Buy Used Books For Resale In
Savers Thrift Stores

By Joe Waynick

One of the best places for book scouting is Savers thrift stores. Across the country there are hundreds if not thousands of thrift stores of all descriptions.

In many ways this chain that stands head and shoulders above most of the rest for Internet booksellers to make simple online profits.

Online booksellers who are serious about improving the profitability of their business should get to know all the Savers in their area.

What Are Savers thrift stores?

Unlike Goodwill thrift stores, Salvation Army Thrift Stores, and other local thrift stores, Savers is not a nonprofit thrift store.

Savers is a for-profit chain that tends to be on the higher end of the scale. The stated mission of Savers is "to provide our customers with the best selection and shopping experience of any thrift store in the world." And boy does it ever.

Rarely have I ever entered Savers that wasn't well maintained and staffed by helpful, friendly employees.

The book section is usually organized and stocked with higher quality titles in "Very Good" to "Like New" condition which is much better than I see at other thrift stores.

That makes my job as a bookseller much easier because my risk of buying books with hidden defects is much lower. Selling poor quality merchandise on book selling websites will earn you negative feedback, especially for Amazon book sellers.

Where are they located?

Savers is a national chain with stores from coast to coast and Canada. However, they don't have stores in every state. You'll need to go to their thrift store locator page on their website to find out if there's a location near you.

Typically though, you can find Savers thrift stores in most large urban areas. For example, there are nine stores within a 50 mile radius of where I live in Phoenix, AZ. Once you've located their stores, use a map software program or service to plot a route for easy book scouting and making a profit online.

You can expect to find very high quality books in Savers thrift stores. But they don't come cheap. Expect to pay a premium.

On average, book prices in Savers are higher than other thrifts. This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Internet bookselling because the quality of books tends to be higher as well. I'm not just talking about the condition either.

I'm talking about the general value of books also fetch a higher online bookselling price. Higher prices are how to make online profits.

If the average value is $4 - $6 more than other thrift store purchases then paying $2 more per book isn't such a bad proposition when making money online selling used books. The reason is Savers tends to have a higher thrift store donation clientele and is considered one of the best thrift stores.

Why are they special for buying books?

I think this chain warrants special attention by booksellers for several reasons. First, their stores are better maintained. Therefore, you can get in and get out in the minimum amount of time possible.

Secondly, the employees are generally forthcoming with their stocking schedules so you can better time your visits for when new merchandise is brought out. Having those relationships makes your online book selling more profitable.

Finally, savers thrift store sales from books purchased in their stores tend to fetch higher prices to sell your books for cash online.

That's a big plus for online sellers and gives you more thrift store value.

For those reasons Savers is one of my favorite places to shop as a book scouter.

Don't ignore the higher end stores if you want better (higher selling) books for your internet book selling inventory. They greatly enhance profits when you sell books on-line.

What do you think of the book selling information to improve online profits contained in this article? Use the link below to tell us what you think!

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