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I still practice this principle at the bookstores in my area, where I recently bartered for a set of 20 signed Franklin Press books. However, with the advent of the digital age late last century, you no longer need to depend on the whims and preferences of your local bookshop in order to trade in your stock for store credit. No, today you can trade books in from the comfort of your home. While many open shop owners may understandably cringe at this notion, I implore all of my fellow Clicks and Mortar booksellers to view the stale inventory on your shelves as prime candidates of conversion to cash using Bookscouter. I did this with some of the books that have been collecting dust at my antique mall booths and proceeded to raise several hundred dollars cash in a few days time. I would also contend that using BookScouter is a great way to make it easier to part with and let go of your inventory which no longer meets your minimum listing price requirements, as you should be glad about at least getting something right now for a book instead of waiting another year or two and hoping the book will sell.

Amazon is the only site where receiving cash is not an option; instead receiving an Amazon Gift Card is the sole means of reimbursement. For me, this is pretty much the same thing as cash, as I frequently spend quite a bit of time and money on the site. Little did Ellis know when he first wrote Book Finds that he would one day be able to trade in his unsalable stock for a new mesh grill cover, a case of aspartame-free chewing gum and a digital version of his own book! In a delightful twist of fate, I was also recently able to purchase a copy of one of the most sought after books on my Amazon Wish List - Billy Collins Pokerface, his first and rarest book of poems, limited to 400 copies, a handful of which (rumor has it) that Collins himself has purchased from their owners at signing events only to destroy; apparently he is not too proud of this one). I had over $400 sitting in my account when a copy became available for around $275. Sounds expensive? Do a search on BookFinder for and tell me if you think I paid too much. The problem is I don't know if I'll be able to part with this one until it has been on my shelf for at least another year or two. Sometimes being a book collector can be dangerous for one's own bookselling career.

You may or may not have already noticed this, but just below the "23 Used and New from $16.02" on the right hand side of any Amazon Product Detail page for a book, you may see some text that reads, "Get a $5.93 Amazon Gift Card," with a button that reads, "Trade in Here." Clicking this will redirect you to "Sign In to Your Account," and then finally to the "Submit Your Trade-In" page, where you can continue to add books that Amazon (or NORAM, the New Hampshire based company responsible for the buybacks) is currently buying and view their Terms and Conditions. The process varies slightly among all of the sites, but once you do it a few times, you'll get the hang of it and get into some kind of rhythm, and hopefully maintain some semblance of organization.

Most of the sites seem to keep your items in a buyback cart, but I have been timed out on occasion, so the best strategy is to use BookScouter to sort your potential candidates into several piles, and once your pile is big enough to fill a bankers box (with a few extras in case the book is no longer being purchased), you should process the entire buyback at one time. All this usually involves is submitting the entire contents of the buyback, printing a confirmation/packing slip and printing a prepaid shipping label. The final steps are to then tightly and securely pack the contents of the box, adding some filler / bubble wrap as needed and finally, sealing the box and affixing the prepaid shipping label.

With Powells.com (3.5 out of 5, with 112 ratings), Major League Buyback site #2, you have the option to choose between receiving store credit or cash. They typically offer quite a bit more in credit, something along the lines of $45 in cash will be good for $75 in credit. I am usually a sucker for credit and recently used this to purchase several signed hypermodern 1sts, along with a handful of books from Anne Rice's personal library. Yeah, you heard me right. Check out their homepage for more details.

A quick note on Powell's- they are the pickiest site as far as condition goes. There is a recent spate of comments regarding just how picky they have become, and as a bookseller, I can sympathize with their position. Make sure to check the guidelines for condition anywhere you send books. Amazon will actually return books that don't meet their requirements (at no cost to you), but Powell's will not be so kind and will simply donate the rejects to a local charity. For the most part, Powell's will accept books in VG+ condition and above. They do not accept book club editions, books with hinges that are beginning to split, any sort of dampstaining or any writing or highlighting in the text. A previous owner's name written on the front endpapers is acceptable, however. Make sure you are able to identify these types of books and are familiar with some basic bookselling condition lingo before you start sending pallets. I have also found that Powell's will buy back quite a few books that no other sites will, most likely due to their having several brick and mortar locations. Dover Books seem to do well here.

You can view their condition guidelines here. condition_guidelines.html#bce].

The rest of the major and minor leaguers pay cash via PayPal (and other methods), and these are my favorites to use: