Used book buyback?

[knowthyself.livejournal.com]

I've got some books in good condition I'd like to sell as used to a bookstore or somesuch--but Pandemonium's not buying books at this time, and Rodney's in Central deals in store credit only and I'd prefer to sell for cash if at all possible. Anyone know of another local store or other outlet to sell used books (other than just selling them piecemeal to whoever I can find, of course)?

Comments

[yakshaver.livejournal.com]

As best I can tell, what few used bookstores remain no longer makes a general practice of buying books for cash. Maybe if you have something rare or in-demand.

[blacktigr.livejournal.com]

What kind have you got? Gil in Ball Sq takes used books for credit, and for (I'm sure) a smaller amount of cash, if you have something he really likes. I'd call ahead to make sure you were going to be there when he was there, though. Being an owner-based business, the place has very specific hours.

[ron_newman]

From previous posts and news articles, I thought he only takes books for store credit.

[findingthegirl.livejournal.com]

The Harvard Book Store buys books, but they're pretty picky about what they buy and generally only buy paperbacks.

[secretlyironic.livejournal.com]

Their paperback rule is that if there's a paperback edition, they prefer that to the hardback. They pay better prices in credit than in cash, but I don't recall offhand what those percentages are.

From harvard.com:
Used Buying hours are Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm

We buy all of our used books from customers and members of our community. If you are interested in selling us your books, please read the following:

All purchases require photo ID.

All purchases are at the discretion of the buyer.

We are seeking current edition textbooks in all fields. Some highlighting is acceptable in textbooks.

We are particularly interested in books on Classical Studies, European History, books from the Everyman Library, Library of America editions, Loeb Classics, Mathematics, Modern Library editions, Philosophy, Photography, Psychology and paperback Mysteries.

We do not buy Romances, Westerns, True Crime, Computer books or out-of-date Travel books.

Books must be in good condition. They should not have notes, highlighting or underlining, and pages must be securely bound into the book.

If there is a paperback edition of a book, we are unlikely to buy the hardcover.

[on-reserve.livejournal.com]

I brought in a huge bag of good-condition trade paperbacks, many of them bestsellers. They didn't want one book. I imagine that they are being really conservative/selective in terms of adding to inventory. I was surprised but didn't take it personally. I ended up donating the whole bag to the folks who run the used book kiosk right on that section of Mass Ave. I would have liked to have gotten some cash/credit for my books but failing that it was nice to get them out of the house and still keep them out of the trash. So, I offer that option up if paid options don't work out.

Amazon [not local]

[madscientist01.livejournal.com]

Amazon has a book buyback program. You can check out what they would give you, and if you do trade them in that way, Amazon pays to ship them and they give you the money in Amazon credit. If you buy from them a lot it might be more useful than random local bookstore credit.

Re: Amazon [not local]

[808.livejournal.com]

I've used this process to great success. I was able to quickly sell books at a high price and it was very simple to do. It beats eBay by a mile.

[jac6787.livejournal.com]

You could also try Raven in Harvard Square.

[squirrelitude]

There's a new bookstore in Ball Square, I think it's called "The Bookshop" or something generic like that. Maybe they do buys.

[ron_newman]

From previous posts and news articles, I thought he only takes books for store credit.

[ursamajor]

I'm pretty sure Lorem Ipsum in Inman Square does this?

[neuroacorn.livejournal.com]

Store credit only. And not taking much right now.

[masswich.livejournal.com]

Harvard Bookstore and the Brookline Booksmith both buy books, but they are picky. And they pay more in credit than cash, but I think they both pay cash. Check their websites for times - they only buy at certain times.

If you have the time, selling them yourself on Amazon isn't too difficult, and is probably the most profitable.