Wait, Don't Toss Out Those Old Books

Stop! No, don't throw away those old books. Why? Because they could be valuable, maybe very valuable, would you throw away thousands of dollars? I thought not! I have often sold first editions and other old books on Amazon.com under my Amazon name "Betty's Book Talk," for over $100 each. But, I am also aware that many larger dealers are selling books for thousands of dollars per book if they are first editions. First Editions in that category and quality will require a larger initial investment, unless you make a very lucky find, but in the long run that investment is sound. As a Buyer of first editions, be aware that they are an asset that will increase in value like any good antique. As a Seller of first editions, the more you learn about the business the easier it will be to get the most return on your investment.

Look in your bookcases, if you have any old novels, especially if they are in prime condition, check inside the front cover to see if it happens to be a first edition, however, be aware that not all first editions say "first edition". In fact, check all your books to see if you have any first editions before you ever get rid of them. I found a good guide for anyone, like me, who doesn't know enough about first editions to feel comfortable purchasing them by Craig Stark at www.bookthink.com (click on "Book Topics" and then "First Edition Boot Camp), which I believe is a pretty good starting point for how to tell if you have a first edition. Read all of his articles on first editions as a good start to your education. I also found a book on Amazon.com called "First Editions: A Guide to Identification" by Edward N. Zempel which Amazon has listed for $60.00. It is also available "used" on Amazon starting at $49.75, that was the lowest price the last time I looked. It is supposed to be the book that dealers use to identify first editions and therefore goes into more complicated methods of identifying them. If you were going to buy or sell first editions I would advise you to get that book.

Recently someone I work for was looking for first editions as Christmas presents so I did some research for him and I noticed what some of them were selling for. I found a copy of Truman Capotes' "Breakfast at Tiffany's (not signed by the author) for sale at $3,400 by Manhattan Rare Book Company and although I didn't buy anything that expensive, it is a good example of what first editions sell for. They also have a signed first edition of Casino Royale by Ian Fleming for sale for $75,000. It is still on the web site for that amount if you are in the market to purchase it. But, there are also other first editions for sale out there that are NOT signed by the authors that are selling for thousands of dollars each. If you happen to have one sitting in a bookcase then you have a great investment there. Michael at Manhattan Rare Book Company told me he purchases first editions as well as selling them. Right now he has a signed first edition by Albert Damus listed on his site for $12,500 called La Peste listed on his web site. It is listed as "one of 2000 copies of Alfa Navarre. An important ASSOCIATION COPY: inscribed by Camus to Jacques Hébertot (1886-1970), the famous French theater director, journalist, and editor; Camus's plays Caligula (1945) and Les Justes (1949) both premiered at Hébertot's theater, Le Théâtre Hébertot." My experience with Michael is that he is a really reputable dealer and he will respond to your questions as best he can both by e-mail and by telephone if at all possible. I was favorably impressed by his prompt responses and by his ethics when I was doing business with him.

As a seller on Amazon.com I can tell you that they do have a good way of doing business because people like me who sell books can offer the books on their web site for whatever the going rate may be and Amazon collects the money and sells the book for me. If it is a collectible book or a first edition I can offer it that way. Then they stand behind me as a bookseller and they take most of the risk, however, if I don't send you the book they will charge it back to my account and make sure you are refunded so you are protected too. Of course on large dollar items booksellers anywhere will insure the book as well as get confirmation of delivery. Some sellers on Amazon get proof of delivery on all of their books and get insurance for anything over $20. You can sell your books on Amazon too. You don't have to be an Amazon Pro-merchant to sell on their site. But, if you are not a Pro-merchant you will have to keep re-listing the books every so often; so if you have thousands of books to sell, it is better to become a Pro-Merchant which costs almost $40.00 per month.

There is some hassle to selling books on line whereever you decide to sell them because you have to purchase packaging and if you don't have a postage account with a company that puts a bar code on your package, you have to physically go to the post office to send the book. You will need to answer inquiries, etc. about the books you list, and as a seller you promise to ship the book in two days. Amazon has "rules for sellers" that you can read to see what you have to do. Amazon is not the only on-line book seller. There are many others that I hear are really good and, of course, many people do well selling on E-bay.
Another way to sell your valuable books is to find a dealer near you who will give you a decent price for your books. If you establish a relationship with a dealer, you can eliminate the hassle of trying to be your own book dealer, although they won't give you as much as you can make on-line because they have to resell the book and make a profit. If you love books then, like me, you can become a small time seller on-line and read them before you resell them. For more information on selling first editions and other books you don't have to go far just search right here on Associated Content under "first editions: or "old books" and you will find some good articles about how to sell them and what to look for to identify them. We are all looking for that one book that we can sell for big money so my advice is to look at garage sales, auctions, on-line bookseller's sites and through any books you, or anyone you know, may have saved along the years. Good luck with your search, you could have a goldmine sitting on your bookshelf and not even know it.