{"id":6617,"date":"2021-05-28T13:41:20","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T13:41:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tacticalarbitrage.spacecolts.com\/how-to-sell-textbooks-on-amazon\/"},"modified":"2024-03-26T20:00:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T20:00:54","slug":"how-to-sell-textbooks-on-amazon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tacticalarbitrage.com\/blog\/how-to-sell-textbooks-on-amazon\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Sell Textbooks On Amazon [+ Sourcing Tips]"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you want to make money online selling textbooks on Amazon? I can confidently say it can be a very rewarding online business since<\/span> selling books was how I got started on Amazon<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thousands of books are listed and sold on Amazon every year, with the platform<\/span> holding a 67% market share of all e-books sold online<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Textbooks constitute a significant chunk of these books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Textbooks are an independent subcategory of Books on the platform and you can sell both new and used books on Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few differences between how you sell other published books (novels & non-fiction books) and how you sell textbooks on the platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, I will explain to you how you can get started selling textbooks on Amazon, tell you all you need to know about Amazon book sales rank, and show you how to use Tactical Arbitrage to find profitable textbooks to sell.<\/span><\/p>\n

Getting Started Selling Textbooks on Amazon<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before we dive into the steps, I want to take a moment to discuss the importance of understanding the category of textbooks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Textbooks aren\u2019t like regular books. They have a captive audience (college students) and they have seasonal demand (start of the semester).<\/span><\/p>\n

So when we look at textbooks, we know certain subjects are going to be in higher demand than others. Since colleges require all students to take math and english, there will be a higher demand for those textbooks than a textbook over horticulture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To get an idea of the winning textbook niches & product listings, you can use the Library search in Tactical Arbitrage and use the “Scan Bestsellers” feature. This feature lets you filter textbooks for category and sub-category.<\/span><\/p>\n

You will get metrics like average daily sales and average price for each book. This will help you identify the books that are in high demand. Focus on the types of books that make at least a few sales per month.<\/span><\/p>\n

The lower the rank, the better that textbook is selling on Amazon.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, a book ranked #10 on the platform may sell 1,000 copies per month, while a book ranked #500,000 may not sell a single copy for days.<\/span><\/p>\n

And while you are here, make sure to also take a look at the price history of the textbooks. Prices spike around August and January, since that is when the majority of the textbooks are bought and sold at the start of each semester.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Now – Let\u2019s get to the steps to start selling textbooks on Amazon.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1: Find Textbooks to Sell<\/span><\/h3>\n

Like I mentioned earlier, you can sell both new and used books on the platform. You can source new and used books to sell from your bookshelf, eBay, moving sales, Facebook, and through online arbitrage.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are just getting started as a seller on the platform, it’s best to focus on selling used textbooks since they are easier to find and much cheaper to buy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Below are some places you can get books to sell on the platform:<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Own Books<\/b><\/h4>\n

Rummage through your bookshelf to find textbooks that are still in excellent book condition that you can sell. Remember, you want to select textbooks that have sufficient customer demand and a good amount of sales per month.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also check with your kids, friends, and family members to see if they have any textbooks lying around.<\/span><\/p>\n

Booksalefinder<\/b><\/h4>\n

It is one of the best platforms for sourcing books online. They have a database of thousands of bookstores in the country, and they advertise new book sales by each bookstore on their platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can narrow down your search to bookstores in your local city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Auctions & Estate Sales<\/b><\/h4>\n

Estate sales and moving sales provide great opportunities to source textbooks you can sell online. You can buy the entire collection on the lot at very low prices and resell them on Amazon. This is especially helpful if you live near a college town with older professors who would have large collections of textbooks.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"facebook\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Facebook Marketplace<\/b><\/h4>\n

Browse Facebook Marketplace to discover used books you can purchase for just pennies and resell on the platform. I used to use Facebook Groups, but Facebook Marketplace is a lot better to use.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Much of the time, people are just looking to get rid of older stuff and find it easier to list on FB to get some quick extra cash. Check about 3 weeks before the end of each semester for some great deals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thrift Stores<\/b><\/h4>\n

Visit thrift stores to find used books you can buy at bargain prices. You can also find new books in these stores at much cheaper prices.<\/span><\/p>\n

To find thrift stores in your local area, just type \u201cthrift\u201d into your Google Map app, and you will be directed to the nearest stores in your area.<\/span><\/p>\n

Craigslist and eBay<\/b><\/h4>\n

You can find anything on both platforms, often at good prices. However, finding the right textbooks on these platforms manually may simply be impossible.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It takes a lot of time and effort to ensure you are getting the real book and not some knock off.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Online Arbitrage<\/b><\/h4>\n

This involves buying textbooks from one online marketplace and selling them at higher prices on another marketplace. I will discuss how to do this in detail later in the article.<\/span><\/p>\n

You should use the Tactical<\/span> Arbitrage platform<\/span><\/a> to source for the right books.<\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon<\/b><\/h4>\n

You can also buy textbooks on the platform and sell them at a higher price. This strategy is particularly effective for Prime sellers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many students that order books through Amazon Prime need them urgently and are often willing to pay a premium.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good thing is that you can also use Tactical Arbitrage to find these textbooks to turn around and sell back on Amazon. You might think that is crazy, but finding the right product listing can be lucrative.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step 2: Know Your Options<\/span><\/h3>\n

You can sell your textbooks on Amazon which is recommended or possibly other online marketplaces. We will focus on Amazon, but still wanted to mention another option.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"bookscouter\"<\/p>\n

Textbook Buyback Sites<\/b><\/h4>\n

Amazon used to have a textbook buyback program but closed it down sometime in early 2020.\u00a0 I have found another site called <\/span>bookscouter.com<\/span><\/a> and it is what I use now.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You might not get as much as you would if you sold it yourself, but it still could be profitable and help with your cash flow. You would want to check the price differences to see if there is a good profit margin before you purchase the book.<\/span><\/p>\n

I love this because there are low chances of returns and you can lock in the price before you buy the textbook.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Amazon Registered Seller<\/b><\/h4>\n

This is the preferred way especially if you plan to scale your operation. There is nothing like shipping several boxes of textbooks off to have Amazon handle the fulfillment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here you register and list your books for sale on Amazon. You will set the price and handle the shipping. Amazon will also charge you a closing fee for each book you sell.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are selling used books to Amazon, there are <\/span>some conditions<\/span><\/a> your book must meet:<\/span><\/p>\n