After making £180 on a car boot sale recently, I began thinking of other ways to make money quickly using my old belongings. Even though I made so much money, I still came home with a fair bit of stuff that I was really keen to get rid of. Those 50 Shades of Grey books are at the top of my list of things that must go. Ugh.
Ebay is obviously a popular one, but it all looks like a lot of effort to me. After having a gander through the trusty internet, I remembered that Amazon have a trade-in service where you can send them your old books in exchange for Amazon vouchers.
It’s quick and easy to do. You just have to type in the title of the book you want to sell and enter the ISBN number from above the barcode. You then get to choose between dropping the items off at a Post Office or at a Collect + store near you. Once Amazon has received your books, they send you a voucher to use on their website.
Since I’m on a money making mission I am obviously disappointed that vouchers are offered rather than actual cash. If I wanted to keep trading books for more books then I’d just use a library, but there’s nothing stopping me using these vouchers to buy Christmas gifts and even things for my new home.
I’m also a kind of sad to part with my beloved books. I have so many of them and have always loved having a book shelf that is filled to the brim. But since many of these books could help to pay a tiny bit towards my mortgage deposit, I think it’s time to say bye to at least a few.
It’s worth noting that novels don’t often fetch very much on Amazon Trade In. My paperback copy of We Need To Talk About Kevin is only worth 29p, heart-breaking when I paid a fiver for it originally.
However, if you have any textbooks from University, or you’ve inherited your Dad’s collection of music or film books you may be able to make a little bit more. I’m glad I didn’t sell my journalism textbooks on the car boot sale, as they’re worth a fiver each with Amazon now.
These are the books I sold and the amount I got for each:
Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (and Other Concerns) £2.45
Art Now (Taschen 25) £1.04
Illustration Now! 3: Vol. 3 £2.11
The Shock of the New: Art and the Century of Change £5.50
McNae’s Essential Law for Journalists £5.33
Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World’s Great Graphic Artists £5.26
= £21.69
Pros
- Quick value quote
- No waiting around for a buyer
- Easy to do and hassle free
- Free delivery if the value is over £10
- Hand in at a Post Office or Collect+ shop
Cons
- Voucher only
- Less money than you could make on Ebay or Amazon Marketplace
While there are more pros than there are cons, you may argue that the cons are actually much worse. If you’re looking to make lots of cash, then Ebay or Amazon Marketplace may be for you. But if you believe that time is money, you may prefer this get rid quick option.
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