How To Sell Books On eBay In 10 Steps, With Photos

There are many profitable niches on eBay, from clothing and cars to collectibles like Funko Pops. Comic books are a big seller, but so are other types of books. If you want to know how to sell books on eBay, the platform can turn you into a Power Seller in no time. Their listing tools make life easy for people that love to sell books whether you’re listing a rare hardcover or modern books in bulk.

How to Sell Books on eBay

For this guide, we’re using the eBay website, but the mobile app works just as well. It’s a better choice for books with barcodes thanks to a scanner, but the layout on their website makes filling out fields easier.

1. Start a listing

Log into eBay and click on Sell at the top left side of the webpage. Scroll down until you see a blue section for Create Listing, click it, and choose Single Listing from the drop-down menu.

2. Find your Book

From this page, you can type the name of the book you want to sell into the search box. If you see an exact match in the list below, choose it to start your listing. The more information you add, the better the result. While eBay can pull up a book by title as shown with our search for “The Giving Tree”, adding an author narrows the field.

3. Select a Match

After you finish your search, eBay will ask if they’ve found a match. You can choose a book from here and alter the details on the listing page. Alternatively, you can also continue without a match and begin with a blank template after confirming the condition.

4. Set a Title

Every book has a title, some of which are catchier than others.  Every eBay listing needs a great title, and the first step in your book listing is creating one. Type in the title, and set a subtitle if needed. You can also choose bolding or a custom SKU from the Title Options menu on the right.

5. Add Item Specifics

Go through the Item Specifics section and enter any details related to your book. Some are required, but the more details you add, the better chance a buyer will find your listing. With books, a few of the optional details include the topic, publisher, type, size, and illustrator.

6. Condition & Description

Is the book you’re selling vintage or brand new from a bookstore? That’s key, and something you’ll need to set properly beforehand. Condition descriptions are optional, but something we advise using if you’re selling books that aren’t in mint condition.

In the description field, enter a description of the book you’re listing. You don’t have to overwhelm buyers with formatting but should have all the key information written out in the description.

7. Price your Listing

For pricing, you’ll need to choose from the auction format or Buy It Now which allows users to purchase an item at a flat price. You can check the price history on your book through eBay’s sold items filters, but the company also gives you a rough median sold price on most listings.

8. Shipping Options

Under the shipping information section, you need to choose whether you want to ship locally, globally, or both. Unless you’re using a flat rate box or providing free shipping, you also need to enter the weight of your package along with the dimensions.

The options you have in this area depend on the shipping services you choose and whether you’re shipping globally. eBay makes things a breeze regardless, just make sure you have the weight correct and your shipping preferences are correct.

9. Add Photos

There are a lot of details and information sellers can skip when setting up an eBay listing. Photos aren’t one of them, so you’ll need to choose at least one image for the book you want to sell. Add images to the photo section, and check any of the options you want to add to the listing.

10. Preview and Post

Scroll to the bottom of the listing page and you’ll see sections for promoting your listing, charity, and payment preferences. Set these sections up as needed, and then click Preview to get a look at your listing before it goes live. If you’re satisfied, you can choose to list it or save your listing to run at a later date.

The Wrap-Up

Selling books on eBay is just as easy as listing a pair of socks or an old laptop. It’s also a very profitable area for savvy sellers willing to dig through book bins for deals. Interested in learning more about the books you’re selling before listing and narrowing down a selling price? If so, this guide will show you how to search for sold listings on the platform.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©StockStudio Aerials/Shutterstock.com.