CKY Books – Sell Used Books – Turn your used books into cash

Buying Used Books – Quality & Value

Wednesday, March 31st, 2010

Buying used books used to be a hit or miss process.  The standards for accepting books through buyback programs were inconsistent, so it was possible to have books accepted for re-sale whose bindings were broken or with pages ripped and missing. This resulted in unsuccessful attempts to resell the books. To make the used book market strong and profitable, the vendors needed to improve standards to positively reflect the integrity and usefulness of the products available. Today, the pre-owned book market is strong and resale values are cost effective for most customers. Unfortunately, this does not mean that all resellers have equally high standards.

If you are going to be buying used books at a bookstore, there are things to look for that indicate the quality of the book. Open the book, if it lays flat, with the binding visible in the center, the binding is broken. If the pages come away from the book cover, it has been separated, and if pages are not already loose, they soon will be. Evidence of water damage includes stiff, wavy pages that will not lie flat and darkened areas on the pages. This type of damage may eventually lead to mold growth.

If you are buying used books online, look at the site’s requirements for purchasing used books. If they will not accept books that show signs of damage discussed above, you can be assured of the quality. Most vendors also go through the books to make sure there are no missing pages, confirm that notations and highlights are kept to a minimum and that the general condition of the book could be described as “good”.  A rating of good means that the signs of wear and tear are small and do not detract from the usefulness of the book.

When buying used books, it will be worth your time to research the quality standards set forth by the vendors for purchasing used books. These standards will alert you to the quality of their offerings. The online used book business is very competitive. As a result, it is becoming more common for sites to specialize in a niche market. The types of books available through buyback programs range from older textbooks to last season’s bestsellers. Paperback and hard covers have their own market values and standards.

Checking for quality is important whether your intention is selling the books to an online vendor, such as CKY Books or growing your personal collection. Happy shopping!