Quick answer: to sell textbooks on Amazon, create a seller account (Individual at $0.99 per sale or Professional at $39.99/month), search each book by its ISBN in Seller Central, choose “Sell this product,” pick the condition, set a competitive price and ship it yourself (FBM) or send it to Amazon (FBA). Note that Amazon no longer buys textbooks back through its Trade-In program, so selling them yourself as a third-party seller is the way to get cash for them on Amazon. Here is the full process, plus fees, timing and pricing tips.
Why Should You Choose Amazon to Sell Textbooks?
Besides the fact that books are one of the best-sellers on Amazon, why is it a good idea to sell textbooks on the platform? Here’s your answer:
- Textbooks can earn you extra income – selling textbooks on Amazon is an excellent way for college students or new graduates to stand on their own feet and earn extra cash without wasting too much time and effort.
- Textbooks are easy to source – if you’re a college/high school student or a recent graduate, you probably already have a bunch of textbooks lying around. But even if you don’t have any textbooks, you can easily find them in garage sales, thrift stores, or even online marketplaces for a low price.
- Selling textbooks on Amazon requires fewer resources – You don’t need a big investment to start selling textbooks on Amazon. If you are selling your own used books, the Individual plan costs nothing upfront; you only pay fees when a book sells. If you want to buy textbooks to resell, a few hundred dollars is enough to test the model, covering your seller plan, shipping, fulfillment costs and inventory.
- Textbooks are in high demand – As you already know, textbooks are commonly used for academic purposes. Hundreds of schools offer the same lessons and courses that use the same textbooks. So, there is always a high academic demand for textbooks that you can use.
Is It Worth It to Sell Textbooks on Amazon?
Considering all the benefits you can get if you sell textbooks on Amazon, yes, it can be worthwhile. Textbooks are often used for lessons and courses taught in schools and colleges, and most of these institutions base their lesson plans on the same textbooks’ chapters. Lesson plans are usually consistent from year to year, so there will be classes that need your textbooks every year. This results in many students going on Amazon in search of your textbooks, and many of them buying your products. So, textbooks give you a higher chance of making huge profits on Amazon.
However, you must do enough research and make decisions based on reliable data. You also need a pricing strategy and determine how much time, resources, and effort you’re willing to put into this business.
Step-by-Step Guide to Start Selling Textbooks on Amazon
Before you start to sell textbooks on Amazon, there are a few things you should take care of, including:
- Choose your seller plan – Amazon offers two plans for third-party sellers: Individual and Professional. The Individual plan is ideal if you don’t consider this a serious business and want to sell a few textbooks. It allows you to sell up to 40 products every month for a fee of $0.99 for each product.
However, to create a business and make a regular income using Amazon, you must go for the Professional plan. It allows you to sell as many products as you want for a monthly fee of $39.99, and is the better deal once you sell more than about 40 items a month.
On top of the plan, each sale of a book carries a 15% referral fee plus a $1.80 closing fee (charged on all media items). If you use FBA, Amazon also charges a fulfillment fee per unit and monthly storage fees. Check the numbers for each ISBN with Amazon’s Revenue Calculator, and see our breakdown of Amazon FBA fees.
- Choose your fulfillment method – Amazon offers two types of fulfillment methods: FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) and FBM (Fulfillment by Merchant). Starting an amazon fba business means that Amazon handles product-related things like refunds, inventory storage, order fulfillment, and even customer support for a fee. This lets you concentrate on more important tasks like advertisement and listing optimization. Selling books on amazon fba is advised here if you have a high number of orders to fill or you don’t have a place to store your inventory. Find out more in our guide on how to ship to Amazon FBA.
On the other hand, with FBM, you must handle shipping, customer service, and all the other part of the selling process. You can choose the FBM method if you have a few orders coming, but make sure you find a place to store your textbooks.
Choose how you source your inventory – you have three sourcing options if you want to sell textbooks on Amazon:
- Wholesalers who buy books in bulk from publishers to sell to resellers.
- Distributors who assist publishers in getting their books sold.
- Publishers sell their books to you directly, but only in large volumes.
You can also source textbooks from thrift stores, bookstore sales, yard sales, estate sales, and online marketplaces like eBay.
