How to Start Your Own Online Book Business: Chapter Five

In previous posts, I've told you where to buy used books, how to list them, grade them, and ship them. And now I'll touch on where to sell your used books. I've already mentioned Amazon.com, the big dog of online book selling. But there are other venues for selling your used books, and which one you choose will depend on the type of books you sell and which site you feel is right for your business. The most popular, though, seem to be Amazon.com, Alibris, AbeBooks, and Half.com.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the best sources of good quality used books is your local library book sale. A great online tool for keeping track of the dates and locations of book sales all over the nation is BookSaleFinder.com. Just click on your state to find all book sales taking place in your immediate area. While you're on the site, enter your email address and the number of miles from your home that you're willing to travel, and BookSaleFinder will alert you when a book sale takes place within your area.

Finally, one of the most important aspects of running a used book business - and I can't stress this enough - is having a system of organizing your inventory. When you receive notice a book has sold, you want to be able to put your hands on it immediately. Fortunately, there are some great software tools for documenting and organizing your inventory of books. BookTrakker Pro offers free support by email seven days a week, and by phone Monday through Saturday during normal business hours. They also offer a 30-day free trial of the product, so that you can try it out and see if it's what you're looking for. Another option is PrimaSoft Book Organizer Deluxe 2.7. PrimaSoft also offers a 30-day free trial. PrimaSoft's Book Organizer is a ZDNet Editor's Pick and received its highest rating.

Selling used books online can be a great home business, especially if you're a book lover and enjoy reading, yourself. After all, with new titles coming and going daily, you'll never be stuck wishing for something to read. And if you sell children's books, neither will your children!