Moving? What to Do With Hundreds of Books Before You Move
, by Zihni ALEMDAROGLU,
12 min reading time
Moving with hundreds of books? Learn how to decide what to keep, sell, donate, or pack—and reduce the number of heavy books you need to move.
DeclutteringMoving is a good time to decide what you really want to take with you and books can be one of the hardest things to deal with.
A personal library may have taken years to build. But when moving day approaches, hundreds of books suddenly need to be sorted, packed, lifted, transported, and unpacked.
If you're wondering what to do with hundreds of books before moving, you don't necessarily have to pack every book you own.
Some are worth keeping. Some may be worth selling. Others can be donated or passed on to new readers.
The key is to make those decisions before you start packing.
Here's a practical way to reduce your collection, make your move easier, and decide what should happen to the books you're ready to leave behind.
Why Deal With Your Books Before You Move?
It's tempting to put every book into boxes and decide what to do with them after the move.
In many cases, that simply moves the problem from one home to another.
Every book you decide not to take means less packing, lifting, transportation, and unpacking. This can be especially important if you're moving into a smaller home, relocating a long distance, downsizing, or dealing with hundreds or thousands of books.
The earlier you make decisions about your library, the easier the rest of the moving process can become.
Step 1: Don't Start by Packing Every Book
Before buying dozens of moving boxes, look at the entire collection.
Ask yourself:
Do I really want every one of these books in my new home?
If the answer is no, don't pack everything first.
Packing books that you later decide to sell or donate creates unnecessary work. Instead, identify the books that are definitely coming with you and separate them from the rest.
Step 2: Sort Your Books Into Four Categories
You don't need a complicated inventory system. Four categories are usually enough.
Keep
Keep books you genuinely want in your new home, such as favorites, books you plan to reread, reference books you still use, sentimental copies, and collections you intentionally maintain.
The goal isn't to eliminate your library. It's to avoid moving books you no longer want.
Sell
Books in good condition that you no longer need may have resale potential.
Depending on the collection, these could include fiction and nonfiction, textbooks, children's books, cookbooks, history and biography titles, academic books, professional books, and more.
If you have hundreds of books, selling them individually may not be the most practical solution.
Donate or Pass On
Some readable books may have limited resale demand but can still be useful to another reader.
Depending on what is available in your area, you may consider friends, relatives, schools, community organizations, or other donation options.
Responsibly Dispose of Unusable Books
Books with severe mold, water damage, missing pages, or significant deterioration may not be suitable for resale or reuse.
Check local recycling or disposal guidelines before discarding damaged books because requirements can vary by location.
Step 3: Start With the Easy Decisions
Don't try to make a difficult decision about every book at once.
Start with books you already know you don't want.
These might include:
Textbooks from courses you completed years ago
Children's books your family has outgrown
Duplicate copies
Books related to hobbies you no longer pursue
Professional books you no longer use
Novels you don't expect to reread
Once those books are separated, you'll have a much clearer picture of the collection you actually want to move.
Step 4: Take Photos Before Packing Your Books
If you're considering selling books before moving, photograph them before you put them into boxes.
Take clear overview photos while the books are still visible on shelves. If you have a large wall of books, photograph it in sections and try to make the spines and titles visible.
If books are already packed, open the boxes and photograph the contents from above.
This can make an initial evaluation easier and may save you from unpacking boxes later just to show someone what's inside.
Step 5: Don't Assume You Need to Research Every ISBN
If you have 20 books, researching individual titles may be manageable.
If you have 500, it can become a project of its own.
You could spend hours checking ISBNs, editions, online listings, and prices only to discover that many titles have limited resale demand.
For a large collection, it can be more practical to start by evaluating the collection as a whole.
Condition, edition, subject, current demand, and the overall quality of the collection can all affect resale potential.
Should You Sell Books Before Moving?
For books you already know you don't want, selling before the move can offer two important advantages.
First, you may recover some value from books that would otherwise remain unused.
Second, every book that leaves before moving day is one less book you need to pack, transport, and unpack.
Not every used book will have significant resale value, so don't assume that every old book is valuable—or that none of your books are.
If you're unsure, consider having the collection evaluated before deciding.
