ThriftBooks launches BuyBack program
One of the largest online book retailers is launching a new program for customers to sell their books and help promote sustainability.
ThriftBooks Global’s new BuyBack program offers customers a convenient way to sell their books directly to ThriftBooks and earn extra money or store credit from the books collecting dust on their bookshelves.
The ThriftBooks’ BuyBack program encourages sustainability, giving old books a second life. The e-tailer says it accepts high-demand books based on its inventory needs, provided the books are in good condition. Books must be clean, free from water damage and missing pages, with the spine intact, though showing some wear is acceptable.
“BuyBack was the last piece of the puzzle we needed to help our customers fully participate in the circular economy,” said Ken Goldstein, chairman and CEO of ThriftBooks Global. “It takes a surprisingly complex set of algorithms to deliver an exceptional customer experience, and we’ve been studying the competitive landscape for years. We worked through the details over an extended beta period and now think our platform can respond to all the learning we’ve gained from our customers. We think ThriftBooks BuyBack will become the industry standard for re-commerce and we look forward to continuing to improve this experience with ongoing customer feedback.”
This program is open to both customers and non-customers of ThriftBooks, provided non-customers create a ThriftBooks account. Customers who have previously purchased books from ThriftBooks can log into their account and view their “SellBack Shelf” in their account, which will show how much ThriftBooks is offering, based on popularity and demand, to buy those books previously purchased from ThriftBooks.
Additionally, customers can enter ISBN numbers of books not purchased from ThriftBooks to find out how much ThriftBooks may pay for those books. Customers can cash out or turn their payment into store credit to use at ThriftBooks.com or on the ThriftBooks mobile app.
To ensure an efficient process, ThriftBooks offers a free Prepaid Shipping Label for shipping the books to ThriftBooks. Customers can find a link to this label on their “BuyBack Order Detail” page within the “My Account” section of the ThriftBooks website. Once ThriftBooks receives the box and confirms the contents, the customer will receive payment.
At the time of launch, books sent back to ThriftBooks via the BuyBack can only be shipped from the continental United States, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and AFO/FPO/DPO addresses. ThriftBooks does not buy Instructor Edition Textbooks, Examination Copies, Teacher’s Editions, Advanced Readers Copy (ARC), items that are sexually explicit and/or offensive, items marked “Not for resale,” or books without an ISBN.
Founded in Seattle in 2003, ThriftBooks Global has sold more than 250 million used books since its inception.