What Are the Alternatives to Selling My Books on Amazon?

While scraping through our search enquiries this month, we came across an intriguing cluster of queries. Queries like:

• Can I sell books on Amazon?
• How to sell second-hand books on Amazon
• How to sell textbooks back to Amazon
• Sell book to Amazon

It makes sense; Amazon is the world’s biggest bookseller after overtaking other retailers like Waterstones and WHSmiths. They dominate the market by selling their books and fulfil orders for other booksellers while taking a small percentage.

There are two popular questions people ask when they’re trying to use Amazon to sell their books, which are:

1. Can I sell my books to Amazon?
2. Can I sell my books on Amazon?

Let’s look at the first question:

Can I Sell My Books to Amazon?

The short answer to this is no. Amazon will not offer you a cash exchange for any book. In the US, you can exchange your books for an Amazon trade-in voucher, but the service has been closed since 2015.

How Did the Trade-In System Work?

The trade-in system worked a little like We Buy Books, except you’d trade your books into Amazon who’ll give you a customer voucher to spend on their website. Instead of getting the cash, you got a coupon.

Was it Worth It?

For Amazon, no. As a customer, you have to ask yourself whether you want cash or a voucher as well. Did it close for lack of popularity? We’ll never know, but the door is firmly shut at the minute.

Can I Sell My Books on Amazon?

Selling your books on Amazon is something that’s available to anyone. This could be one of the reasons Amazon closed the trade-in programme; it takes out the leg work for them!

There are four ways you can sell books on Amazon, which fall into four categories:

1. Books listed by a publisher
2. Books listed by an online store
3. Second-hand books listed by Amazon members
4. Self-published books listed by the author

Becoming a publisher, online store, or self-published author is something that takes several years to achieve. It’s a refined craft, especially when Amazon is taking a fee for the sale.

It is possible to shift some of your old books on Amazon, but is it worth it?

Pros of Selling Old Books On Amazon:

• You’re using the marketplace; when people see Amazon, they think of trust because they’re a big company.
• Rarer books will be worth more money, and there’ll be fewer people selling them.
• You can ship to other countries (if the buyer is willing to pay the shipping cost).

Cons of Selling Old Books on Amazon:

• It takes longer than selling to a book buyer.
• More common items won’t sell for much.
• You’ll pay a fee to Amazon for every sale.
• High competition.
• You’ll have to learn how to manage and fulfil your orders unless you want Amazon to do it (at a cost).

After Selling Books for 6 Months on Amazon, this is What I Made

Are There Any Alternatives to Amazon?

Yes, there are plenty of alternatives to selling used books on Amazon and options that are much quicker.

We Buy Books have been buying your second-hand books for a long time; we knew there was a demand for our service and we’ve been fulfilling it ever since!

How Does it Work?

Selling your books to us is easy, no hidden costs, fulfilment centres or vouchers:

1. Enter your barcode or ISBN into our online price generator or use the app to scan the book.
2. Get an instant quote, decide whether you want to accept and then choose your payment method (bank transfer, cheque or PayPal).
3. Pack and post for FREE - then arrange a drop-off or pick up with our courier, Hermes.
4. Once we’ve received and checked your items, we’ll pay you the following day.

Watch this video for more information:

Use We Buy Books to get cash for your unwanted books with minimal fuss. Need reassurance about safety or legitimacy? Read what our customers have to say!

Start selling now or download our app and begin scanning your items.

Happy selling!