“I make $500 a month selling old books”
“My husband is a teacher, and so am I. But I wanted to be with the kids more, so I left my position and started working nights as a waitress. Then when I got pregnant again, I was looking for something different. I wanted to stay home and still make money so my husband didn’t have to be the sole breadwinner.
“First, I tried selling on eBay, but it was too stressful. I didn’t know how to value things, plus I had to bring a bunch of stuff into my house, store it, package it and mail it. One day I went to an estate sale and bought a few hundred books for $5 and sold them for 50 cents each at a used bookstore. It was a great profit, but I realized the bookseller was going to make a lot more than 50 cents a book. So I went on Amazon and found out I could sell books on my own.
“It was easy getting started. I watched a YouTube video about selling on Amazon, then I created a seller’s account on Amazon Seller Central. To open my ‘store,’ I had to type in the bar codes on the back of the books, specify the condition of each and price them. Once I had a box of books posted, I printed a postagepaid label and shipped it to Amazon. They handle the rest and deduct the cost of shipping from my earnings.
“Today I spend 5 to 7 hours a week on the computer. I get books from estate sales, thrift shops, friends and family, Craigslist and library sales. I often buy textbooks from students. I can get a textbook for $10 and sell it for $100! People love books, and I have plenty of time to take care of my kids. I can only see this business getting easier for me.”