The BookTrapper Journal
Practical, straight-talking guides for getting more value from every book on your shelf.
Featured story
The safest way to ship textbooks is to use a sturdy box, protect the books from moisture, fill all empty space, seal every seam, and keep proof of condition and tracking. Heavy textbooks can destroy weak packaging and damage one another when they slide inside an oversized box....
Read the articleFrom the journal
A zero-dollar buyback quote does not always mean a textbook is useless. First confirm the ISBN and edition, then try a direct student sale, marketplace, local school, donation program, or specialty buyer....
Keep readingA textbook buyback quote can be reduced or rejected when the book received does not match the ISBN, edition, format, components, or condition used to generate the offer. Quotes also expire, and...
Keep readingAn unused, sealed access code can help a textbook qualify for buyback when the ISBN represents a bundle. A revealed, scratched, activated, or expired code usually has little or no resale value....
Keep readingYou can sell some loose-leaf textbooks, but they are harder to resell than bound editions. A buyer needs to quote the exact loose-leaf ISBN, all pages must be present and ordered, and...
Keep readingYes, many used-textbook buyers accept limited highlighting, underlining, and margin notes—but every buyer draws the line differently. Light study marks in an otherwise complete, readable book may still qualify for a buyback...
Keep readingBefore you start writing, do your research and validate your thesis. Learn as much as you can about the topic you plan to write about. It’s always easier to write about what...
Keep readingYou have two choices - download an app that compares offers from multiple vendors or download a specific vendor's app and sell your college textbooks directly to that company. We recommend using...
Keep readingA complimentary textbook copy is a copy supplied without charge, often by a publisher to an instructor evaluating a title or teaching a course. Exam, evaluation, preview, and desk copies describe related...
Keep reading
Most Universities along with campus bookstore shut down at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Some stores are offering contactless pickup for online orders, but other services are not available. That means...
Keep reading
Have you ever received a complimentary or “desk” copy of a new textbook from a publisher? Textbook companies like Pearson, McGraw-Hill, Cengage, Norton, and Macmillan routinely send new editions to professors for...
Keep readingHere's a curated list of the top books to read for 2019. Most of these already have tons of great reviews by people who have read them pre-release. I'll keep adding to...
Keep readingRenting was supposed to bring the cost of textbooks down - but did anyone really think that textbook companies and campus bookstores would be on board with something that would make them...
Keep readingTo sell your books on Amazon, follow the steps below. Register for an Amazon seller account. When you sign up, make sure to register as an individual instead of a commercial seller....
Keep reading
Your textbook’s buyback value is the available offer for its exact ISBN, subject to condition checks and the buyer’s terms. There is no fixed percentage of the original retail price that applies...
Keep readingFounded in in 2005, this company has undergone some transformation in the years since. It is now owned by Follett (parent company), which is a huge company that operates bookstores on many...
Keep readingWith all the bad news coming out of retail these days, it's hard to see how some store chains are still operating. Big department stores in malls are closing at astonishing rates...
Keep readingNo single company pays the most for every textbook. Offers vary by ISBN, edition, condition, inventory, and timing. Compare current quotes for the exact copy you own, then check shipping, minimum-order, payment,...
Keep readingSearching google, you'll find a handful of companies that actually buy your books - companies that you can ship your books to, and they will send you payment when they receive them....
Keep readingCollege Textbooks Two simple answers - online or locally. But where is the best place to sell my used books? Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Advantages to Selling...
Keep readingTo check how much a book is worth to a buyback company, scan its ISBN barcode and compare available offers for that exact edition. BookTrapper’s iOS and Android app lets you compare...
Keep reading#1 The Skill of Visualization As a child listens to an adult read aloud, he or she develops the ability to make mental pictures of what's happening in the story. Those mental...
Keep readingFor every university you'll find a Facebook textbook exchange group, but there's a better option. BookTrapper is designed for this very purpose, and it works so much better than a Facebook group...
Keep readingIf you choose a major that requires lots of science classes, you'll spend much more on textbooks over the course of your college career. But why is this so? Why do some...
Keep readingMany high school graduates have the option to go to immediately move away from home and attend a four year school or stay in town, go to a junior college, and then...
Keep reading