Books are printed to be enjoyed, read, and offer an escape from the world around us. But over time we forget that that is their purpose, and instead of enjoying the books, we bury them at the back of a bookshelf or allow them to gather dust in the attic. 

As a second-hand bookshop in Sussex, we encourage you to sell your second-hand books and to share your favourite books with other readers, books that may no longer be available in chain bookstores or online stores may not carry anymore.

Why You Should Consider Selling Your Second Hand Books?

The publishing industry is progressively mimicking the consumerism of other industries. 

Allowing books to be mass-produced, often printed in excess, and predominantly on paperback. Selling your books ensures you are making a positive contribution to the enjoyment of other readers, allowing them to appreciate older titles that may not have widespread distribution but also preventing books from ultimately being destroyed.

Besides these practical reasons, there are also sentimental and nostalgic reasons to sell your books.

Remember when the books on your shelf received the appreciation and care they deserved because you would read them frequently? 

You can share that same feeling with other avid readers, allowing them to experience the same intense emotions you experienced when you first read the book. 

How To Have A Stress-Free Sale of Your Books

Before you sell your books to a local bookshop, it helps to prepare. By preparing you’ll save time, money, and in many instances the stress of selling your books. Because selling books can be stressful, especially if you’ve been collecting books for some time, and have more than a handful of copies. 

1. Prepare Your Books For An Advantageous Sale

Some bookshops may offer book repairs as part of the experience others may purchase your book in any condition. 

However, to get the most advantageous price, especially on rare books, having the book in a sellable condition is ideal. If you are not familiar with refurbishing rare or antique books always choose to sell it as-is, as there is a possibility you could damage the book as you are trying to preserve them. 

However, for books that aren’t rare, you can wipe away the excess dust with a clean rag before placing them in a box.

When you prepare your books for sale, separate them by genre, book cover type, and year of release. You can then create batches of books from these categories. For example, you can segment a batch of paperback romance novels released from the year 2000 or hardcover science fiction novels released from 1990 to 2000. The release date shouldn’t reflect the original release date of the book, but rather the release of the edition in your possession. 

2. Identify The Ideal Second Hand Bookshop in Sussex

Once you have prepared your books, find a second-hand bookshop that will buy them. When you’re searching for a bookshop to buy your books, consider the proximity of the second-hand bookshop. Ask the buyer key questions like do they offer pickup for your books and if they offer digital quotations and estimates on your rare and valuable books? 

Some bookshops will require you to go to the location to examine the books before giving a quote. Driving from bookshop to bookshop to get a quotation for your rare books is not how you would choose to spend your afternoon. Therefore, it’s possibly better to find an entirely digital bookshop that still has the personal experience and will create a custom quote. 

That said, if you have a bookshop around the corner and you have developed a rapport with the buyer, perhaps it is better to sell your books there, to maintain that good relationship.

3. Determine Whether You’ll Be Selling Individual Copies or In Sets 

After years of being an avid reader, you likely have an extensive collection of books spanning several decades and in various conditions. While there may be a few valuable pieces here and there, for many readers, there will be a considerable mix. The effort of having to sort through each title to determine it’s value, release date, and other data about the book may be more hassle than it’s worth. In such instances, it’s better to arrange for the collection of your books by a bookshop and have them do the heavy lifting, both literally and figuratively. 

4. Choose The Most Convenient Process

We have a vibrant community of second-hand bookshops in Sussex. Each of these local bookshops, buy books in varying conditions and with several prerequisites. As a seller, you should carefully consider each of these to determine which bookshop is best for your needs or, time permitting, research each bookshop, getting quotes and estimates from each. 

Ideally, you want a bookshop that offers a one-on-one service and makes the process of selling books more convenient.

5. Consider Donating Your Books 

Even if you are selling several copies at once, you still want to be purposeful about the books you choose to sell and the ones you want to donate. 

Avid readers, local schools, or charity bookshops won’t be too perturbed by the state of your book. However, bookshops that are buying your collection do have prerequisites so they can offer you an advantageous price and provide quality to their loyal patrons.

Keep this in mind when you’re determining which copies to sell and which to donate. Because not every book you intend on getting rid of needs to be sold.

Besides, if you are more purposeful about the books you choose to sell, you could get a better price.

Remember, the purpose of selling a book is to ensure other readers get to experience the same level of joy that you experienced while reading your favourite copies. 

However, there are times when compensation is not feasible because of the quality or type of books in your collection. In this case, you should consider donating your books instead of selling them.

Donating is also a fantastic idea if you have heavy textbooks from university or high school, you’re in the process of moving and want to downsize, or you want to declutter your home as it is now.

What Kind of Books Can You Sell?

Bookshops commonly segment books into two categories: antiquities and general stock. Some book shops specialise in either, while some specialise in both. 

Because of this, you can sell books spanning all genres depending on the bookshop you choose. 

However, to save yourself time, it helps to call beforehand or email your bookshop to find out if they will purchase the types of books you are selling. Keep in mind, softcovers, books in disrepair, and common titles are unlikely to sell as easily as rare hardcovers or antique titles. 

You can find out more about your books by looking up the ISBN if you’re unsure about how rare or valuable a book is. 

When you’re selling your books you’re not simply selling a title, you’re selling an experience, and with that, you’re giving your books a second life.