Selling tricks to get more bucks for your books – book apps vs eBay, which pay the most?

Nothing beats a real book – the feel and the smell are all something modern technology can't beat. If you've moved to an e-reader, or have had a bit of a clear out and you've books you're not sure what to do with... don't put them in the bin, or even the recycling – the string and/or glue used in books makes them difficult to recycle, so most sadly end up in landfill.

So put your book down, grab a cuppa and read on, Macduff (apologies to Shakespeare for the misquote in the pursuit of puns). 

Selling via special book-selling apps vs eBay

We used to ignore each other with books, now we ignore each other with smartphones, but don't put it down yet as it could make you money and save you time. MSE Jenny's Boost Your Income guide has taught us that usually we'll get the more money selling most things on eBay or Facebook marketplace, but it also mentions apps/websites allowing you to sell old DVDs, CDs, games, and crucially to this blog... books.

But which app is best? I've volunteered as tribute, and have a big stack of books to put it to the test for you, comparing the top three apps – We Buy Books, Ziffit and Music Magpie – against the minimum price each book sold for recently on eBay. Then I’ll show you my trick of how I decide whether to sell to an app or on eBay, plus finally at the end, I'll reveal how much money I made and whether I think it's worth it.

See the table below for the names of my books, the recommended retail price (the original price of the books), the trade-in prices using the top three apps, and the price of recent eBay sales (❌ means the app wouldn't take the book).

I did my price checks and selling in April 2021, so be aware the prices on the apps may no longer be the same. We Buy Books told me its pricing is dynamic, and can change frequently, and I've noticed the same trend on the other apps, too.

As predicted, selling on eBay would net you the most money – £94 less than you'd have paid originally for this, err, eclectic selection of books I somehow own. Each eBay listing needs the research above for what it'd sell for, photographs, an accurate description, eBay fees, trips to the Post Office – so you’ll need to decide for yourself what your minimum price is to make all this worth it – mine's £5, or £3 if I really want it gone!

When is it worth using a book-selling app?

Selling on a book app still takes time, however you can print a label and either drop off your box at a collection point, or get your box picked up from your home if you're selling over £5 worth (and it weighs over 5kg with WeBuyBooks, or 9kg with Ziffit), either way the postage is free. You also don't pay any other fees or spend time answering messages like you'd have to on eBay. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide which works best for you and what’s more important – time or money.

Top tip: Check apps for codes

Make sure to check the apps for short-lived codes where you could get an extra 5% for signing up, or 10% for a short amount of time in an offer as this could make one app worth using over another.

Top tip: Check apps for codes

Make sure to check the apps for short-lived codes where you could get an extra 5% for signing up, or 10% for a short amount of time in an offer as this could make one app worth using over another.

We've a code for Ziffit* that'll get you an extra 20% back on what you sell. Add the code MSM20 in the app until 11.59pm on Monday 8 August. You'll be able to use it once per account.

We've a code for WeBuyBooks* that'll get you an extra 15% back on what you sell. Just add the code WBB13195 in the app until 11.59pm on Wednesday 31 August. You'll be able to use it if you've already used the app before, and you can use it to send more than one lot of books in.

Do note that even with the codes, Ziffit or WeBuyBooks might not you the best price for every book, so try checking MusicMagpie* as well, just in case.

Top tip: Check apps for codes

Make sure to check the apps for short-lived codes where you could get an extra 5% for signing up, or 10% for a short amount of time in an offer as this could make one app worth using over another.

We've a code for Ziffit* that'll get you an extra 20% back on what you sell. Add the code MSM20 in the app until 11.59pm on Monday 8 August. You'll be able to use it once per account.

We've a code for WeBuyBooks* that'll get you an extra 15% back on what you sell. Just add the code WBB13195 in the app until 11.59pm on Wednesday 31 August. You'll be able to use it if you've already used the app before, and you can use it to send more than one lot of books in.

Do note that even with the codes, Ziffit or WeBuyBooks might not you the best price for every book, so try checking MusicMagpie* as well, just in case.

Trick to decide whether you should list on eBay or sell to an app

Using the three apps above to figure out what you'd get back for your books is relatively quick and straightforward, simply download the app, scan the barcode, and a price will pop up and add the item to your selling basket. Not every book will be taken by every app, so here's a few of my tricks and top tips:

Got kids? Get them to scan the barcodes - make it a fun game, and if you've multiple phones and multiple kids you can try more than one app to see which is best, and whose total is the highest.

Surprised about the price? Check eBay - if you've a book you don't think will sell and it comes up at £2 or more, it's worth checking eBay. You could find out it's become a collectable, like my 1972 Mysterious Powers & Strange Forces book and get paid more than you spent!

Check any niche books - if you've a niche book, it might be worth more, like my Head-Dress Badges of The British Army books I sold for £50 on eBay, instead of the paltry £8.70 I was offered. That's 80% more!

Check for writing/pen marks/damage - book apps can refuse books, and you'd then have to pay if you want them back (some apps refuse to return them!) so be sure to check for any writing or damage to the book before you send it. See below for what to do with really damaged books.

Book signed by the author? - if it's signed or first edition, these sorts of books sell for more on eBay so are worth listing.

Popular paperback book? - chances are many other people have already sent the book in, so it might no longer be accepted. On the flip side, if it's really popular apps might want more stock, so don't discount it just because it's popular.

My books aren't selling on eBay & apps won't take 'em, now what?

No, step away from the bin! Let's talk about books in terms of condition, because you didn't dog-ear the pages, write in the margins, snap the spine, or rip the dust jackets off, did you?

Good or nearly new quality books that aren't being taken by apps or selling for much on eBay can be passed to friends or family, given to charity shops, or even put in a Little Free Library. See my blog on How to borrow books for free as long as you like, even if you don't live near a library for more info on how to find these little boxes of books to donate to.

Books in damaged but readable condition can still be passed along to a Little Free Library, if the book's got a coffee stain or got wet and has been dried and the pages are still readable in my experience, people will still read them!

Book in damaged and unreadable condition could be caused by spilling something like glue or food on some of the pages, making them unreadable and unrecyclable. Here's where you can get a bit creative with crafts. You could make a hollow book safe (like this Wikihow), or use it as a floating shelf made from a book (like this ehow). You can also use old pages for wrapping paper, or decoupage, for resin jewellery, origami, or even as paper for paintings.

Of course, I'd only recommend this for books that are contemporary and too badly damaged to use for anything else – be sure to check your book isn't antique or rare before doing any of this.

Would I use these apps again? How much did I make selling books?

So in my experience, which is best for books, apps or eBay? I've sent four boxes of books off to apps, as well as selling four single books, and one set of three books on eBay (not mentioned above as none of the book apps would take them, no it wasn't 50 Shades!) so how much did I make in the end for each, and was it worth it?

For the apps, all together I sent in 53 items and made £41.21. On eBay, I sold seven books and made £75.50 (before fees). So all together, that's £116.71 for 60 items. Yes, it works out at just shy of £2 per item, but worth it? I certainly think so! I'll definitely use book selling apps again, coupled with the trick I mentioned above to sift out which books sell better on eBay. I feel great about decluttering sustainably, and making a bit of money back for my trouble at the same time – and you can, too!

Have you had any book selling successes? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter.