What the hell do I do with all my old textbooks?

[BigToque]

The university won't buy back a whole bunch of my text books. I've got over 20.

I don't really want to keep them, but I'm not about to throw them away.

 

[Atomicus]

half.com FTW

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

If they are the recent version, sell them on half.com. If not, about the only thing you can do is recycle them, because old editions of textbooks are worthless. Thank you publishers!

 

[her209]

Keep them for reference.

 

[BigToque]

Do you think the public libraries take them?

 

[xxxInfidelxxx]

I saved most of mine and given that I am about to move, this question came up in my house just this morning as I was cleaning out the bookcase.

I'm keeping everything related to my major and other books for reference, but Geology and Biology and History and blah blah blah can go...thought they would be nice to save, but after years of never opening the books and years of moving around, they have to go.

I am looking for a local bookstore that might give me a few clams for each...

Any other ideas? I can't throw them away, but sick of moving them around.

 

[Mo0o]

Half.com, amazon.com . just list them

 

[JasonE4]

Send them to me and I'll sell them on half.com.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Actually, I should not say what I did above. Keep the ones from within your majors, because those can be very useful when writing papers down the road.

 

[xxxInfidelxxx]

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Half.com, amazon.com . just list them

Is there listing fees through Amazon (I could look this up, but figure someone would tell us before I had time to find that info)? I considered eBay but lots of new versions on there with no bids, so hate to pay listing fees and never move the books.

 

[Mo0o]

Originally posted by: xxxInfidelxxx

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Half.com, amazon.com . just list them

Is there listing fees through Amazon (I could look this up, but figure someone would tell us before I had time to find that info)? I considered eBay but lots of new versions on there with no bids, so hate to pay listing fees and never move the books.

I should do it with half.com which is ebay's version that doesn't have bids, u jsut set a price. i thnk amazon takes a bit off the top after you make the sale so the orignal listing doesn'et cost anything.

 

[xxxInfidelxxx]

Originally posted by: Mo0o

Originally posted by: xxxInfidelxxx

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Half.com, amazon.com . just list them

Is there listing fees through Amazon (I could look this up, but figure someone would tell us before I had time to find that info)? I considered eBay but lots of new versions on there with no bids, so hate to pay listing fees and never move the books.

I should do it with half.com which is ebay's version that doesn't have bids, u jsut set a price. i thnk amazon takes a bit off the top after you make the sale so the orignal listing doesn'et cost anything.

Thanks! If I can't find a local joint, I will consider these options...sort of a lot of effort for a few books a book listing them. I would much rather load the SUV up, drive to the local book buyer, and drop off a ton of books in exchange for $100

 

[MetalMat]

smoke em

 

[tw1164]

donate to goodwill, get a nice tax deduction

 

[Albis]

if the books are more than a few yrs old, they are probably worthless b/c there is already a new version out so it might not even be worth selling

just donate the old stuff

 

[xxxInfidelxxx]

Originally posted by: tw1164
donate to goodwill, get a nice tax deduction

Only if you are a home owner, have children, are rich, or serious medical problems. Otherwise, peaople like me pay every single year, as I am unable to get over the $10K standard deduction.

 

[WildHorse]

Originally posted by: her209
Keep them for reference.

I too was unhappy getting stuck with lots of expensive non-buy-back books, but now I go into them often to refresh how to do this or that in my work.

Bulky dust collectors, yes, but sometimes useful too. An old cost accounting text is my office door stop.

Web is useful to look up references to sources, but no substitute for good recent academic journal papers or textbooks. Best go straight to original sources instead of "readers' digest" versions ("Cliffs") on web.

So I vote with her209; keep them.

Look forward to the satisfaction you'll have building a nice bookcase someday.
Fun woodworking project - build a secret compartment into it.

 

[desteffy]

1 buy a bookshelf, put your books in it
2 ???
3 PROFIT!

 

[bonkers325]

bonfire

keep them for reference

 

[EyeMWing]

I never had a bookshelf before, but they're hawt. Even those textbooks I never used and never bothered to sell back look pretty up there. Heh.

Okay, who stole my testes?

 

[Injury]

I don't mind keeping my school books:

-Inside Photoshop
-Using Quark XPress 6
-Starting out with C++
-Using Maya 5 | Foundation
-Using Maya 5 | Dynamics
-Using Maya 5 | MEL Fundamentals
-Learning Maya 6 | Character Rigging and Animation
-Learning Maya 6 | Modeling
-Adobe Illustrator 10
-DirectorMx
-Creative After Effects 5.0
-The Art of Maya (first and second)
-Pantone Guide to Communicating with Color
-Designing for Multimedia
-Visual Literacy
-Graphic Design Solutions
-StudioMX
-FlashMX 2004 Bible

Always a big help when I have a brain fart or just haven't used a program in a while. I'd imagine in 5 or 10 years they'll be horribly outdated, but I'll save them for nostalgia if anything.
Any guesses what I studied?

 

[PrinceofWands]

I keep all mine, and I'm glad I have. I can't tell you how many times I've gone back to research something, or refresh my memory of something. But then, I'm kind of a freak.

 

[BHeemsoth]

Originally posted by: xxxInfidelxxx

Originally posted by: Mo0o
Half.com, amazon.com . just list them

Is there listing fees through Amazon (I could look this up, but figure someone would tell us before I had time to find that info)? I considered eBay but lots of new versions on there with no bids, so hate to pay listing fees and never move the books.

No one is buying books this time of year.

List at the end of August, and it will sell. You might get lucky if you list when the summer semester starts.

 

[SparkyJJO]

ebay is your friend.

 

[simms]

List them. I buy used books all the time.