Reselling Used Books on eBay and Amazon, Using Barcode-scanning Software to Identify Which Books Are Actually Worth Selling
Originally published Sep 3, 2026 — Josh Graff
Josh Graff · Start Selling Books Online Like THIS in 2026 ↗
Set up seller accounts on both eBay (fast, simple) and Amazon (takes weeks due to identity verification, so start early even if not selling there yet), then use book-scouting software to scan a book's barcode/ISBN and instantly see its current Amazon resale price and a 180-day 'sell score' showing how often it actually sells, filtering out the vast majority of books not worth reselling (anything under roughly $10-12 isn't worth the ~$4.50 media-mail shipping) and focusing on non-fiction, obscure, or collectible titles that sell reliably at $12+; source inventory from estate sales (best, rarely picked over) and thrift stores (more hit-or-miss, often already picked through).
The presenter, who sells used books full-time to support his family, walks through live examples: one book with a sell score of 79/180 days and a $23 resale price ('a no-brainer'), and another worth roughly $100 used despite being harder to find in stock, illustrating exactly how to read the scouting software's output.
Someone with access to estate sales/thrift stores in their area, willing to sort through dozens or hundreds of books to find the handful actually worth listing.
Used book arbitrage via barcode-scanning scout apps is a real, long-established reselling niche, and the specific economics described reflect genuine, practical knowledge from someone doing this as an actual full-time business. No specific personal revenue figures are given in this excerpt, though the presenter states this is his full-time income source.