How to Sell Classic Science Books Effectively?

[DrDu]

I have quite a lot of classic science books, e.g. on solid state physics, chemistry which I would like to sell. I am not in a hurry. Any ideas? ( I know of some services where you enter the ISBN of a book and they offer you some money for it, but the prices are ridiculously low when you compare it e.g. to the prices at abebooks).
It is not that I am mainly interested in making money out of them, but simply that the possibilities to find someone interested in non-fiction books are much more restricted.

 

[phinds]

Why not just Amazon or eBay? They have HUGE followings and you get to set the price you want (understanding that if you overprice it, it likely won't sell).

 

[SteamKing]

There are several sites on the web which handle scientific books, as well as general interest tomes.

www.zubalbooks.com

www.abebooks.com

www.alibris.com

www.powells.com

You can contact these sellers and see what their policies are about selling books from third parties.

 

[DrDu]

Thank you for your proposals!
Comparing the options, I think ebay is one of the cheapest possibilities. Amazon is quite expensive, as they take fees for listing, finishing and 15% of the money earned.
Alibris is similar (19 $ per year +15% of the money earned).
Most other sellers only offer to buy your books, but at ridiculous prices.

 

[discoversci]

What kind of books do you have avail. ? Thanks.

 

[viviane]

I agree that Amazon is too expensive.. Personally I have a lot of books and collections ( largely more than 300) in the field of Ststices and Biostatistcs

 

[mathwonk]

Being too impatient for eBay, I eventually just sold all mine at $5 each to the students and faculty of my former (mathematics) department, advertising them by group email. Being worth from $20 to well over $100 each, judging by Abebooks prices, they went like hotcakes. I had the satisfaction of thinking they were appreciated, and I did not have to fool around with months of waiting, advertising, and mailing books. Of course now I often regret not having some of them, from time to time. Indeed, as a booklover, I have at some point wished again for virtually every book I ever parted with. In fact I have even repurchased new copies of some of the ones I gave away! So, if you are like me, there is that consideration as well. Good luck.

 

[gmax137]

as a booklover, I have at some point wished again for virtually every book I ever parted with. In fact I have even repurchased new copies of some of the ones I gave away!

Me too. I gave 12 boxes to the local library booksale before I moved cross-country (I did keep way more than that, though). Still I look on my shelves for ones I gave away.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

Maybe list a few titles and sell them here? I am sure, many readers will be interested.

 

[sysprog]

Thank you for your proposals!
Comparing the options, I think ebay is one of the cheapest possibilities. Amazon is quite expensive, as they take fees for listing, finishing and 15% of the money earned.
Alibris is similar (19 $ per year +15% of the money earned).
Most other sellers only offer to buy your books, but at ridiculous prices.

As far as I know, Amazon charges 15%, and no other fees, unless you opt for special placement of your listing, or for Amazon to store and deliver your product. I too think that ebay (10% charge) would be a good venue for your bookselling purposes. Also, you can look up your books on Alibris, and add yourself as a vendor as you may see fit.

 

[fluidistic]

What about abebooks?

 

[sysprog]

For a given title, Alibris presents offers from multiple sellers, among which AbeBooks figures prominently.

 

[jasonRF]

I have only sold on Amazon. As stated, they do take a cut. The advantage is they get a lot of traffic, which may not matter if you don’t care how long they take to sell. The market for used technical books can be weird, and you will see prices of the same book change a lot over the course of weeks or months. To get things to sell I did need to keep on top of the prices regularly.

I only have tried to sell books that go for enough money that it is worthwhile even if I list them as the cheapest item for sale with that isbn. That way I don’t need to keep up with them for very long. I just donate books that don’t sell for much.

Jason

 

[MidgetDwarf]

I have only sold on Amazon. As stated, they do take a cut. The advantage is they get a lot of traffic, which may not matter if you don’t care how long they take to sell. The market for used technical books can be weird, and you will see prices of the same book change a lot over the course of weeks or months. To get things to sell I did need to keep on top of the prices regularly.

I only have tried to sell books that go for enough money that it is worthwhile even if I list them as the cheapest item for sale with that isbn. That way I don’t need to keep up with them for very long. I just donate books that don’t sell for much.

Jason

Ever though of selling books here? Or is it against website rules?

 

[Frabjous]

Ever though of selling books here? Or is it against website rules?

Forget the rules. PF does not have a payment system and I doubt that the moderators would be able to deal with incorrect book descriptions and lost packages Issues.

I’ve taken to donating my books and taking the tax deduction.

 

[jasonRF]

Ever though of selling books here? Or is it against website rules?

Had never even entered my mind before now. I don’t recall seeing posts of items for sale here - is that a thing?

 

[fresh_42]

Ever though of selling books here? Or is it against website rules?

Yes. We do not allow any advertisement. There are plenty of websites for selling items. We do not support it because we cannot grant the seriosity of the participants.

 

[gmax137]

I just donate books that don’t sell for much.

I have a fair collection of books related to my work. Recently retired, so I'm almost ready to let a bunch of them go. I looked into the local university library, but their website is pretty clear: they don't take books. Surprising, to me. The local public library takes donated books for their semi-annual booksale. I wonder what happens to the unsold books. I'm worried that the limited interest in my books would mean they get trashed. It is not that they are bad books, it is rather a question of finding the person interested in having the book(s).

These particular books are engineering related: power plant engineering, nuclear engineering, mechanical stuff (heat transfer, fluid flow, thermo...). Some I bought new, but many I bought used over the years. It is surprisingly hard to let them go. That's why I'd like to see them go to a good home.

I asked around at a few used bookstores a few years ago. They are pretty picky about what they will take, and they do not pay much if anything.

I have only sold on Amazon.

Maybe I need to look into this. I don't know how to get them listed.

 

[strangerep]

It is surprisingly hard to let them go.

Then don't.

Many decades ago, when I thought I would never again be doing any physics, I donated all my textbooks to my University's co-op bookshop.

Big mistake. Now, I never ever get rid of any STEM textbook. Even though I rarely consult them any more, I will keep them to the end my life.

 

[discoversci]

I have a fair collection of books related to my work. Recently retired, so I'm almost ready to let a bunch of them go. I looked into the local university library, but their website is pretty clear: they don't take books. Surprising, to me. The local public library takes donated books for their semi-annual booksale. I wonder what happens to the unsold books. I'm worried that the limited interest in my books would mean they get trashed. It is not that they are bad books, it is rather a question of finding the person interested in having the book(s).

These particular books are engineering related: power plant engineering, nuclear engineering, mechanical stuff (heat transfer, fluid flow, thermo...). Some I bought new, but many I bought used over the years. It is surprisingly hard to let them go. That's why I'd like to see them go to a good home.

I asked around at a few used bookstores a few years ago. They are pretty picky about what they will take, and they do not pay much if anything.Maybe I need to look into this. I don't know how to get them listed.

Please, do share some titles. Thanks !

 

[gmax137]

Please, do share some titles. Thanks !

After re-reading this thread, I am having second thoughts about thinning my shelves.

 

[discoversci]

I understand. Thanks anyway.

 

[jasonRF]

Update on Amazon selling: am currently listing some more books, and have found that Amazon allows some publishers to prohibit unauthorized dealers from selling their used books. There is a process to 'ask permission', and I am finding that they are being denied. Seems crazy wrong to deny a person the ability to sell one personal copy of an old book after they are done reading it. I guess it might be time to look at selling someplace like AbeBooks, or perhaps some other site.

Bummer!

 

[gmax137]

That's despicable.