Now that you’re ready, you can start selling textbooks on Amazon using the following steps:
1) Sign Up as an Amazon Seller
If you already don’t have an Amazon seller account, it’s time to make one. Choose one of the available plans (Individual or Professional) based on your preferences. You’ll need a government-issued ID, a phone number, a chargeable credit card, bank and tax information, and a valid address. Amazon verifies your identity (often through a short video call) and may also confirm your address by mailing a postcard with a code that you enter in Seller Central to complete registration.
2) Choose the Right Textbooks to Sell
You can check out the competition and prices by entering your textbook’s ISBN (International Standard Book Number) in the Amazon search bar. The ISBN is a 13- or 10-digit code located on the back of your textbook underneath the barcode. Make sure you match the exact edition, because older editions often sell for a fraction of the current one. Then look at the Best Sellers Rank and the price history (Keepa shows both; some of its data, such as full sales rank history, needs a paid subscription) to see how fast the book sells and what it typically sells for. Demand and prices for textbooks peak around the start of each semester (August–September and January), so listing a few weeks before those windows usually gets you the best price. If you can earn a nice profit after fees, go to the next step.
3) List and Sell Your Textbooks
Go to your seller central account, click “Inventory”, and choose “Add a Product” from the drop-down menu. Type the textbook’s ISBN in the search field. If your textbook is already listed on Amazon, follow the steps below:
- Click “Sell this product” and choose the book’s condition: New, or Used (Like New, Very Good, Good or Acceptable). Collectible books require separate approval. Grade honestly and note highlighting, writing, missing or used access codes in the condition notes; over-grading is a top cause of returns and negative feedback.
- Give your book an SKU (unique identifier), or have Amazon generate one.
- Type in your price (remember not to go overboard).
- Fill in the number of textbooks you’re selling, and select your fulfillment method (FBM or FBA).
- Click “Save and Finish”.
If your textbook doesn’t appear in the search results, no one on Amazon has yet listed it. To make a new listing, click “Create a new product listing” and fill in the required information (the textbook’s title, the quantity, the author’s name, etc.).
Most textbooks can be listed by any seller, but if you see a restriction message, the listing or condition is gated. Learn what you can do in our guide to ungating on Amazon.
Can You Sell Textbooks Back to Amazon?
Not anymore. Amazon used to buy textbooks for gift-card credit through its Textbook Buyback/Trade-In program, but it stopped accepting books around 2020, and Amazon Trade-In now focuses on electronics such as phones, tablets and Amazon devices. If you search for “sell back textbooks to Amazon,” your options today are:
- List them yourself on Amazon as a third-party seller (the steps above). This usually gets you the most money, but you wait for a buyer and pay Amazon fees.
- Sell to a textbook buyback site for instant cash. Price-comparison sites such as BookScouter show offers from many buyback vendors for the same ISBN.
Tips to Sell Textbooks on Amazon Faster and for More Money
- Time your listings for back-to-school (August–September) and the January semester start.
- Price against the right offers: compare with sellers in the same condition, and use FBA if you want your books to qualify for Prime, which often wins the sale at a slightly higher price.
- Avoid problem copies: instructor’s or teacher’s editions, review copies marked “not for resale,” and suspected counterfeits can lead to complaints or listing removals.
- Scale up with book arbitrage: once you know which titles sell, you can buy underpriced textbooks to resell. See our guide to Amazon online book arbitrage.
FAQ
Does Amazon buy textbooks?
No. Amazon no longer buys books or textbooks through Trade-In. You can still sell your textbooks to other buyers on Amazon by listing them as a seller.
How much does Amazon charge to sell a textbook?
A 15% referral fee plus a $1.80 closing fee per book sold, plus $0.99 per item on the Individual plan (or $39.99/month on Professional). FBA adds fulfillment and storage fees.
When is the best time to sell textbooks on Amazon?
Just before and during the start of a semester, in August–September and in January, when student demand is highest.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re still in college or a recent graduate, you probably have a few textbooks lying around your apartment. If you’re looking to earn extra income quickly and reliably, why not sell textbooks on Amazon? You can also look into selling books on Amazon if textbooks don’t interest you enough.
Either way, selling on Amazon is a great way to become independent and make your own money – it’s easy, doesn’t need a huge investment, and can be very profitable.
