Ways to earn / Reselling
Resell used books on Amazon or eBay: is it worth it? (2026)
Watch, not proven yet checked 2026-10-08
Buy cheap used books from charity shops or sales, and resell the ones that sell for more on Amazon or eBay.
At a glance
| Time each day | 30 minutes a day |
|---|---|
| Set-up, once | about 4 hours |
| Cost to start | about USD 55 |
| First dollar, if it works | 2 to 8 weeks |
| Who does the work | About 50% of the work can be done by an AI helper; the rest is you |
| Fits people looking for | extra income on the side, turning a hobby into something |
| It involves | some spending |
What you are selling
Used books (and similar media). Money is the sale price minus the buying price, Amazon or eBay fees and postage.
What the evidence says about money
No reliable income data was found. A Publishers Weekly feature (undated, apparently about 2018, US) quotes a seller clearing 'fifty cents or a buck' on a typical 99-cent book, with Amazon fees of about USD 6 to 7 on a USD 9 sale, and describes organised teams scanning the same shops. A UK estimate site gives GBP 350 a month 'typical' but names no source and contradicts itself, so it is not used as a typical figure.
How sure are we: Backed by a secondary source such as press or a review site.
What only you can do, once
- Create the Amazon or eBay seller account, verify identity and bank details, and decide whether you must register as a business in your country
- Go to shops or book sales, choose and carry the books, and check condition
- Pack and post the orders
A first week
| Day | What happens | Who | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Learn how the fees work: Amazon referral and closing fees versus eBay, using the fee table | You | 15 |
| 2 | Create the seller account you will use and complete identity checks | You | 25 |
| 3 | Visit one charity shop or book sale and photograph the barcodes of 20 candidate books | You | 30 |
| 3 | AI looks up each barcode and shows current used prices after fees; it flags the few worth buying | AI helper | 10 |
| 4 | Buy at most 5 flagged books (about USD 16 total) | You | 20 |
| 5 | AI drafts the condition notes and listing text; you check them against the real books | AI helper | 10 |
| 6 | Publish the 5 listings in the platform screen | You | 20 |
| 7 | Record cost, fees and postage in a simple sheet and decide whether to buy more | You | 10 |
The rules where it happens
- Amazon (EU marketplaces): You do it by hand inside the platform. Amazon France seller pricing page: Professional plan EUR 39 a month excl. VAT plus selling fees; Individual plan EUR 0.99 per item sold plus referral fees; books referral fee 15%; closing fees usually apply to books but the amount was not shown. Source
- eBay: Can go out through the platform's official connection after you approve it. eBay.de private selling is free within Germany with 320 listings a month free; resale as a regular business may make you a commercial seller under local rules (not verified here). Source
The hard part: where people quit
The moment: Working out fees and shipping. Why: Margins depend on country fees that are hard to read. What helps: Test with ten books and log the real net per sale.
When to stop
Spend no more than USD 55 on the first batch. If after 8 weeks the books sold have not returned your purchase cost plus fees and postage, stop buying.
What can go wrong
- Thin margins: Amazon fees can be most of a low-priced sale
- Scanning apps that find 'profitable' books charge monthly subscriptions and are used by many competing sellers
- Books in poor condition or wrongly graded lead to refunds and bad seller metrics
- Amazon Professional plan costs EUR 39 a month whether or not you sell
- If the activity is regular and for profit you may be treated as a business for tax and registration
- Time and travel costs are not counted in headline margins
Age, region and other limits
Minimum age 18. Amazon seller registration requires identity and business or tax details; availability for individuals differs by country and was not verified. DAC7 reporting applies to EU marketplaces (30 transactions or EUR 2,000 a year).
Sources
- Amazon France seller pricing page: Professional plan EUR 39 a month (excl. VAT) plus fees; Individual plan EUR 0.99 per item sold; books referral fee 15%, no minimum per-item fee; closing fees usually apply to media such as books but no amount shown. [P]
- Amazon.de Used programme page: used products allowed in most categories including books, four condition grades, Professional plan EUR 39 a month, referral fees 7% to 15% by category, no extra programme fees; Individual-plan sellers must upgrade. [P]
- Publishers Weekly (undated, apparently 2018, US): a seller clears 50 cents to a dollar on a typical 99-cent book; Amazon fees were about USD 6 to 7 on a USD 9 to 9.50 sale; scanning apps charge monthly fees; teams compete in the same shops; the headline USD 75,000 over two years was gross sales, not profit. [S]
- UK tax-calculator site gives 'typical' GBP 350 a month, GBP 12 an hour for book reselling but names no data source and contains an internal inconsistency; shown only to illustrate that unverified estimates circulate. [S]
- eBay Inventory API: sellers can publish listings through the API with a Developers Program account and business policies enabled. [P]
- ASSUMPTION: USD 55 starting stock, 2 to 8 weeks to a first sale and 30 minutes a day are my estimates; current (2026) profitability data for used-book resale could not be found. [A]
Platform rules and fees: www.ebay.de · www.ebay.ie · developer.ebay.com
Related
- Sell secondhand items on Vinted and eBay (Worth a try)
- Buy and resell domain names (Watch, not proven yet)
Get the Recipe Pack, USD 19 What is in the pack Try the Restmode app
Normal price USD 19. Code LAUNCH takes 40% off for the first 25 buyers.
Our method, written down, with sources. No income promise.