  Buyback companies want books with pages and binding, clean, intact, and free of heavy highlighting.  Some companies don’t want any highlighting at all.  You can buy removable tags to use in place of highlighting with a pen; these don’t damage the book if used correctly.  Sometimes workbooks can also be sold back if they have not been written in or marked.

Here are buyback price comparisons for some popular textbooks:

History of the American Economy.  Gary M. Walton and  Hugh Rockoff.  South-Western College Pub; 11^th  edition (June 5, 2009)
This book has a list price of $203.95 and is selling on Amazon for $154.53

Site                              Buyback price

TextbooksRus             $85.00
Textbooks.com          $74.40
Amazon*                       $87.05
Barnes and Noble      $74.40
MBS Direct                   $60.00
Valorebooks               $60.00

Psychology.  David G. Myers.  Worth Publishers; 9^th  Edition (January 10, 2009)
This book sells new for $104.05 on Amazon.

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus             $27.00
Textbooks.com          $50.40
Amazon*                       $53.72
Barnes and Noble      $50.40
WeBuyTextbooks      $12.00
Valorebooks                $41.00

Biology: The Unity and Diversity of Life.  Cecie Starr, Ralph Taggart, Christine Evers, and Lisa Starr Brooks Cole; 12 edition (August 5, 2008)
List Price $198.95   Currently sold new on Amazon for $159.65

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus             $70.75
Textbooks.com          $69.30
Amazon*                       $76.30
Barnes and Noble      $69.30
WeBuyTextbooks      $64.93
Valorebooks               $55.00

Fundamentals of Physics Extended.  David Halliday, Robert Resnick, and Jearl Walker: Wiley; 9^th  edition (March 8, 2010)
Currently selling new on Amazon for $172.20

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus             $73.74
Abe Books                     $73.74
Amazon*                       $91.85
Barnes and Noble      $83.15
WeBuyTextbooks      $83.15
Valorebooks                $66.00

College Algebra: Concepts Through Functions (2nd Edition) Michael Sullivan Prentice Hall; 2^nd  edition (January 20, 2010)
Currently selling new on Amazon for $147.33

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus            $51.50
Abe Books                    $51.50
Amazon*                      $51.50
Barnes and Noble     $36.60
WeBuyTextbooks     $43.34
BookByte                     $49.00

Child Development (8th Edition) Laura E. Berk.  Allyn & Bacon; 8^th  edition (July 28, 2008)
List price:  $139.93 Currently selling new on Amazon for $113.13.

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus             $64.00
MyBookBuyer             $31.50
Amazon*                       $64.01
Barnes and Noble      $54.20
Textbooks.com          $54.20
BookByte                      $42.25

Western Civilization.  Jackson J. Spielvogel.  Wadsworth Publishing; 7th edition (January 15, 2008)
List Price: $164.95  Currently selling new on Amazon for $133.60.

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus              $60.50
MyBookBuyer              $35.64
Amazon*                        $72.03
Barnes and Noble       $49.60
Textbooks.com           $49.60
BookByte                       $52  .00

Essentials of American Government: Roots and Reform, 9th Edition Karen J. O’Connor, Larry J. Sabato, Alixandra B. Yanus.  Longman (January 1, 2009)
List Price: $100.20   Currently selling new on Amazon for $86.42.

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus              $31.05
MyBookBuyer              $15.58
Amazon*                        $46.48
Barnes and Noble       $24.40
Textbooks.com           $24.40
BookByte                       $33.50

Organic Chemistry.  T. W. Graham Solomons. Wiley; 10^th  edition (December 2, 2009)Currently selling new on Amazon for $159.76.

Site                              Buyback Price

TextbooksRus              $76.16
MyBookBuyer              $45.00
Amazon*                        $86.16
Barnes and Noble       $85.70
Textbooks.com           $85.70
BookByte                       $60.50

Gardner’s Art Through the Ages: A Global History.  Helen Gardner, Fred Kleiner Wadsworth Publishing; 13^th  edition (February 7, 2008)
List price: $177.95    Currently selling new on Amazon for $142.36.

Site                              Buyback Price

Valorebooks               $50.00
MyBookBuyer            $22.50
Amazon*                      $78.05
AbeBooks                     $15.00
Textbooks.com          Not currently buying this book
BookByte                      $30.25

*Amazon pays only in gift cards, not cash

As you can see some books vary widely in the prices they command from  buyback sites.  Do your homework; research the prices at the sites before you decide where to sell.