Help Desk Information
Selling Your Books
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Choose the Sell Books icon at your Online Textbook Source. You can enter up to 8 ISBNs at a time and click Get Quote. If we are able to make an offer, the cash price which is paid by check or direct deposit shows as well as the price we will pay if you choose In Store Credit (this includes a bonus). Details about what factors affect the prices we can offer are further down this page.
Some books may not have a buyback value, and those will show a link to our Marketplace which provides an opportunity to offer the book for sale directly to another individual. Please refer to Selling on the Marketplace for more information.
Once you decide which ones you will sell back, be sure the 'Sell This Book' box is checked for each one and select 'Sell These Books'. This takes you to a review page. If everything is accurate, select'Sell These Books' again.
Log in as a Returning Customer or New Customer. On the next screen you will select your payment method and your address - this address will be the return address on your label and, if you select a check for payment, the address the check will be mailed to.
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We offer different payment methods to suit your needs: In-Store Credit, Check, Direct Deposit or PayPal (if applicable). When you select the Direct Deposit option, you will need to supply your bank routing and account number; please make sure that this number is correct. If you select the In-Store credit option, your payment will be posted to the email address/username you submit with your buyback and can be applied to a future order. You may choose to cashout the credit (minus the bonus) through your account at the Online Textbook Source. The payment will be made in the form of a check and takes approximately 30 days to process and mail.
Your payment is processed once we receive your books and verify that they meet our Buyback Book Conditions. Buyback payment processing for checks and direct deposits may take 3 to 5 weeks from the date your books are received in our warehouse. During end of semester seasons when buyback volume is heavy, payments may be issued outside of the normal processing period. Instore credit payments are usually posted within two weeks of the books being checked in and verified. All in-store credit payments expire 2 years from the date the in-store credit is applied to your account.
There may be multiple payments for items on the same order - books may be checked in and processed on different days even if they were shipped in the same package. You may receive more than one Confirmation Email and this may mean that more than one check, or more than one direct deposit, may be issued.
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We maintain high standards with our buyback program. The books we buy back must be in a condition that they can be offered to another student.
-Books we can buy back may contain some highlighting, writing or margin notes throughout, but not to excess.
-Books must be generally clean in appearance with no torn pages and with the cover and spine intact. Normal wear is acceptable but not excessive wear. We cannot accept books with any water damage.
Any books received that can't be sold due to poor condition, or because the book received was different than the book listed on your buyback order cannot be credited at the price quoted on the website when the buyback order was created. We also cannot accept teacher's editions, instructor's editions, international editions, and other like editions; these will be recycled if received.
You will receive an email letting you know about the damaged or incorrect book, or an edition we cannot accept - if the value is less than $20, we will return the item to you for a $10 shipping/handling fee if you respond within 10 days. If the value is more than $20, we will return your item to you for a $10 shipping/handling fee if you respond within 10 days or we can issue a $10 in-store credit in lieu of payment.
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We provide free UPS Shipping for your buyback order. You will print the label and the Buyback Confirmation as you complete the order - securely tape the label to the package and include the Buyback Confirmation inside the package with your books. Pack your books carefully so that they are not damaged while in-transit to our distribution center.
The package can be taken to any UPS Store or drop-off location - ask for a receipt so you have a record of them receiving your package, this process also scans it into their system. A UPS drop-box may be used but you will not have a receipt and we cannot be responsible if the package does not reach us.
If you ship your buyback order to us in any other way, we cannot be responsible if the shipment is damaged or lost enroute to our facilities.
Your books must begin tracking within 7 days from the date you submitted your Buyback Order to guarantee the quoted buyback price. If you do not send your books to us within 7 days, your Buyback Order will automatically expire and you will need to submit a new order. Buyback prices may change as book demand changes.
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If you want to make any changes to your buyback order before shipping us your books - add or delete a book, change quantities - please submit a new buyback order. Your original order will automatically expire after 7 days, so there is no need to cancel it.
If you need to make any changes related to the method of payment, you can do this in your account at your Online Textbook Source at any time before the books are received in our warehouse. After that, there is no option to change the payment method or information.
If you chose instore credit for your buyback, and choose to cash out your credit, you can do that in your account at the Online Textbook Source. The amount of the bonus cannot be cashed out. The cashout request takes about 30 days to process, a check will be mailed.
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The price we can offer for a used book is based on several different factors:
-Is the book being used again for the next term at your school?
-Is there a demand for the book at other schools for the next term?
-Do we need more copies or are there enough on hand for the expected demand for the book?
-Can we offer the book in used condition or for rent? For example, if it's a looseleaf book or a workbook they can only be sold new so we cannot make an offer to buy back a used copy.
The best time to sell your books back to us is at the end of each term. When you sell back your books during finals week, or shortly after, you will get the best price we can offer. If you try to sell a book to us in the middle of a semester and we aren't buying it or offering a price you want to accept, try back at the end of the term. Additional information about upcoming needs for the book may make a difference.