Turn your love of books into cash!
From selling used paperbacks to writing reviews and blogging, these women are finding ways to make serious money from books. Read on for their secrets!
“I bring in up to $1,200 a month selling old books!
“I’m an avid reader—I love nonfiction, classics and even young-adult books. When I had a health problem a few years ago and I couldn’t work a traditional job, I decided to sell the books I had laying around my house on eBay to see if I could make some money.
“Selling books on eBay is so simple. I signed up for a premium store account, which costs $60 a month and allows me to post as many as 1,000 listings a month for no additional cost. They also offer a basic option, which costs $20 a month and allows you to list up to 250 items.
“I sell books I’ve read, but I also purchase books at library book sales to resell. I have a long list of authors and books I’ve already sold, so I always try to look for those because I know someone will want them. I also check eBay to see which books generate the most profit. When you create a new listing, you can enter the book’s ISBN, which prefills the description and adds a stock photo, but I like to include my own descriptions and photos so buyers know exactly what they’re getting. Once I ship the items, eBay takes a 10 percent cut, and PayPal, the service I use to get paid, charges 2.9 percent plus 30 cents per transaction. I usually sell sets of books for $10. And I store the books in my home—I have bookshelves in nearly every room!
“After I ship the books, my customers leave feedback. Since I’ve been selling books for six years, I have a high positive-feedback rating.
“Selling books is great because it’s a flexible way to make money. I earn between $800 and $1,200 a month, which pays the bills and allows me to finish writing my own book!”