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Quick Cash: Your Guide to Selling Back Books

By julianne, April 12, 2010, Shopping Tips

If you have over flowing bookshelves and boxes filled with old movies you don’t watch anymore, you can take them to a store like Half Price Books to sell. Half Price takes in old books, magazines, music, and movies of all formats.

As with selling clothes to Buffalo Exchange, you won’t get the full purchase price you paid for the book but at least you’ll get some money back. And just like selling clothing, there are a few tips to consider to get the most money back.

It’s important to understand that they don’t buy by the pound. They buy based on the condition of the item and on supply and demand. That’s why they will always pay the most for recent best sellers.

Here are a few tips before you head to the store:

1. Make sure your items are in excellent condition. Minor wear, owner inscriptions, highlighting or underlining may reduce the amount offered for the item.
2. Collectibles and first editions make the most money. In my opinion, if you want to get the most money from these limited edition books, you might have better luck on websites like Ebay.
3. If you’re selling magazines, they prefer the most current issues. Magazines tend to accumulate quickly therefore, aren’t priced very high.
4. Same with textbooks, the more current textbooks are, they more likely you’ll get paid more for them. Timeless textbooks such as those about history, math, or science, have more value because they have more relevant information.
5. If you’re selling software, educational or children’s programs sell the best. If they are in their complete packaging and sealed, they will more than likely be bought than opened packages because of licensing regulations.
6. For movies, current hits, classics, and tv series are sought for. DVDs that are not in their original packaging are priced lower than those in their complete package. They take still take in movies in VHS, but you won’t get paid a lot for them because there aren’t that many people who still have VHS players.
7. CDs are their highest selling music format but they also accept LPs and cassette tapes. As far as genres and artists, jazz, blues, and anything that’s unique and classic. Think The Beatles, Aretha Franklin, Elvis, and Miles Davis.

For more tips on selling your books to Half Price, check out their website.

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Tags: half price books, quick cash, resale