A book is two things at once: a title anyone can buy, and a particular copy that only you have. The price is almost entirely about the second one.
What decides the price
Which printing. A first printing and a tenth are the same text and different objects. Most publishers print a line of numbers on the copyright page, and the lowest number present usually tells you the printing — but the convention is not universal, and some publishers state it in words instead. Show the page and let the buyer read it.
The jacket. For a modern hardback the dust jacket can be most of the value. A missing jacket, a torn one, and one with the price clipped off the corner are three different situations, and all three need saying.
Signatures. Worth only what can be shown. Where it was signed, when, and whether you were there.
Completeness for films. Case, inlay, any booklet or slipcover. A disc without its case is a different sale.
What to show on camera
- The copyright page, held still enough to read
- The jacket, front and back, including the price corner
- The spine, straight on — a cocked spine shows there
- The page edges, where foxing and damp show first
- For discs: the playing surface, angled into the light
If someone asks you to hold the copyright page still for ten seconds, do it. That is the one page that decides what they are bidding on.
Words that mean something specific
Ex-library — stamps, pockets, spine labels. Not a flaw to hide; a category. Foxing — brown speckling on paper, usually damp and age. Price-clipped — the corner of the jacket cut away. Remainder mark — a publisher's mark on the page edges of unsold stock.
Say them. The full condition vocabulary, and why naming the flaw raises the price.
Region and playability for films
Discs are region-coded, and a buyer in India may be bidding on something their player will not read. State the region marking on the case, and if you can, play it on camera.
Delivery
Paper is the thing the monsoon ruins. Packing books, and what humidity does to stock on a shelf.
More: how to sell on Metzee, pricing books and films.
Questions people ask
Do I need to know the printing to sell it?
No, but you need to show the page. A buyer who can read it will bid; a buyer who cannot will assume the worst.
Is an ex-library copy worth selling?
Often yes, as a reading copy. Describe it as ex-library in the title, not in the small print.
Should I clean a book before selling?
No. Cleaning paper usually means damaging it. Dust it and leave it alone.