Seller guide
Everything you need to know about selling books on BookSwap.
Getting started
- 1
Create an account
Sign up with your email address. You'll need to verify it before you can sell.
- 2
Connect your Stripe account
Go to Account settings and click Connect Stripe account. Stripe handles all payments securely and pays out directly to your bank. You'll need your name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number and bank account details. This is free to set up.
- 3
Set your postage rates
In Account settings, set your prices for Royal Mail 2nd Class, 1st Class and/or Courier. Leave any method blank to not offer it. Buyers will choose from these options when purchasing.
- 4
List your first book
Click Sell a book. Scan the barcode or enter the ISBN to fill in the details automatically, set your price and list it.
Pricing your books
Second-hand books typically sell for 30–60% of the original retail price depending on condition. Here are some guidelines:
Like New
50–60% of RRP
Good
30–50% of RRP
Fair
15–30% of RRP
Poor
Under 15% of RRP
When listing, we show the suggested retail price from Google Books where available. Use these tools to research what similar copies are selling for:
- 🛒eBay sold listings — shows what books actually sold for recently, not just asking prices. Search your book title on eBay and filter by Sold Items.
- 📚AbeBooks — best for rare, antique and out-of-print books. Search by title or ISBN to see specialist dealer prices.
- 📖World of Books / Music Magpie — useful benchmark for common paperbacks and textbooks.
Emails you'll receive
Your book has sold!
Sent the moment a buyer's payment goes through. Includes the buyer's full shipping address, the postage method they selected and a summary of what they paid. You can dispatch immediately.
Message from a buyer
If a buyer sends you a question about a book before purchasing, you'll see it in My orders under Messages. Reply directly from there — email addresses are never shared.
Dispatching a sold book
- 1
Check your sale email
The buyer's shipping address and postage method are in the email. Package the book securely.
- 2
Print a dispatch label (optional)
Go to My orders → find the sale → click 🖨 Print label for a ready-to-print address label.
- 3
Mark as dispatched
In My orders, select your postage method, add a tracking number if you have one, and click Mark dispatched. The buyer will receive an email notification automatically.
- 4
Payment
Stripe pays out to your bank account automatically — typically within 2–7 days of the sale, minus their processing fee (1.5% + 25p for UK cards).
Fees
BookSwap is free to use. The only fee is Stripe's payment processing charge:
Example: a £10 book sale with a UK card — Stripe takes 40p, you receive £9.60 (plus whatever you charged for postage).