Sell old books?

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w00519772
w00519772 Posts: 1,297 Forumite
in Student MoneySaving
I studied Business Information Systems between 2000 and 2003. I still have almost all the books I bought during the time.

Does anyone have experience selling their books long after graduation and how did you do it? The problem I have is that editions have changed now. For example, I bought the second edition and there is now a third edition.

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  • PDC
    PDC Posts: 805 Forumite
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    You can search eBay for completed listings on the editions you have, and also see what Amazon has them for in the used sections.

    I guess it depends how much has changed and, given we are talking about 12 or more years I would guess quite a lot has.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    I just donated my undergraduate text books (Chemistry) to the main library in my home town after I graduated as I knew then that I wouldn't be directly using my degree in my career - although this was long before the invention of the internet, let alone ebay, so selling wouldn't have been as easy.
  • lulalola
    lulalola Posts: 92 Forumite
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    To be honest, in a subject like Business Information I think that you will struggle to sell old editions, as things move on so quickly and the information will be outdated. University libraries will also not want them, for this reason. Might be worth putting them on Ebay/Amazon Marketplace for a low price but I'm not sure how far you will get (I used to work in academic support so know a bit about this kind of thing). Sorry OP!
  • vivatifosi
    vivatifosi Posts: 18,746 Forumite
    First Anniversary First Post Mortgage-free Glee! PPI Party Pooper
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    If you type the ISBNs into abebooks or Amazon that will give you a market price for the texts. In all likelihood, they will be pence apiece, though occasionally they can be in the tens of pounds for something rare/desirable.

    I work in a public library. We don't accept books that are not current, so by giving them to a library you may be transferring the issue of how to get rid of the books to them. There is also a cost associated with cataloguing a book which is not on the system, which an obscure uni text is also likely to fall into.
    Please stay safe in the sun and learn the A-E of melanoma: A = asymmetry, B = irregular borders, C= different colours, D= diameter, larger than 6mm, E = evolving, is your mole changing? Most moles are not cancerous, any doubts, please check next time you visit your GP.
  • Amilia_Bargues
    Amilia_Bargues Posts: 8 Forumite
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    I also tried to sell some old edition of textbooks. Have been bought by my friends, for homework with their children. Try to ask your friends via social networks.
  • Helen_Winkelhock
    Helen_Winkelhock Posts: 5 Forumite
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    You should to place an announcement in social networks. Every Jack has his Jill ;)
  • w00519772
    w00519772 Posts: 1,297 Forumite
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    Helen_Winkelhock wrote: »
    You should to place an announcement in social networks. Every Jack has his Jill ;)

    Do you mean change my status to: "I have computer science and busness books for sale". I don't think many of my "fiends" on Facebook would be interested to be honest even those who studied these subjects.
  • agrinnall
    agrinnall Posts: 23,344 Forumite
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    w00519772 wrote: »
    Do you mean change my status to: "I have computer science and busness books for sale". I don't think many of my "fiends" on Facebook would be interested to be honest even those who studied these subjects.

    Forget it, it's pretty clear from other posts that she's a would-be spammer.
  • TheGardener
    TheGardener Posts: 3,303 Forumite
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    edited 11 September 2016 at 7:53AM
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    When my eldest presented me with a Uni reading list a few years ago many of the titles were easy to get second hand at Abebooks and Amazon Market place. We saved a significant amount of cash buying used copies - although some were well used and a bit dog eared, one actually had the previous owners excellent handwritten annotations that came in very useful - in fact so useful, we thought it might have been a lecturers copy rather than a students.
    When the course was over - all but one was re-sold on amazon marketplace and we made a small profit but its important to sell them at the right time - at the start of term.
    The only books not worth selling are the very heavy/thick volumes (unless they are very rare or out of print) as the Amazon system only gives a fixed postage rate.
  • Callie22
    Callie22 Posts: 3,444 Forumite
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    I realise this is quite an old thread but I recently sold some of my old textbooks on Ziffit - some of them were 10+ years old so quite frankly I was surprised to get anything for them, but actually I was offered £5/£6 or more for some of them. There were quite a few they didn't take, and realistically I could have got a fair bit more if I'd sold them myself on ebay or Amazon, but I was having a clear out and wanted them gone. It did take quite a bit of time to check the prices and box them up, but the whole process wasn't too bad.
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