Selling books fast on EX & GO comes down to a listing with an exact price, sharp photos and in-person handover in a public place. The key is to price correctly based on similar offers, clearly describe the condition of the copy and settle payment only at handover so you avoid fake payment confirmation scams.
Selling books from your home library looks simple until you write your first listing. Suddenly you're wondering whether the price for a sci-fi collection from the 1980s is fair, how to photograph the spine so a cracked binding is visible, and what to do when a buyer sends a payment screenshot that looks legit but the money isn't in your account. In this guide you'll find the process used by everyday sellers in big cities and smaller towns alike. We'll cover pricing, photography, communication with the buyer, safe handover and what applies to private sales. At the end there's a pre-publish checklist and a comparison of three strategies: quick sale, highest price and buyback.
- Price based on completed listings, not on what sellers wish they'd get.
- Shoot in daylight, and always include damage and any missing dust jacket.
- Handle payment only at in-person handover, never ship a book based on a payment screenshot.
- Meet in a public place, ideally during the day and in the city centre.
How to price used books so they sell
Price determines whether your listing gets messages in the first two days or sits for a month with no response. The real market price of a used book typically falls between 30 and 60 percent of the original bookshop price if the book is in good condition and is a common title. For collectible or out-of-print titles it can be higher; for damaged or outdated textbooks it's significantly lower.
Where to find the real price
Go through completed or already-removed listings for the same title in the same area. If a book sold for 6 euros and you're asking 15, the buyer will see that and move on to the listing next door. For collections and series, sell by volume rather than as a whole if you want more money, and as a whole if you want speed. For a complete detective series, the set is often more attractive to a single buyer who wants everything at once.
Three pricing strategies
The first is pricing 10 to 15 percent below market, which brings messages within 24 hours. The second is market price with a wait of several weeks. The third is a buyback price, where you get less but don't have to communicate with a buyer. Most sellers combine the first strategy for common titles and the second for books that can no longer be bought in a bookshop.
If you're selling multiple books at once, consider a bundle with a flat per-item price. Buyers looking for children's literature or primary school textbooks often take five to ten items if the per-item price is clear and low. With such a bundle, don't forget to state whether individual titles can be picked or whether you only sell the whole set.
Photograph the book on a neutral background by a window, not under a ceiling lamp. Yellow light distorts the cover colour, and the buyer will then complain on the spot that the book looks different. For older books, also photograph the colophon with the year of publication and publisher, because this information matters more for the price than the condition of the cover.
How to write a listing that gets messages
A book listing needs four things: exact title, author, publisher with year, and an honest condition description. Everything else is a bonus. Keep the headline short, for example "Short story collection, 1985, good condition". Avoid words like "super deal" or "quick", which say nothing and just take up space in search results.
Photos that work
The first photo should show the front cover, the second the spine, and the third the open book on a random page. For damage, add a close-up: a bent corner, a stain on the page edge, a cracked binding. If the book doesn't have a dust jacket, write that in the description even if it seems insignificant. A buyer who shows up and finds the dust jacket missing often leaves without buying, and you lose both time and the trip.
A description that filters out the wrong buyers
State the language of the book, the number of pages and the format. For textbooks, add whether the book is written in with notes or highlighter. For children's books, state the age category. If you're selling a book tied to a specific edition or translation, write the translator's name, because collectors follow that.
Add a clear sentence about handover and payment to the text: "In-person pickup in Ružinov, cash payment on collection." This sentence discourages buyers who want to send money upfront or ask for courier delivery with cash on delivery plus prepayment. At the same time it reduces the number of messages you have to deal with.
What to do when a scammer messages you
Book sale scams come in three typical forms: a fake payment screenshot, a courier who asks for a fee upfront, and a buyer who wants to send money via a "secure payment" link. All three share a common sign: the money is supposed to arrive before the book leaves your hands, or you're supposed to pay something upfront.
Fake payment confirmations
A screenshot from a banking app is not proof of received payment. Check directly in your own bank's app whether the amount has actually arrived. For transfers between banks this can take several hours; for card payments the confirmation is immediate. If the buyer pushes for time and claims the payment has already gone out, that's a reason to wait, not to speed up.
Courier and upfront payment
A scammer often suggests sending a courier and having you pay their fee or "shipment insurance". The money for the book never arrives. For in-person book sales you don't need any intermediary service. If the buyer insists on a courier and upfront payment, decline the offer.
When communicating, also pay attention to the language of the messages. Scammers use a translator, reply instantly to anything and avoid specific questions about the book. A real buyer will ask about the condition of the pages, the edition, or whether the book is still available. On EX & GO you can see the seller's history and reviews, so for more expensive books it's worth checking how long the account has been active. You can find the listing rules on the page /sk/rules.
Where and how to hand over a book safely
In-person pickup in a public place is the safest way to sell books. Choose a place you know and where there are people around during the day: a shopping centre, a library, a café in the centre or the main station concourse. For smaller amounts up to 20 euros, a quick meeting is enough; for more expensive books, allow more time for the meeting and bring other books from the same series if you have them.
Practical handover procedure
Bring the book in the condition you photographed it in. The buyer inspects it, you check the payment. For cash, count the money before handing over the book. For a transfer, agree in advance that you'll hand over the book only after the amount has arrived in your account, not after the buyer shows you a screen with the payment sent.
