#1 eTassel
Created by a college professor, eTassel.com is a free nationwide marketplace designed for college students which serves as a platform for listing textbooks via classified ads, allowing students to search for specific titles, buy, sell, and exchange academic materials directly with other students.
#2 Campus Bookstore
At the end of the semester, many students simply take their textbooks to their local campus bookstore. The campus bookstore will often buy back the book(s) because chances are they can quickly resell them to the next group of students taking the same course. However, like online buyback vendors, the campus bookstore needs to make a profit. Therefore, they tend to offer pennies on the dollar for buybacks. This means students lose huge amounts of money. Plus, the next group of students then get charged high prices for the same book.
#3 Online Buyback Vendors
If their campus bookstore doesn’t offer a buyback, many students resort to selling their books online to textbook vendors such as eCampus and Chegg. These online vendors are reputable but also have to make very low buyback offers in order to make a profit. Plus, once you receive an offer, you have to mail your books to them for inspection, which can affect the original offer price. If accepted, you then have to wait to get paid, which can sometimes take weeks.
#4 eBay
Known as the original online auction site, most people have purchased something off eBay at one point or another. With that said, students can find numerous textbooks for sale on eBay and it can be a great resource for someone searching for a specific book. However, when it comes to selling textbooks, there are several downsides to using eBay. First, you must have a registered eBay Seller account. This requires a lengthy registration process and access to your financial information. Additionally, once you begin selling items on eBay, let’s say textbooks, there are significant fees. eBay charges sellers a 15.3% commission on each book sold — that means losing more than $15 on a $100 textbook, which can add up quickly when you’re selling a semester’s worth of books.
#5 Amazon
Let’s face it, we all use Amazon. You can buy just about anything you could ever imagine on Amazon, and textbooks are no exception. You can also sell on Amazon, but like eBay, there are several things you have to consider. Like eBay, you must create an account, then apply for an Amazon Seller account. This too requires a lengthy registration process and access to your financial information. Next you have to consider the fees. Amazon charges business sellers a $39.99 monthly subscription fee and individual sellers pay a 15% commission fee for each book sold. Again, like eBay, these fees add up quickly if you are selling multiple textbooks.
#6 Craigslist
If eBay is the original online auction site, then Craigslist is the original online classified ads site. Craigslist is a great resource for buying and selling just about anything locally. Most items are free to list, but some categories cost money to post in, these include jobs, services, real estate, and anything for sale by a dealer/retailer. The major downside to Craigslist is that it is designed as a local marketplace. In order to search different areas, you have to go to different Craigslist sites. ie. dallas.craigslist.org, or houston.craigslist.org. If you’re trying to sell something (like a textbook) to a potential buyer who can be located anywhere in the U.S., then Craigslist is not going to benefit you much.
#7 Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a hub where registered Facebook users can buy and sell items with people in their community. You can find most things listed on Facebook Marketplace, however certain items are not allowed, including animals and healthcare products. When it comes to buying and selling textbooks, many students do not have a Facebook account and therefore can’t view items listed in the Marketplace. Additionally, items listed in Facebook Marketplace are only searchable within a 500-mile maximum radius. So, if you’re selling a textbook in Miami and the person who needs it is in Denver, they will never see your ad.