Does Amazon buy used textbooks? (trade-in, repurchase, etc.)
Buying textbooks for colleges and universities can be an expensive experience. Many students go through the painstaking process of trying to find the best prices on the exact books they need for their yearly program. Worst of all, you end up with a bunch of extra books you don’t even need.
Selling your used textbooks is a great way to make some money back, but it can be a hassle at times. Amazon has always been a great option for people trying to unload used textbooks from college or university, but there may be some confusion due to recent policy changes.
Read on to learn more about Amazon’s used textbook policy and how to find the best way to sell used textbooks online.
Does Amazon buy used textbooks?
Amazon once offered a direct repurchase service for used textbooks. However, back in April 2020, Amazon quietly ended this buyback program. A lot of people think it’s a joke (because it happened on April Fool’s Day), but it’s not.
Fortunately, though, Amazon still allows you to list your used textbooks through a trade-in program. The program works similarly to their service selling used electronics. So if you want to sell your used textbooks on Amazon, you should follow some guidelines:
- Make sure the ISBN number in the list matches the exact number on the textbook. If your ISBN number is slightly different from the one on the list, you may be selling a different edition or cover type.
- Do not attempt to trade in copied or unauthorized material. Trading in .pdf files, scanned images or photocopies of textbooks is strictly prohibited.
- Do not attempt to trade in promotional or instructor editions. These editions have the same content as regular textbooks, but will be printed with phrases like “promotional copy” or “not for resale.”
- Don’t try to trade with the Teacher Edition. Teacher or instructor editions with additional annotations are not accepted unless Amazon has a specific listing of those editions.
- Do not try to trade international textbooks or foreign language versions of books. These versions are often sold without authorization outside their country of origin.
For more details on Amazon’s textbook policy, please visit this page.
How to Sell Used Textbooks on Amazon
Amazon’s textbook trade-in program has changed a bit over the years, but it’s still fairly simple. Amazon offers gift cards, discounts, and sometimes direct debit for textbook trade-ins, just like used electronics. The program offers discounts on specific textbooks, and these discounts change over time. So it’s important to always check the kinds of books you can or can’t trade.
To see if your textbook is eligible for a trade-in, you can follow these simple steps:
- Visit Amazon’s trade-in page
- Scroll down to “Other Trade-In Categories”
- Click “Find More Items”
- Enter the ISBN number or title of the textbook you want to trade
If the textbook is eligible for a trade-in, you should click it to continue the trade-in process. Generally speaking, Amazon prefers the latest version of any given textbook. It goes without saying that books in better condition fetch higher prices. In fact, damaged books are often completely disqualified from trade-in.
In addition to the trade-in program, Amazon also allows sellers to sell used textbooks through their seller account, just like any other used item. The process is more involved, but you can get started in just a few simple steps. If you’re used to running a seller account, this process should be very familiar:
- Identify the book you want to sell. There are many details that can affect the price of your book, so it’s important to know all the details.
- Create your seller account on Amazon. You can register as an individual seller or a professional seller. Details of the seller program can be found here.
- Decide how you will ship your order. Sellers can handle the packaging and shipping themselves, or give their items to FBA and let them do the dirty work. Details about FBA can be found here.
- Set a fair price for your book. Check out other listings online and take note of the exact edition and condition of your book so you can list the item at a reasonable price.
- List your products on Amazon. You can click “Sell on Amazon” on any textbook’s product listing to easily set up a listing for that item.
- Advertise your listings. This is an optional step that includes promoting your listing on social media or other avenues to help sell your book.
- Pack and ship your items. Once someone buys your book, you can send it out through Amazon Fulfillment, or you can pack and ship it yourself.
As mentioned earlier, the process is more involved than a trade-in program. However, you can often get better prices by selling books outright than by trading them in for new ones. This is also a good option if your book is not currently eligible for trade-in.
Looking for money saving tips? Have you heard of Woot Amazon?
What’s the best way to sell my used textbooks?
Amazon’s used textbook trade-in program will give you a gift card or discount in exchange for your books. In rare cases, you can sometimes also get direct payment for textbooks. However, there is not always a quote for your specific textbook.
In these cases, it’s best to sell your books through a seller account to get the most bang for your buck. If you want to sell used textbooks on a regular basis or in bulk, it’s best to sign up for a professional seller account to access more in-depth selling tools and metrics.
If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to fire in the comments section.
Want to learn more about Amazon? Check out these posts to learn what Amazon Flex is, what it means to deliver to a safe location by Amazon, and whether Amazon ships to Hawaii.
in conclusion..
Amazon no longer offers a buyback service for used textbooks, however, students can list textbooks for sale through a trade-in program.
Amazon’s trade-in service makes it easy to sell your textbooks on Amazon in a few quick and easy steps.
