Selling Old Textbooks and Notes: A Semester-End Plan for Students and Parents

Step 1: Sort into four piles

• Lay everything on a bed and sort it.
• Likely to sell — What goes in: Standard textbooks for common classes, courses and entrance exams, in readable condition; What to do: List individually or as a set
• Check first — What goes in: Books whose edition or syllabus may have changed; What to do: Check the edition before listing
• Give away — What goes in: Heavily marked, torn or outdated books; What to do: Donate to a school library, a neighbour, or a younger relative
• Keep — What goes in: Your own handwritten notes, reference books you still use; What to do: Keep, or scan the notes
• Be honest about condition. A book with missing pages, loose binding or heavy underlining sells slowly and invites disputes.

Step 2: Check the edition and the syllabus

• This is where most sellers lose time. A buyer wants the book their school or college has asked for. Before listing:
• Note the title, author, publisher and edition printed inside the cover.
• Ask a younger student, a teacher or the school or college whether the same edition is still followed.
• Mention in the listing the board, university, class or exam it is for, such as the class, subject and board.
• If the syllabus changed, say so plainly instead of hiding it. Some buyers can still use older books for reference.
• Do not claim that a book is "latest edition" unless you have confirmed it.

Step 3: Prepare and photograph

• Remove loose papers and erase light pencil marks where you can do so without damaging pages.
• Do not tear off the cover or the first page; keep the book as it was.
• Photograph the front cover, the back cover, one or two inside pages (to show marking) and the edition page.
• For a set, photograph the whole stack and then each book's spine.

Step 4: Write the listing

• A clear listing answers the buyer's first questions before they ask. Use this pattern:
• Title: subject, class or course, board or university, and author
• Edition or year
• Condition in plain words: for example, "clean, light pencil marks on a few pages"
• What is included: book only, or with notes, or with a workbook
• Your price and whether you accept a reasonable offer
• Pick-up area
• Our guide to writing a listing that sells shows how to word it.

Step 5: Price it without guessing

• Do not use a fixed percentage from a rumour. Instead, look at what similar books are listed for in your area and compare condition. Books in better condition, complete sets and in-demand courses justify a higher ask than marked or incomplete ones. For sets, a slight discount for buying all together attracts buyers. Keep a small margin for bargaining.

Step 6: Timing

• Demand for school and college books is usually highest just before and just after a new session begins, and for entrance-exam books in the months before the exam. Start sorting and listing a few weeks before the new session. Books listed after the session has settled can still sell, but fewer people are looking.

Step 7: Meet and hand over

• Meet in a public or familiar place, or a school or coaching gate, in daylight.
• Let the buyer flip through the pages and check the edition.
• If you are a student, ask a parent to come along; if the buyer is a student, a parent coming along is a good sign.
• Accept payment you can see in your own account or in cash that you count.
• Follow the points in our safe deal checklist.

If a book does not sell

• Lower the ask a little after a couple of weeks, offer it as part of a set, or give it to a school or community library or to a younger student who needs it. A book that someone uses is better than one that stays in a cupboard.

• Explore cities and categories
• Post your item free

Safety tips

• Meet in a public, well-lit place and, where possible, take someone with you.
• Inspect the item before you pay and check it matches the listing.
• Never pay in advance, share OTPs, or move payment outside the agreed meeting.
• Keep contact through the listing page — contact details are privacy-gated in the app.
• Report suspicious sellers instead of continuing the conversation.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides