The short version
- Typical range: £3 – £18 — see the full hardback books value guide
- What decides your price: condition, and how well you evidence it in photographs
- Cost to sell here: nothing, at any price
- Category: Books
Before you photograph it
Ten minutes here is worth more than anything else you will do. Buyers are deciding between your listing and someone else’s, and preparation is what visibly separates the two.
- Check whether the dust jacket is present and note any tears, chips or price clipping at the corner of the flap.
- Look at the copyright page for the edition and printing, and photograph it if there is a number line.
- Check the boards, spine ends and hinges, and look for foxing on the page edges.
The photographs that sell hardback books
Four photographs do almost all the work. Shoot in daylight, near a window, with the item against something plain — and do not use the flash, which flattens texture and hides exactly what buyers are trying to see.
- The front cover with the jacket on, straight on
- The copyright page showing edition and number line
- The spine and spine ends, and the jacket flaps
- Any tear, chip, foxing, inscription or price clip
Photograph the flaws too. It feels counterproductive, but a listing that shows the worst of an item gets fewer questions, fewer withdrawn offers and fewer arguments at handover. Buyers who can see the damage stop imagining something worse.
Writing the title and description
Title, author, edition and jacket: “[Title], [Author], First Edition with Dust Jacket, 1984”. Edition and jacket presence are the two things collectors filter on, so both belong in the title when they apply. Do not call something a first edition unless the copyright page supports it.
Then state these in the description, because a buyer who has to ask is a buyer who might not bother:
- Title, author, publisher and year
- Edition and printing, with the number line photographed if present
- Whether the dust jacket is present, and its condition separately from the book
- Any inscription, bookplate, foxing or damage
What buyers will actually ask
You will receive the same three messages about hardback books. Answering them in the listing itself removes the back-and-forth, and answering them well when they do arrive is what turns an enquiry into a sale.
Photograph the copyright page and let the buyer judge. Number lines and publisher conventions vary, and collectors read them far more reliably than a seller’s summary.
Say so, and mention if it is price clipped. A facsimile jacket is worth far less than an original and the distinction must be stated.
Photograph any writing. A previous owner’s name reduces value; an author’s signature can multiply it, and the two are easily confused in a description.
Pricing it so it actually sells
Start from the honest condition grade rather than the price you hope for. WishThrift listings use five grades — New with Tags, Like New, Good, Fair and For Parts — and what each grade means is worth reading before you choose, because grading up is the most expensive mistake sellers make. It does not raise the price; it produces a buyer who arrives expecting something else.
The hardback books value guide prices all five grades for this item. Pick your grade, take the figure, and if you sit between two grades price toward the lower one. Items priced honestly sell faster than items priced hopefully, and on a free platform there is no fee eating the difference anyway.
What you keep, compared
On a £10 sale — roughly the middle of the range for hardback books — here is what the commission-charging platforms would take, and what you would keep on each:
| Where you sell it | Fee | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| WishThrift | £0 | £10 |
| Poshmark | −£2 | £8 |
| eBay | −£1 | £9 |
| Mercari | −£1 | £9 |
| Etsy | −£1 | £9 |
Seller-side rates verified 26 Jul 2026 — Poshmark: 20% commission on sales of $15 and above; eBay: 13.6% final value fee, plus a per-order fee; Mercari: flat 10% selling fee; Etsy: 6.5% transaction fee, plus a listing fee and payment processing. Percentages are applied to the sterling figure above; the fixed per-order and processing charges those platforms add are quoted in their own currency and are not included here, so the real deductions are slightly larger. Full breakdown: marketplace selling fees compared.
Timing and getting it to the buyer
Steady year round to collectors, with a lift before Christmas. Identified first editions sell quickly; book club editions and reprints compete on price.
Post in a rigid book wrap, jacket protected. Corner bumps happen in transit and are exactly the damage that costs a collectable book its grade.
WishThrift does not process payments or arrange delivery — you and the buyer agree both directly — so confirm payment has cleared before the item leaves your hands, and keep the conversation on the site so there is a record of what was agreed.
Ready to list it? It takes about two minutes, costs nothing, and there is no commission when it sells — create a free account or see how selling works.
Frequently asked questions
What are used hardback books worth?
Typically £3 to £18 for general titles, with collectable first editions far above. See the hardback books value guide for the bands.
Does a missing dust jacket matter?
Enormously on collectable titles — often the jacket represents most of the value. On ordinary reading copies it matters much less. Say clearly whether it is present.
How do I tell if it is a first edition?
Look at the copyright page for a number line, and for a statement of edition. Photograph it rather than interpreting it, since conventions differ by publisher and era.
See also: what a used hardback books is worth · browse live books listings · condition grades explained.