How to Sell Old Books

Old books are sometimes very valuable. The Internet is a great resource for selling them. However, you really have to know about the book in order to sell it for the best price. Making mistakes in an on-line listing can lose you money.

Instructions

Clean it Up

1

Clean the book thoroughly with a clean, dry cloth. Don't attempt to use a liquid cleaner unless the book clearly has a very glossy cover or dust jacket. Apply the liquid cleaner to the cloth, not the book, prior to cleaning. Don't permit the cleaning fluid to get on any other part of the book.

2

Research the book carefully on-line. Check eBay, Abebooks, Alibris, and other book selling websites. Cross-reference to make sure that different sellers are saying the same things about the book. Compare your book to the one listed on-line to make sure it is the same book. Make a note of the details of the book, and the potential sales price.

3

Make any necessary repairs to the book. If the book has serious damage, take it to a professional. Some minor damage, such as torn pages or a torn dust jacket, you can repair yourself. Be sure to obtain the proper materials, such as Brodart acid free glue and repair tape.

4

Determine the edition of the book. Many modern first editions will have "First Edition" printed on the title page. Others will have a number line reading "0987654321" or similar. Other books will have specific "blurbs" on the back of the dust jacket, or other identifying features. Often first edition books have a different color cover than the later editions. On-line listings of the book will help you find this information.

5

Set a neutral background behind your book. If photographing indoors, use the three-point lighting system, setting a key light, a fill light and a back light on the book. If photographing outdoors, take your pictures in bright daylight using a sheet or diffuser to soften the daylight. Use a reflector to bounce a fill light back on the dark side of the object. Turn the flash off on your camera. Take several pictures without the flash. Then turn the flash back on and take several pictures with the flash. Be sure to take pictures of the book from many different angles. You may also wish to scan the book, since scanning typically produces pictures which are dramatically clearer, brighter and more detailed than photographs.

6

Load your pictures in your favorite image editing software. Determine which pictures look best. Fix the brightness and contrast of your pictures and do any necessary color balance correction. Rotate your image if it seems crooked. Crop the image, leaving a sufficient border around it. Re-size the image so that it is no longer than 600 pixels on the longest side. Save your image with a new file name in jpeg format.

7

Create the on-line listing for your book. Low-cost and free websites include eBay and Craigslist. Be sure to take great care creating your listing so that it is accurate and correct. If you choose eBay, and you are not a Power Seller, you should de-select the international shipping options. Upload your images to the server.

8

Check your email daily and promptly answer questions about your item. If you ship your old book to the customer, and it is very valuable, ship it by registered mail with insurance.