How to Make $3,000 Per Month Selling Books on Amazon

If you're looking for a way to start earning money on the side with minimal upfront costs, selling books on Amazon might be your ticket.

In this blog post, we'll dive into a proven three-step process that can help you consistently generate $3,000 or more per month by selling used books on Amazon.

Why Sell Books on Amazon?

Selling books on Amazon offers a fantastic opportunity, especially if you're new to e-commerce.

Books are affordable to source, have high profit margins, and the logistics are relatively simple thanks to Amazon FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon).

This means Amazon handles storage, shipping, and customer service on your behalf.

But beyond that, selling books can scale into a full-time business or remain a flexible side hustle.

So, let’s jump into the steps you can follow to hit your first $3,000 in sales!

Step 1: Sourcing Books – The King Walrus Strategy

When it comes to finding profitable books to sell, the key is being creative and thinking outside the box.

Most beginners head to common places like thrift stores and Goodwill, but seasoned sellers know the best places to find books aren't necessarily in plain sight.

Here are some strategies to find books like a "King Walrus"—a term the presenters use to describe someone who looks for less obvious, more profitable opportunities:

Top 5 Book Sourcing Strategies

Backroom Access: Don't limit yourself to just the books displayed at thrift stores or libraries. Politely ask store managers if they have extra books in the back or on hold. Often, they’ll let you check these areas before others.

Library Relationships: Build connections with local library staff. Volunteer at their book sales, and they may give you early access to books or offer you bulk deals after the sale ends.

Book Pickups and Estate Sales: Run ads on Facebook or Craigslist offering to pick up books for free. People often have boxes of books they no longer need, especially when they're downsizing or moving.

College Buybacks: Many students sell their textbooks for pennies on the dollar at the end of the semester. Reach out to local colleges and set up a table during finals week to buy textbooks directly from students. You can resell these books on Amazon for significant profit margins.

Liquidation Sales: Colleges, libraries, and businesses often liquidate large amounts of books when they update their collections or close. These sales can be gold mines, and you might get thousands of books for pennies.

Step 2: Scanning and Selecting Books to Sell

Now that you know where to find books, the next step is learning how to pick the right ones to sell.

Luckily, there are tools that can help you avoid purchasing duds.

The best way to determine if a book will make you money is by scanning its barcode with a book-scanning app like ScoutIQ or Scoutly.

These apps show you if a book is selling well on Amazon and what kind of profit margin you can expect.

How to Use Scanning Apps:

Scan the Barcode: The app will instantly show you key data like sales rank, profit after fees, and whether it’s worth buying.

Check Sales Rank: A lower sales rank (below 500,000 for books) means the book is selling frequently. High sales rank (above 2 million) means it might take a while to sell.

Profit Margin: Look for books where you can make at least $3 to $5 in profit per book, though textbooks and rare books often yield much higher margins.

E-Score: This is a metric that shows how many times a book has sold in the past six months. Higher E-Scores (above 10) indicate a faster-selling book.

ScoutIQ also allows you to set your profit thresholds, so it will show a green “Accept” message when a book is profitable and red when it’s not.

Step 3: Listing and Shipping – The Faster, The Better

Once you’ve sourced your books, the next step is listing them on Amazon and shipping them to an FBA warehouse.

One of the most time-consuming parts of selling books is preparing your inventory for shipment, but with tools like Go2Lister, this process can be streamlined to save hours.

How Go2Lister Helps You:

Smart Pricing: Automatically prices your books for maximum profit based on sales rank, competition, and sales velocity.

Fast Listing: Allows you to scan and list books quickly without the manual labor of inputting condition notes and pricing data for each individual item.

Batch Label Printing: Prints labels as you scan, reducing the time spent on each item.

Amazon Shipment Creation: Easily creates shipments, minimizing the headaches of dealing with Amazon’s slow and tedious listing interface.

You’ll also want to stay on top of repricing your books.

The Amazon marketplace is dynamic, and book prices can fluctuate.

Using a repricer like Bqool can help you stay competitive while maximizing your profits.

Common Beginner Challenges and How to Overcome Them

Finding Inventory: Many new sellers worry about running out of books to sell. However, by thinking like a King Walrus and diversifying your sourcing strategies, you’ll never run out of inventory.

Understanding Fees: Amazon charges fees for FBA, which includes storage and fulfillment fees. Make sure to factor these into your profit calculations. Use tools like the FBA Revenue Calculator to get an accurate picture of your earnings.

Pricing Competition: Pricing is competitive on Amazon, and often there are multiple sellers for the same book. Repricing software and strategies like Smart Pricing ensure that you stay ahead of the competition.

Time Management: Balancing sourcing, listing, and shipping can be tricky, but the right software tools (like Go2Lister) and time management techniques will help you stay organized and efficient.

Conclusion: Your Path to $3,000 Per Month

With the right approach, selling books on Amazon can be both profitable and enjoyable.

By mastering the three steps—sourcing, scanning, and listing—you can easily build a business that generates $3,000 or more per month.

Take advantage of tools like ScoutIQ and Go2Lister to save time and maximize profits, and don’t forget to think outside the box with your sourcing methods.

As with any business, consistency is key.

Start small, learn the ropes, and soon enough, you’ll have a thriving Amazon business.

If you're ready to dive deeper, check out our step-by-step blueprint and access expert coaching to guide you through your journey!

Happy selling!

Steve w/Raiken Profit