Items to Avoid: Textbooks

Back in April, I wrote a two part post discussing how to choose textbooks for resale. I've been thinking about it recently and I've thought of a few red flags you should avoid when buying textbooks.

First of all, don't buy custom editions. They're easy enough to spot because they usually say "CUSTOM EDITION FOR X SCHOOL" on the cover. They don't hold resale value like non-school specific books because the market is too small. Rather than being able to sell to the entire country on Amazon, you're stuck selling to students at one particular school or, more likely, students taking one particular class at one particular school.

The most important rule is to research a book before you buy it. Even if the copyright date is only two years in the past, there's still a decent chance there's a new edition. Use your smart phone to make sure it's worth spending the money on a book. Remember, Amazon takes $2.34 plus 15% of the cover price and media mail typically comes to almost $4 (your full shipping credit) for medium to large textbooks. If I'm not sure a book is worth it, I won't buy it unless I can get eight for a dollar or equivalent.

The good thing about buying textbooks is that people don't know their books retain value. A lot of people seem to think that because their university bookstore won't buy the book back it's worthless. Capitalize on this. When I bought three textbooks last week, I worked the seller down by suggesting they were worthless to her. Very few people seem to know you can sell items on Amazon so use their ignorance to your advantage.

Items to Avoid: Video Games

Last post I discussed why you should look for video games.  This post I will discuss why you should avoid them.

In my experience, video games are a poor investment.  I have made the mistake of buying games solely as an investment in the past based on my own experience of what games are popular.  I unfortunately didn't realize that a game's popularity has nothing to do with its value.  Some games that sold millions of copies are prized on eBay and Amazon; other games that sold just as well now cost $0.99 on Amazon.  I'm not telling you to not buy games as investments; I'm telling you to not buy games if you don't know their value before your purchase.  Do not assume that a game is valuable just because it's old; video game value is extremely unpredictable even for people who have a decent understanding of the market.

I've learned that most people do not take care of their games.  Most games I see are covered in stickers, marker, and dirt.  CD's are usually scratched beyond playability.  Games almost never come with their original boxes or manuals which take a few dollars off any resale value.  Before you buy a game, inspect it well.  If it's a CD, make sure it's not too scratched.  If it's a cartridge, make sure the pins aren't too dirty and make sure the pins haven't snapped off.  If in doubt, don't buy it, especially if you intend to resell.

Video game consoles are notoriously poor investments both because the market is bad and consoles never work as well as the seller claims.  Not once have I had one boot on the first attempt like the seller claimed it would.  For one or two dollars, the risk that a console represents is fine, especially if you get a few games with it.  Don't spend the $30+ many sellers demand; you'll end up disappointed.  Also keep in mind that if you buy a console as an investment there's a good chance you'll be selling it at your own sale.