Few college rituals are as dreaded as the textbook return. It can be a nerve-wracking time; lining up with dozens of other students, college students wait at the bookstore as a clerk goes over the textbooks with a fine-toothed comb. The student waits with baited breath to see whether the book will be pronounced in good condition, fair condition, or the feared poor condition. However, no matter what condition your textbooks are in when you receive them, there are a few things you and any student can do to make sure the bookstore doesn’t rip you off for excessive wear and tear. Also, if you decide to sell unused textbooks online, keeping the books in good condition can be a massive boost to helping you sell online fast.

Blue Tape

Painter’s Tape, also known simply as Blue Tape, is a college student’s friend. Even college dorm rooms that don’t allow holes in the wall or mounted posters will usually allow items stuck up with blue tape. This has another use; take this easy-to-remove blue tape and carefully lay it over the spine of a textbook you intend to re-sell at the end of the semester. This will prevent any wear and tear from coming to the spine of the book. The top and bottom corners of any book are also high-danger spots, so make sure you cover those with blue tape as well. Test periodically to make certain it comes off. After that’s done, leave it alone.

Post-It Notes

Unfortunately, one of the cardinal uses of textbooks is to make notes in them. This is ostensibly why students buy textbooks instead of renting, and it can be a huge loss point for any student wanting to re-sell used textbooks at the end of a semester. Indeed, many teachers require that students make notes in the book on class, highlighting, scribbling, or otherwise jotting down information.

One good way around this danger spot for keeping textbooks in perfect condition is to use post-it notes. Any sticky note will do but the important thing is that you make notes on the yellow paper, not on the actual page. This is as useful for studying as writing in the book. It also has the advantage of being complexly removable when you’re done with the textbooks. Simply take out the post-it notes and your book is as good as when you got it.

Scanners

One of the worst behaviors for keeping books in mint condition is, unfortunately, simple use. The opening of the spine over and over causes it to weaken, bend, and crack. No amount of blue tape will stop this from happening. However, a scanner can help. When you come to a page you think you may want to read several times, scan this page with a scanner or an Optical Reader. In that way, you can browse the page on your computer or print it out and make notes directly on the text, all without damaging the books at all. This will be an asset in re-selling your textbooks.