Flogging stuff

klfairy

I have billions of books, mostly in boxes or cupboards as we haven't got anywhere else for them. I also have a kindle and debt. Is it worth flogging second hand books on Amazon? More hassle than it's worth? Most stuff is (quality) fiction.

recurrent-ostrich

You only get a standard rate for shipping, IIRC, which if it's even a medium sized paperback doesn't cover the cost of the shipping. For any chance of a sale you have to be the cheapest seller, and Amazon marketplace is flooded by dealers who get a reduced shipping cost so can afford to sell the books for 1p. I've sold a very few books that were out of print, but if they are still in print, you'll be lucky to make it worth your while, sadly. Shame because I've spent thousands on books in my time!

Tixy

It might be worth looking on greet metropolis to see what they'd give you for your books.
I think on amazon only certain books sell well or for a price to make it worthwhile.
The other option might be a carboot sale?

Grainneok

What about a second hand bookshop?? There's one near me that pays about 50c per book. Not much but better than Amazon...

dark^knight

Or you could donate them to a charity shop....I know you won't make any money, but it will make you feel good. :A

immoral_angeluk

Do you have a cash4clothes outlet or similar near you? Ours pays for books, something like 5p per kg.
http://www.european-recycling.com/cash4clothes

RosaBernicia

Depends what it is. Most high-volume stuff isn't worth it because as other posters have said, the 1p and postage fee don't cover the costs. But unusual stuff can be well worth it. (For example, I have a rather scruffy paperback which is worth about £40 simply because it's rare and that author has a following.)

I'd sort out the rarer stuff and look them up to see if they're worth selling. Don't forget to weigh them to work out the postage.

Oh and one more option is to donate books in good condition to your local library - then they can either add them to stock so they're freely available to other people, or sell them to raise funds for other freely available books...

JoePublic

A Car Boot Sale would be my first stop, have a rummage around to find other unwanted/unused items and load the lot into the Car when the season starts again. You won't get much, maybe 20p-50p per book depending on it's condition but you can bundle a few together, 20p each or 3 for 50p, and you'd be surprised at how quickly you'll make a few bob. I'd take a few more pricey (good condition) items too that will help recoup the initial spend of the pitch and a top tip is to take a couple of rolls and a flask otherwise you'll be paying rip-off prices for a brew and a bit of breakfast which would defeat the idea.

The best time to sell books at a CBS is just prior to the School holiday's as it's then that the big annual gettaway kicks in. I can easily trundle through 4 or 5 books over a 2 week period in the sunshine and i'd sooner pay 20p each for them from a bootsale, than spend £3+ on them.

A final tip if you go down that route... NEVER have a wander to see what other people are selling, my missus does it when we have our annual bootsale clearout and always manages to come wandering back having spent a fiver!