Tips for buying and selling curriculum online

Episode 36: Tips for buying and selling curriculum online

If you are buying or selling curriculum online this summer, here are some tips to help you.

And be sure to join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast. We will carry on the conversation there.

Some places to buy and sell curriculum online

1. Facebook groups

Look for local groups first. A good national group is Homeschool Curriculum Marketplace (over 70 000 members)
Also look for groups that specialize in the curriculum you use eg Sonlight or classical homeschooling

2. Forums

If you are a member of a homeschool forum, see if they have a classified section. Well-trained Mind is the one I used.

3. Used curriculum websites

Homeschool Classifieds has an out-dated look to the website, but it works well and I have bought and sold a lot of curriculum there. You get a certain number of listings free. After that, you can pay, or share info on local field trips etc to earn extra credits.

4. Amazon and eBay

So many options on both these websites and you can often find real bargains. You will likely end up making less if you sell through them, but you are also more likely to make a sale because of their huge audience.

General Tips for Buying and Selling Curriculum Online

You will need to get a PayPal account for buying/selling on all the places listed above except Amazon

Create a spreadsheet and use it to record your research before you start buying and selling curriculum online. Keep track of the new price for the item, how much you see it selling it for, the date you buy/sell it, when it ships, how much profit you make, etc.

Tips for Selling Curriculum Online

Remember you will need to pay for postage (and fees if you sell on Amazon or eBay).

A postage scale can be a great investment

Get your kids involved. Either pay them an hourly rate or give them a cut of profits. They will learn real-world skills and you will get some help!

Save Amazon boxes and padded envelopes throughout the year.

Don’t sell single paperbacks – it just isn’t worth it. Bundle a few together, or state in your listing (if you are listing on a FB group) what the minimum amount you are willing to sell is. That way people can make their own bundles.

Take photos as post whenever that is an option as people like to see what they are getting.

If you plan to sell on eBay, I would suggest you list it as “Buy it Now”. You can see what your item usually sells at by setting the filter to “Buy it Now” and then scrolling down and on the left look for “Show only”. Check Completed Items and Sold Items and you can see what your item has sold at recently.

Tips for Buying Curriculum Online

To find the cheapest website selling used books, go to BookFinder.com.

But before you do that, if you have use Chrome or Firefox and have the Library Extension you may realize you can just borrow the book from your local library instead.

When you use eBay, I suggest selecting “Buy it now” unless you absolutely love the thrill of trying to win an auction.

If you know the item(s) you are wanting will be hard to find, start looking in May and buy as soon as you see. If you know there will be plenty available you can hold out until August when you might snag one for a better price as people get more desperate to sell.

Got more tips? Share them in the comments or in our Facebook group.

Be sure to take a look at FundaFunda Academy’s online classes and web-based unit studies.

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Contact Meryl via email on meryl@mediaangels.com or connect with her on Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook