books:

i agree, the strand IS picky, but there are two other options nearby that usually bought what the strand didn't take.

1)a little shop (name?) halfway up 12th st. bet. university & 5th (just past the strip house)

2)alabaster bookshop on 4th ave bet 13 & 14 st.

(& both much friendlier than the snarky albino-ish buyer at the strand)

Bleecker St. Records will take almost anything, provided it's not scratched. They give $3-$4 cash per CD. Problem being, of course, that most people don't have scratch-free CDs.

Rocks In Your Head must take almost anything, because I've gotten some used discs there that have been TRASHED.

For books, I sell mine at 7th Avenue Books in Park Slope. Instead of cash, I took a 250 dollar credit last time and could always go buy new books for months to come. It must be a sickness.

I second (third? fourth?) the Amazon suggestion. Pick up some CD-sized padded envelopes from Staples and you're ready to go.

Anything not salable at Amazon, go ahead and chuck it at one of the other strange, unheard of websites other people have recommended (eBay? What's eBay?).

try Somethin' Else Records on 5th ave and 1st st in Park Slope. they're won't take crap, but they'll take pretty much anything that somebody might buy

Take them to NYCD @ 173 West 81st Street (between Amsterdam & Columbus), they closed for business last week but are still buying music through the 31st.

http://nycd-online.com/

books. seriously, what about books? the strand is WAY too picky and i just want to get rid of them all at once, no amazon/ebay shipping, etc. what to do?

You don't have to choose one over the other. Put them up on half.com AND Amazon marketplace. The annoyance is having to ship them; and you don't know how quickly (if at all) they'll sell. On the other hand, chances are you can make a fair amount of money.

Kim's Video on St. Marks is less picky than Other and will even give you a free DVD for every 20 (or is it 25?) disks that you sell back.

Recommended.

If you're in/near Hell's Kitchen, try Future Legend, on 9th Ave b/wn 52nd/53rd Sts. It's the city's best least-known record shop.

I have always had good luck on Ebay. If you must sell to a store, I would try Academy. The problem with OM (and other stores) is space. Other Music has so little space devoted to used CD's they have to be very picky and selective in what they buy.

I agree with the folks who recommend Amazon as the place to sell CDs and books. You're likely to get 60% of the cover price for common items and 250% or higher on rarities.

The one thing to remember is that you're responsible for shippingh the purchased items directly to the buyer. Lay in a supply of US Post Office Priority Mail envelopes (free at any post office) and a batch of $3.85 stamps (also available at the PO). That way you can beat out competitors by offering free upgrades to expedited shipping at minimal additional cost.

Seriously, unless you're planning to buy CD mailers in great bulk, using the free priority mail envelopes and paying a little extra for shipping is an excellent tradeoff.

I agree that Amazon.com is a great way to make good money on CDs. The money is deposited right into your bank account and they make it really easy to manage everything. It's also a great place to get rid of old textbooks and make a nice sum.

EBAY

Rocks In Your Head (in Soho somewhere.. I forget where) will probably take them. I did a CD-selling extravaganza a few years ago and hit Academy, Other Music, and finally Rocks In Your Head, and RIYH bought the majority of the CDs the other stores wouldn't take off my hands. Good luck!

You can trade them for other cd's or books on titletrader.com

Head over to Brooklyn and go to Eat Records in Greenpoint... best record shop around even it it is a bit out of the way.

124 Meserole Ave., Greenpoint, Brooklyn

they buy records & cds

How about books -- serious closet space issue here.

you could half dot com them

Princeton RX seconded. It's the only way to go, even if you have to lunk your bag down there on the train.