According to a survey by the Self Storage Association, one in 10 U.S. households uses a storage facility. This is a sharp increase from 20 years ago when one in 17 households made use of self-storage facilities. As a result of people’s unwillingness or inability to rid themselves of items, they are no longer using, more and more of their money is spent on paying for storage. In fact, the average household renting a self-storage facility now spends in excess of $2,000 per year for an average climate-controlled storage unit measuring 10 feet x 10 feet. While many things get stored in these facilities, textbooks should not be one of them. If you have found yourself moving textbooks into a storage facility, it is time to gather them up and sell them, rather than spend your hard-earned money to simply let them set in storage indefinitely. If you’re wondering how to sell your textbooks and get the best possible deals and prices, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Only Store Valuable Items
If your life dictates the need for a self-storage facility, there are ways you can save on its costs. One of the best is to only store your most valuable items in the facility, which can be done in many different ways. For example, many organizing experts recommend focusing only on the most memorable items, which will free up space for additional items if needed later on. Also, it is important to note that most insurance policies for homeowners and renters have provisions for “off-premises” property, meaning they cover anything lost or damaged while stored in a self-storage facility. By knowing this, you won’t need to purchase optional insurance offered by self-storage facilities.
Sell Your Books Early
Once you’ve decided to not waste your time and money keeping books from every class you took in a self-storage facility, it is best to sell textbooks as early in the school year as possible. By doing so, you’re far more likely to get the maximum buyback price. According to a survey of college bookstores across the United States, books sold in September or October have a buyback value of as much as 80%, while those sold in May or June have a buyback value of no more than 40%. Therefore, if at all possible, gather up your books and sell them back as quickly as you can. Otherwise, for every day you procrastinate, you are losing money.
Keep Your Books in Great Shape
While you are sitting in class, refrain from the urge to use a highlighter on a certain paragraph or use your pen to underline key phrases in a chapter. If you don’t, each mark you place in the book will take money out of your pocket. While you’ll be using your books extensively during a semester, it is still important to be as careful as possible with them. Therefore, if you’re eating while studying, make sure you don’t spill that energy drink that is helping to keep you awake while cramming for finals.
Selling Your Books is a Good Financial Investment
If you are content to store your books in a self-storage facility, you are actually missing out on a great financial investment in your future. According to a Consumer Reports survey, you will actually make more by keeping less. As an example, if you are paying the national average of $163 per month for a storage facility in which to keep your books and other items you don’t need, you could be putting that money into an IRA that would be earning five percent annually. By doing so, in five years you would have more than $11,000 in that account, and even if you never put another penny into the IRA, 20 years later that total would surpass $30,000. Thus, if you want to make a sound financial investment for yourself, remember that less is more.
How Do I Sell My Books?
If you are ready to empty out the self-storage facility and sell textbooks, it is an easy process. To get started, you simply:
- Type ISBN to verify the book is still being used
- Print out the prepaid shipping label
- Pack your books and drop off at local UPS or FedEx shipping store
- Wait to receive a confirmation email that your books were received
With the entire process being this simple and quick, you’ve got no reason whatsoever to continue wasting money on a self-storage facility.
How Can I Get Paid?
While selling your books is an easy process, so is getting paid for your efforts. In most cases, you will have two options for getting paid, which are:
–PayPal
–Check in the Mail
While some people may opt for the snail mail option and request a check in the mail, the vast majority of those individuals selling their books opt for getting paid through PayPal. By doing so, they not only have the money deposited into their accounts much faster but also have the added convenience of having money in their PayPal account that can be used to pay for items in person and online.
Rather than let your books set around in a self-storage facility while you pay month after month for this privilege, sell textbooks and make a nice profit for yourself. Once you do, open an IRA and make that investment really pay off in the long run.
