Work-From-Home Job Spotlight: Internet Bookseller

Each Thursday, I’m highlighting a work-from-home job or business.


Job Description: An Internet bookseller sells new and used books online through sites like eBay and Amazon.com.

Education: None necessary.

Skills: The ability to organize, list, photograph covers and post books for sale online.

Job outlook: Selling books online will likely not be really lucrative unless you find the right niche.

Possible employers: Places to post your books include Amazon.com, eBay, AbeBooks.com and Powell’s.

Preparation: Browse online bookstores to get a feel for what’s selling and what’s not. Carefully select your inventory and inspect each book to ensure its quality. Read books or reputable websites relating to rare or costly books if you will be handling that type of merchandise. If possible, talk with a few people who sell books regularly online to see what are the pitfalls of this business.

Get your foot in the door: Start out small to ensure you won’t be stuck with too much inventory that takes too long to move.

Testimony: “Sometimes it is a temptation to sell a high-priced book that is very contrary to our beliefs,” says Jennifer, who has been selling children’s, Christian and scholarly books online from Xenia, Ohio, for more than a decade. “This doesn’t mean I don’t sell books counter to my beliefs, but I try to make sure they would be useful for scholarship.” She enjoys the flexible schedule of having her own business, but finds it hard to keep her house clean with books “always gathering in pile where they shouldn’t.”

Until next time,

Sarah