Selling Books Online

When I started selling on Ebay in 2001, it was mainly books. Back then you could get a decent price for hardcovers as well as paperbacks. As I mentioned earlier, when the Kindle and other e-readers came around, your average mass market hardcovers and paperbacks were not worth as much. What is still worth money is First Editions. First Editions, first printings are the best type book to find and often are worth the most.

Recently I had this particular first edition for sale:

First Editions go for more money if the dust jacket is intact. This one was with no tears or creases. To tell if a book is a first edition you go to the page with the publishing information:

 On this page it is stated as a first edition. Also note the number line at the bottom of the page. The first 5 numbers are the years it will be printed. 1978 was the first year of this book. the other numbers indicate the printing of the book. Since the number line is from 1-10 that means that this is the first printing of the book. If it was the second printing, the number 1 would be gone and all you would see was 2-10.

Paperbacks are another story. Older paperbacks from the 40's to the 60's are usually worth something to a collector, but for the most part mass market paperbacks are not worth that much. You can usually get more for them on Ebay than on Amazon. On Ebay you can get maybe 2.00 for one that is in really good condition while the same book on Amazon would only be worth a penny.

Also it's worth noting that some hardcovers may not be first editions but are still older (from the 30's or 40's). These books can sometimes go for a decent price. Always check Ebay and Amazon to see what other sellers are asking for it, and make your price adjustments from there.