1. Used Book Sales: Sell Your Old Paperbacks
I was working at an estate sale the other weekend, and a woman came in and asked if there were any books for sale. After I pointed out the collection of books to her, she began to scan them all with a portable bar code scanner. My curiosity got the best of me and so I asked her what she was doing.
She explained that she buys used books from garage and estate sales, and then turns around and sells the books for cashon sites like Amazon, Ebay, Half.com and AbeBooks. She uses the scanner to determine how long it usually takes for a specific book to sell and how much it sells for. She told me that she makes a full-time living doing this.
So, I got the scoop on how to run a business of this type. Here’s what you need to know:
- Finances. You need to be good at quick math and be able to make quick decisions. You have to be careful how much you pay for a book, and then keep careful track of the expenses involved in selling it. For instance, when you sell on a website, they’ll take a commission from the sale. In addition, some sites, like eBay, will charge you a listing fee for each book. If you request that your money be deposited via PayPal, then you’ll be charged a transaction fee per book. If you’re not careful, the fees will quickly negate your profits.

