Have you heard of people making huge amounts of money buying and selling textbooks through Amazon? Do you wonder if it really works?

It’s a good idea to question everything when it comes to making money on the internet. In this instance, the answer is that it is possible. But read on. You need to keep your eyes open on this.

While the margins are thin, you can set up a process to buy and sell books to make a profit. There are some paid tools to make it easier.

What Is Arbitrage?

Arbitrage is where you buy something at a lower price and sell it at a higher price. Often people do this with textbooks and use Amazon.

There are a number of courses out there that you can purchase that teach you how to do this. Some also offer software that helps you look for and evaluate the best books for reselling.

You can watch a number of free videos on YouTube. I only wish to warn you that some of them are more interested in selling. So watch them, take notes, and then decide if this is for you.

How Much Can I Make?

This is where it gets complicated.

If you want to sell your own books, or find books at yard sales that have value, you can earn a small amount that may help with you finances. You can expect at most a few hundred dollars depending upon how many books you intend to sell.

If you’re doing textbooks, then it depends on the time of year. You make more when you buy at the end of a quarter or semester, and you make more when you sell at the start of a quarter or semester. Some people can make quite a lot of money this way. For example, if the textbook is selling for a few hundred dollars, and you find some selling for $25, it would be worth your while to trade them in to Amazon, and let them sell it for you.

You can also go and buy books from a local store, and sell them to Amazon. If you go to a page and you see “Have one to sell?” then click on the button Sell on Amazon.

Here’s what you need to know. When you trade in a book, you get Amazon credit, not cash. If you buy things like your groceries, or cat food, or have a terrible ebook habit like I do….then this could work out.

Most people use the credit to buy more underpriced books.

You can also list the book for sale. If you sell a book through Amazon, you get the cash. But you have to package up and send the book. Hopefully that makes sense.

It can get a little confusing.

There are a number of other websites out there wanting to buy your used textbook. However, you may find their standards are stricter than Amazons.

How Much Work Is It?

Some people do book arbitrage in their spare time. The classes also can teach you how to outsource this.

You have to

• Research books
• Identify prices
• Buy/sell
• Package and mail or have books sent to a processing place that handles the shipping and receiving of the book for you.

As I mentioned, you need to be attuned to the cycles of when textbooks are sold back and purchased. And if you’re selling other types of book, you will want to know when the paperback is being released for a hardcover. That will mean that a lot of hardcovers will flood the market but there won’t be much demand for it. So be careful.

Do I Need Anything Special?

You will need to keep your wits about you. And you will need a computer or smartphone and good internet connection.

You’ll want to sign up for a seller account at Amazon and any other site where you may wish to sell your books. Some people recommend Barnes & Noble but it doesn’t look like they offer a seller account anymore.

As I mentioned, there are webinar videos selling training and tools. It’s hard to know how well they work. You should consider checking out Zen Arbitrage because they offer a 14 day free trial. See if it works for you, and see if this system is right for you.

Often people have to buy a lot of books and then wait months before they sell. That’s not fast pocket money.

But if you can identify the right books, you may be able to act quickly and make a few hundred dollars in a short period of time.