Keep your receipts when you purchase your college textbooks. Many campus bookstores buy books back only from students who originally purchased them from their stores. Some bookstores require receipts before they will pay the maximum amounts for the books.
Telephone the bookstores from which you purchased your books and inquire about which dates the stores purchase books back. Most stores schedule two or three dates at the beginning and end of each college quarter or semester for buybacks. Mark your calendar to sell your books on those dates.
Take your books to the bookstores with your receipts on one of the dates designated by the bookstore to buy books back. Keep in mind that many students will sell books on these dates. Visit the store at the beginning of business hours, if possible, so you lessen the likelihood of your standing in a long line.
Hand the books you want to sell back, along with your receipts, to the bookstore representative. Wait while he scans each book's bar code into a computer system and views your receipt, if required, to determine how much the store is paying for each book.
Listen to the offer the bookstore representative presents. Accept the offer in order to sell the books back. You are not required to accept the offer, but bookstores pay market value for the books minus a percentage they can earn by reselling them. Feel free to try to negotiate on the prices of the books, but keep in mind that the prices most campus bookstores offer are non-negotiable.