So Many Books, So Little Money

February 5, 2009 12:17 PM

[Boston Filter] Where can I sell my used books for cash?

I'm looking for a place in Boston (or surrounding areas) that will buy my used books. I mainly have some physics/computer science text books and some hardcover fantasy books (Wheel of Time and DragonLance). I've tried Raven's and Brookline Booksmiths and they're not interested in the subjects I have. Rodney's only buys for store credit, whereas I want cash for these books. Can anyone offer any other suggestions? Thanks for the help.

posted by sepsis to Shopping (9 answers total)

I live in Boston and have had far better luck selling books over eBay, Amazon, and half.com. Most used bookstores are packed to the gills with unsold inventory already.
posted by bobot at 12:20 PM on February 5, 2009

Best answer: You can sell books, especially textbooks, online at Abebooks. They'll buy them directly from you, so there's no auction, and they pay for you to ship them to the company. I've sold about $80 worth of books, and never had to give a credit card number or anything, and haven't spent a penny. The only catch may be that they don't pay top value...but it's easy.
posted by dreamphone at 12:42 PM on February 5, 2009

I always found Amazon Marketplace to be the best.
Best prices and they deposit right into your checking account. Very easy.
posted by jckll at 1:16 PM on February 5, 2009

Textbooks.com buys used books, as well.
posted by Thorzdad at 1:41 PM on February 5, 2009

Cashforbooks.net will buy your books (assuming that there is a demand for them of course) and pay for your shipping. You won't make as much as you would if you sold the book yourself, but the payment is quick.
posted by val5a at 3:25 PM on February 5, 2009

powells buys books online for more than abe buyback (usually, and without the bull that abe's buyback company pulls with 'grading' and claiming they only just got a box when their own fedex labels show they've been sitting in their warehouse for more than a week) so the $80 that abe's company offered turned into more than $100 from powells.

But you'll have better luck with both abe and powells with newer stuff.

Try brattle books in downtown crossing too, they rock. But remember, EVERYONE in the universe needs cash right now, and used bookstores are filling up, so there may not be many that offer a lot.
posted by legotech at 3:40 PM on February 5, 2009

I second the suggestion of Half.com - been using it for years. Big advantage over ebay: No listing fees... And the shipping is fair for buyers.
posted by olddogeyes at 4:53 PM on February 5, 2009

McIntyre & Moore was my first thought, but they're not buying at the moment because of their recent move from Davis to Porter. They'd almost certainly be interested in your textbooks, though.

Online is probably your best bet.
posted by danb at 7:37 PM on February 5, 2009

If you have time, online is much better. I sold as much as I could online before trying Harvard Book Store.

They bought most of my remaining books, but they didn't buy all of them, and the price I got, though passable, wasn't great. (This might be because I was left with the crappiest books, though. They give slightly more money if you take store credit.)
posted by melvinwang at 3:22 PM on February 6, 2009