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Advice on selling gardening books

Jack1974Jack1974 Posts: 61
in Plants
Hello all,

I've really enjoyed being on this forum for a number of years now, and learnt so much - thank you.

We're down sizing here at home, and I am wanting to sell a large number of gardening books I've accumulated. Some are main stream, some are rarer, some big RHS encyclapedia volumes etc. Many hardly read.

I wondered if anyone had advice on selling these, or if it's better just getting them on ebay as individual listings?

I am sorry if this post breaks forum guidelines in terms of wanting to sell something, and please feel free to remove.

Many thanks in advance, Jack.
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Posts

  • StultiStulti Posts: 90
    edited 26 January
    Try Mike Park Books for rare and antiquarian ones. mikeparkbooks.com

    Or The Gardening Guy for more run of the mill books. https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/TheGardeningGuy.


  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    @Jack1974 I have been given gardening books infact a lady I worked for left me all her gardening books. I was offered and given The RHS E of Gardening so many times I lost count. Some old gardening books are a treat to read others are sadly out of date, for instance the use of chemicals in gardens today is widely unacceptable. Worth considering if you wish to put a value on them.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • BenCottoBenCotto Posts: 4,718
    Do manage expectations. Books like Flora Britannica and the RHS Encyclopaedia of Gardening are being sold for just a couple of £s. I expect in the unlikely event of a bookseller wanting to buy them they’d offer you only pennies.

    Even giving them away to charity shops might prove problematic as they only have limited amounts of storage and shelf space.

    Check out the asking price of what you deem to be the rarer books on a site such abebooks.co.uk
    Rutland, England
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited 27 January
    Ebay have a function where you can search for a type of item and see how much it historically sold for over time.  Looking at pre-owned books should give a sense of the ball park price you might expect for a book. It maybe that the postage would cost more than the value of the book. Obviously, old first editions and rare signed copies might change the price.



    Your local library might appreciate a bulk donation, if that is an option and if the books are in good shape. It might be worth calling them.

    Good luck with the downsizing, Jack.


  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    Our local library only takes books that are immaculate and less than two years old.

    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    I am decluttering so have given most of my gardening books to charity shops because book sellers are very picky about what they will and will not take. I was planning to take some of them to Heligan where they have a 2nd hand book shelf but couldn't face the struggle of getting the boxes to my car and from my car into the restaurant where Heligan keeps the books.
    I am sure selling your books on-line individually will find homes for some of them, allowing for the extortionate postal charges you will get some money for them. 
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    You could have a look here  :)
    https://www.webuybooks.co.uk/sell-botanical-garden-books/
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Do you have a Community Centre or Village Hall ?  Some centres have a small "library" made up of donated books which residents can borrow.
  • KT53KT53 Posts: 9,016
    Don't expect to get much for the books.  I've just used the link provided by AnniD to check what they would offer for The RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening.  Cover price £29.95, they offer 50p.  Better than nothing, but I just hope the seller (you) don't have to pay the transport costs.
  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    They certainly don't offer enough to make a fortune @kt53 !
    I've just entered one of mine (not gardening related) and it's worth the princely sum of 10p.
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