As my wife and I are contemplating the idea of moving to simpler accommodations, we are faced with the need to get rid of a lot of stuff. We have a lot of books, nearly complete Scientific American run going back to the mid 60s, a couple of old encyclopedias. Is there a site where I can find out what, if any, of this stuff is worth trying to sell? There are also things like crystal bowls, other glassware and dishes, silverware (not plate) that is nearly unused (because it tarnishes so readily). And what is the best way to sell it?
The couple sets of old encyclopedias are probably worthless. In terms of finding the value of old books try:
These are asking prices by dealers and if you try to sell books to dealers you will get very little for them–unless they are valuable books.
For selling books yourself try:
http://www.ebay.com (and note eBay has data for recent sold items)
http://www.amazon.com
Craigslist
A garage sale
The vast majority of books are worthless, and the best thing to do is simply find someone or an organization who will enjoy them.
Another vote for Abe Books. I’ve priced a few old tomes there myself. Always found they were worth depressingly less than I expected.
I’ve appraised old books for over 14 years. Right now, AbeBooks, as mentioned above, is the best place to look.
Why that site over Alibris or Amazon?
With regards to encyclopedias, I agree they are worthless as reading material or research sources. But they are often in demand by antique dealers or decorators who want something to “look good” on the shelves. I have assisted in the local library’s book sale, and we usually give these away. Some recipients have told me they slice up the books, leaving only the spines, then glue a row of them to a board to make a fake, full, bookshelf.
Also, the same dealers often will take an old book with obviously dated but elaborate illustrations, rip out the best pages and mount each single page in a frame. They can get a lot of mileage from one book this way.
So there are some possible alternative outlets for your books. Seems a shame, doesn’t it?
Another class of books that are typically “worthless” are old bibles. There are a very large number of 19th century copies of the King James Version floating around and supply is plentiful. Their value primarily consists in being a usable copy of the bible, so you’d be unlikely to get anything more than what a new one costs. If you had an unusual version (e.g. a Meiji-era Japanese translation), or you had a bible that you can prove was owned by a famous person, you might have something. Otherwise it’s worth the paper it’s printed on.