Places to avoid
Don't go to the buyer's apartment with books, and don't invite them to your home if it's a first contact. For selling rarer titles, arrange to meet in a bookshop or a library branch where there's a natural flow of people. If the buyer changes the location at the last minute or asks to meet in a remote place, cancel the arrangement.
Comparison: quick sale, highest price and buyback
The three book-selling strategies differ in how much time and energy you put into the sale. The table below shows what you can expect from each with a typical library of 30 to 50 titles.
| Criterion | Quick sale | Highest price | Buyback |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical price per item | 30 to 40 percent of original price | 60 to 80 percent of original price | 10 to 25 percent of original price |
| Time to sale | 1 to 3 days | 2 to 8 weeks | 1 day |
| Effort for the seller | Low | High | Minimal |
| Photography | Basic, 2 photos per book | Detailed, 4 to 6 photos | Not needed |
| Scam risk | Low with in-person pickup | Medium, more communication | Low |
| Suitable for | Common titles, moving | Collectible and out-of-print titles | Large numbers of books at once |
The combination works best: sell common titles quickly, and for the three to five books that have higher value, put in the effort with a detailed listing. For large collections where 80 percent of the books have no particular value, consider selling the rest to a buyback service and listing the more expensive items individually.
For paid services or intermediaries, always check the terms in advance. post a listing When selling books cash on delivery, find out in advance who covers the postage if the shipment is returned. used books These details determine whether you make a profit or a loss from the sale.
What applies to private book sales
A private sale of used goods between two people is not a business if it's not a repeated activity for profit. For occasional sales of your own books, you don't have to issue a receipt or pay income tax if the income doesn't exceed the legally set threshold. With regular sales of larger quantities of books, it may already count as taxable income and you become a seller in the business sense.
Buyer's rights in a private sale
In a sale between two private individuals, the buyer doesn't have the right to withdraw from the contract within 14 days that applies to e-shop purchases. The guarantee is governed by the agreement and the condition you stated in the listing. That's why an exact condition description is in your interest: if you wrote that the book has a bent corner, the buyer can't later claim you hid it.
When selling by a business or a person who sells repeatedly, consumer protection rules apply. Information about consumer rights is published by the Slovak Trade Inspection. If you suspect fraud in an online sale, contact the police, who publish procedures on the website of the Ministry of the Interior of the Slovak Republic.
Taxes and receipts
If you sell books as a business, issue a receipt for the sale and keep records. For occasional sales from your own library, it's enough to keep your own overview of what you sold and for how much, so you can document the origin of the goods if someone questions it.
Checklist before publishing a listing
Go through these eight points before you publish your listing. Each one reduces the risk that you'll have to edit the listing or deal with a misunderstanding with the buyer.
- The book title, author and year of publication are in the headline or first line.
- The price is given as a specific number, not "negotiable".
- Photos show the front cover, spine and any damage.
- The description clearly states the condition and any missing parts, such as a dust jacket.
- The handover location is specific, not just the city.
- The payment method is stated in advance, ideally cash on pickup.
- The contact is verified and the phone number works.
- The text doesn't contain promises you can't keep, such as "I'll send within 2 hours".
Frequently asked questions about selling books
How fast can used books be sold?
A common title in good condition priced at 30 to 40 percent of the original price usually sells within three days with in-person pickup in a larger city. If the price is at market level or higher, the wait stretches to weeks. Price, location and photo quality affect speed the most. Rare titles can sell quickly even at a higher price if you reach the right group of collectors.
Where can I sell books safely and without getting scammed?
The safest option is in-person handover in a public place with cash payment on delivery. Avoid upfront payment based on a screenshot, and refuse couriers who ask for a fee. When listing on an online marketplace, check the seller's history and reviews. If the buyer pushes for time or changes the terms, cancel the meeting and look for another interested party.
How do I price old and collectible books?
For old books, the publisher, year of publication, translator and binding condition all matter. Compare prices of similar titles in listings and second-hand bookshops. If a book is no longer available in regular retail, it may be worth more to a collector. With damaged binding or a missing dust jacket, the price drops significantly even for a rare title.
Can I sell books without a receipt?
For occasional sales of your own books, you don't need a receipt. However, if you sell repeatedly or as a business, keeping records is necessary. For more expensive collectible items, it's worth having at least a note about the book's origin, such as inheritance or your own collection. Buyers ask about provenance more often for high-priced books.
What should I do if the buyer doesn't show up at the agreed meeting?
Send them a message and wait for a reply until the next day. If they don't respond, leave the listing active and look for another interested buyer. If they repeatedly miss appointments, make a note in your communication and don't arrange further meetings with this buyer. When selling books, time spent waiting for an unreliable buyer is a bigger loss than a lower price.
Is it better to sell books individually or as a set?
Individually, you'll get a higher price per item, but the sale takes longer and communication is more demanding. A set sells faster with fewer meetings, especially for a series or thematic collection. For common titles, a set is better; for higher-value books, individual sales work better. Combining both approaches gives the best result.
Conclusion
Selling books fast and risk-free means preparing a listing so the buyer has no doubts. An exact price, an honest condition description and clear handover terms remove most problems before the first message. Add in-person pickup in a public place and payment on handover, and the risk of fraud drops to a minimum.
For smaller collections, start with one listing and watch what kind of messages come in. For larger libraries, divide the books into common and higher-value ones and sell each group differently. If you sell books repeatedly, keep track of your sales and follow the rules that apply to both private and business sales.