Academic books and textbooks can be costly. We are all aware of that. But what if you can get a fair amount of your money back? Wouldn’t that be a great deal?
The earlier you recycle your textbooks, the better. That’s because books can become outdated quickly, losing their value. So the sooner (and more relevant) they are when you recycle your textbooks, the more you can earn money.
This guide will give you the best alternatives to recycle your textbooks while earning money.
1. Sell Your Textbooks
One way to recycle your textbooks is to sell them. According to the College Board survey, you can spend over $1,200 on books annually. Unfortunately, you can’t prevent the cost, but you can get a good part of your money back when you sell your textbooks online.
Now, you can sell your books on various platforms like eBay and Amazon. These are the two major places to sell your textbooks. But that also means you’ll face fierce competition, primarily when people sell the same books as yours.
But did you know you can sell at other similar websites and get equal or better offers? For example, you can find other bookselling sites like BookDeal.com, which offer a vast network of reliable book-buying vendors.
Aside from that, you can sell your books online for at least 70% of the textbook’s original price. But remember to keep your books in good condition. That can increase its value.
2. Trade Your Textbooks
If you’re not interested in selling your books, you can trade them for different textbooks instead. You can do that at your local coffee shop, community center, or store. It can be a fun way to send your books to someone who might urgently need them. And you could find your new favorite book yourself.
But before you proceed, make sure you talk to the manager or owner of the venue you choose. Then discuss the plan with them before you set up anything.
Another option is to use social media platforms to find other students from your college or in your vicinity. You can set up a book swap group where you can share the various textbooks you’re searching for, including the ones you’re ready to give away.
You can also try out PaperSwap Books. This book site allows you to list books you want to share with the community. The site also permits you to request any textbook you would like to read.
Think of it as borrowing textbooks from your friend. The only exception is that you now have thousands of friends and more than a million books to select from.
3. Donate Your Textbooks
Even if your textbooks are not helpful to you anymore, they can still be valuable to someone else. Numerous non-profit organizations have made it simple for you to donate your books.
These organizations serve different groups and communities. And that makes it easy for you to choose the organization that brings meaning to you. If you don’t know where to donate your textbooks, here are few options to consider:
- Libraries. There’s no doubt that libraries provide a safe place for everyone to learn, promote literacy, and provide access to knowledge. Donating textbooks that are in good condition to your local library can add to their collection. The library can even resell them to fund various programs.
- Better World Books. This organization accepts book donations and relies on your kindness to send books to people in need and provide literacy grants to libraries and non-profits. Better World Books also helps to protect the environment from unwanted waste.
- Salvation Army. When you donate to the organization, it goes to Salvation Army Family Stores. And any funds raised are used to fund the organization’s numerous programs.
- Book Through Bars. Are you interested in helping prison inmates acquire essential education and training? That’s what Book Through Bars do precisely. The organization collects various genres from instructional to entertainment, including your textbooks. However, make sure you read their guidelines before proceeding because they don’t accept some types of books.
- Goodwill. This organization has been serving local communities for more than 115 years by selling donated items. They use the proceeds from the sold items to fund career training and other related services such as childcare, supplemental education, etc.
- Books For Soldiers. Books For Soldiers gives deployed U.S. military personnel the chance to request books and more while overseas. You can sign up as a volunteer on their site, search through book requests from soldiers, and send over the books.
- Books For Africa. This organization accepts almost any books you have and ships them to Africa. The purpose is to enhance the education conditions for those in need. So you can check out their site if you’re willing to help.
4. Use Facebook Groups
Facebook is a vast marketplace where you can sell your textbooks. There, you can find Facebook groups of students who are taking the same courses as you. You can use the demographics to narrow down and find the specific people (ideal market) who’ll be interested in your books.
So if you want to earn money while selling books, we recommend Facebook Groups. You can sell your textbooks in bulk and avoid third parties. Also, if you have a college Facebook group, you can sell your books to college students after college and avoid postage fees.
5. Recycle Your Textbooks
If all of the points discussed above don’t work out for you, the next option may seem like throwing them away. But before you do that, you can recycle your textbooks instead.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the paper and paperboard category makes up 25% of 17.8 million tons of waste generated every year, including textbooks. With a few easy steps, we can reduce the total amount of waste.
Here are some ideas to consider:
- Recycling Books. If your textbooks are paperback, you can recycle them by putting them in the appropriate bin. However, if you want to recycle books with a hardcover, you’ll first remove the cover and spine. That’s because the books contain other materials like threads, plastics, and glue.
- Find A Center. If you don’t have a recycling service and don’t know where to recycle your textbooks, use BeRecycled.org safely. The site can help you find commercial and government options in your area to recycle your books safely.
- Get Creative. Another option to consider to decrease waste is to recycle your books into something handy or decorative. You can make almost anything with your books. There are endless possibilities.
Final Thoughts
Sometimes, textbooks can be difficult to get rid of. If you think about it, they’re more like lectures or vacations. As a result, you get numerous books piled up. So if you don’t know what to do with them, you can use this guide as a step in the right direction.
Also, if you want to make selling textbooks a side business, you can do so. Just find the best places to sell your books. You can use Amazon and eBay, but you can also use other sites like BookDeal.com, Textbookrush.com, abebooks.com, etc.
Finally, always remember to keep your books in good condition. That can increase the book’s value.
