If You Resell HS Curriculum

[rutamattatt]

What do you factor in when you price it?  What percentage of a discount do you expect when purchasing used materials?

 

I am trying to clear some serious shelf space and have an opportunity to sell some of my stash this week at a homeschool fair, but I have no idea how to price it.  I am not selling anything with writing in it, but we still "used" it (I am a photocopier...).

 

Would love any input/experience/insight!

 

TIA

[meganrussell]

I always try to think what would *I* pay for it? If I paid $40 for a book, and it is in good condition, I would sell for $20. I would go down based on condition. I always try to sell things cheap because I know how it blesses me to find something I need for a good price. This is just me though!

[Syllieann]

Roughly half. Maybe 60% if it is highly sought after and relatively expensive. I think (based on this board and homeschool classified) that the majority of sellers list it around 75% of new. I assume people are buying at that point because the listings don't stay up for ever. There have been plenty listed at 90-100% of retail. I don't think there's really any decent chance of selling those.

[Denise in IN]

I factor in condition, age, if it's the newest edition, availability used, and general popularity of the curriculum/book.  I usually shoot for 50-75% of the new price with shipping (lowest new price, not necessarily list price).  But there are many things that will make that lower - older books, older editions, etc.  Sometimes I evaluate how badly I want to get rid of it, and that motivates me to price it lower to make sure it sells.

[fourisenough]

I buy/sell at about 50% of current price for things in very good used condition.

[kristin0713]

For good condition, I take off 30%. I may go down to 50% if it doesn't sell at 30 off. I will not pay a seller more than 30% off for something something used, and by that I mean 30% off what I can get it for at rainbow resource with free shipping. Otherwise it's not worth it for me to take a chance on the seller and condition of materials.

[Jackie]

When I can, I search for the curriculum on eBay, then use the filters to search only sold, completed listings to see how much they went for. That's usually a good guide for me.

 

Otherwise, if it's in nearly new condition, I'd generally ask 50-60% of new. If it's in fair, usable condition but clearly well used, I drop to 25-35% of new.

[rjand6more]

I only pay 50% of new price.  Otherwise, I buy it new.  It's a cutoff I made years ago.

[Sk8ermaiden]

I agree, about 50% of new, in good or better used condition.

[Loesje22000]

If I have paid:

- price

- shippings USA -> Europe

- Custom charges

I take a percentage of that total.

 

For flemish books bought here,

I calculate my price such way, that my price + shippings is cheaper then buying new.

 

My books are mostly bought new and used once.

[Zoo Keeper]

I usually sell things for around 50% of the new price.  Complete sets of __  or other harder to find on the used market things may go up a bit, and older, more "loved" things will go down a bit. 

[rutamattatt]

Thank you all!  This is really helpful!

 

 

[SevenDaisies]

You also need to consider if the buyer will have to purchase consumables to go with the item. If so, you need to factor that in, because if your price plus consumables are nearing full price, they may decide to buy new.

[G5052]

I nearly always sell for the cheapest price on Amazon. The reality is that people put price as their highest priority.

 

I also prefer to sell on Amazon because once it's listed, it stays there until I sell it or take it down. I've had things sell that were on there for a year or more.

 

Sets go on eBay.

 

Otherwise it goes to the library, or I toss it in the recycle bin if it's in really bad shape with a broken spine or such.

[Grantmom]

When I was trying to find Life of Fred books used, everything I found was literally only a few dollars cheaper than buying them brand new!  I thought that was really odd!  I bought them brand new anyway because it was only a few dollars more.  I agree with the other posts though.  I think  there are just certain things that might sell more quickly and go for higher.

[Lori D.]

I don't like to buy things in less than good to excellence/new condition, so I never sold anything in less than good to great condition, unless it was an out of print book or materials that I had purchased myself in only okay condition and knew it was a popular item. Which was maybe one set of math textbooks, once. ;)

 

In good to excellent condition with no marks and all the parts present and still the current edition of the item, I would ask for 50% + a little extra to cover shipping.

 

A few years in to homeschooling, I stopped selling anything that I couldn't price for $20 or more -- by the time I added in all the extra cost of packaging and esp. all the time it took to get the item sold (storing it, email back/forth, packaging it up, going to the post office...), it just wasn't worth it to me unless I was going to get enough out of it to make it worthwhile.

 

And even after making sure everything was complete and in great shape and pricing very competitively (half of new + shipping), I got so tired of buyers "lowballing" me and asking for reduced pricing even on top of getting complete materials in great shape and at a super price, that I stopped selling online, and either sold at the local annual used curriculum sale. Or I gave it away.

 

I decided I'd rather not try and get a little return on the materials to go towards the next year's curriculum than have to put up with unappreciative buyers. Yes, I know that not all buyers are like that, but I was getting enough buyers like that who seemed to think I was in the business of playing "Let's Make a Deal" even when I would put disclaimers that the price was not negociable, that it spoiled the experience for me and made it all too frustrating.

 

Wishing you the BEST of luck in selling! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Lori D.

[Reefgazer]

When I sell curriculum, I try to price it a tad bit lower than other curricula of the same condition and same title. 

[SebastianCat]

I research on Homeschool Classifieds to see what others have priced the same items, then price mine accordingly or slightly below. If I can't find comparable items for sale online, I typically price at 50% of the new price.

 

In person, at a curriculum fair or book sale, I price readers at no more than $1-2 per book. I've found they won't sell well when I price them higher, and I am usually more interested in clearing my shelves and helping other homeschoolers than generating a certain amount of money.

 

I also give away and/or donate readers every year. I keep my eyes and ears open for local families looking for books, then offer to either give them a bag of books or let them come "shop" from my bookshelves.