Selling a few books and selling an entire personal library are very different projects.
Online marketplaces can make sense for a small number of particularly valuable books when you have enough time to research, list, package, and ship each one.
With hundreds of books, however, that process can become overwhelming.
For every book you sell individually, you may need to identify the edition, research the market, photograph the book, create a listing, store it, package it, and ship it.
When you're also preparing for a move, convenience and time can become just as important as maximizing the selling price of every individual title.
If you're moving in or from the Greater Seattle Area and have books you don't want to take with you, Smart Price Books offers a convenient way to have a qualifying collection evaluated.
You don't need to transport hundreds of books just to find out whether we're interested.
You can start from home.
1. Take 2–5 Overview Photos
Take a few clear photos before packing the books.
Show the books on shelves, in open boxes, or in stacks. Try to make the book spines visible whenever possible.
You don't need to enter every ISBN or prepare a complete inventory before getting started.
3. Get a Free Estimate
Our team reviews the collection and can provide an estimate when appropriate.
If additional information or photos are needed, we can request them.
There's no obligation to accept an offer.
4. Schedule Pickup
If you accept the offer and your collection qualifies, pickup can be arranged in the Greater Seattle Area.
That means you may not need to load unwanted books into your vehicle or move them to your next home.
5. Get Paid
After the final review and offer are completed, you get paid.
The process is simple:
Take Photos → Get a Free Estimate → Schedule Pickup → Get Paid
What Types of Books Might Be Worth Selling?
Smart Price Books evaluates many types of books in good condition, including:
Fiction and Non-Fiction
Novels, mysteries, business books, self-help, science, educational titles, and other fiction and nonfiction books.
Textbooks
College textbooks, academic books, and educational titles may have resale potential depending on edition, condition, subject, and demand.
Kids Books
Moving can be a good opportunity to sort through children's books that are no longer being read.
Cookbooks
If your kitchen shelves have accumulated cookbooks you rarely use, decide which ones are worth taking to your new home.
History and Biography
History books, biographies, memoirs, and related nonfiction may also be evaluated.
Academic and Professional Books
If you're moving after retirement or a career change, you may have academic or professional books that you no longer need.
Not sure whether your collection qualifies?
Start with 2–5 clear overview photos.
When Should You Start Sorting Books Before Moving?
Don't wait until moving day is approaching.
Starting several weeks before your move gives you more flexibility to decide what to keep, have potential sale books evaluated, arrange pickup when available, donate remaining usable books, and pack only the books you're taking with you.
The larger the collection, the earlier you should begin.
If you have hundreds or thousands of books, treat your library as a separate moving project rather than leaving it until the end.
Moving and Downsizing at the Same Time?
Moving into a smaller home creates another question:
Where will all the books go?
If your new home has fewer bookshelves or less storage space, transporting the entire collection may simply postpone a decision you'll need to make later.
Before packing, think about the space available at your destination.
Which books deserve that space?
Which ones will you realistically read or use?
Which ones have personal meaning?
You don't need to become a minimalist. The goal is simply to create a library that fits your next home and your current life.
Moving Out of Seattle?
If you're leaving Seattle or the surrounding area, consider dealing with unwanted books before you leave.
Once the books are packed and loaded for the move, you've already invested time and effort in transporting them.
If you know certain books won't have a place in your new home, evaluating them beforehand can be much more practical.
For qualifying collections in the Greater Seattle Area, Smart Price Books may be able to arrange pickup before your move.
What Should You Do With Books That Don't Sell?
Not every book will have resale demand.
That doesn't automatically mean it belongs in the trash.
Readable books that aren't suitable for sale may still be appropriate for donation or passing on to another reader.
Books that are too damaged to reuse should be handled according to your local recycling or disposal requirements.
The goal isn't necessarily to sell every book. It's to find the most appropriate destination for the books you're not taking with you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I do with hundreds of books before moving?
Separate them into keep, sell, donate/pass on, and unusable categories. Avoid packing everything first. Books you don't want may be evaluated for resale before your move.
Is it worth selling books before moving?
It can be. Selling books you no longer want may help you recover some value while reducing the number of books you need to pack and transport.
How can I sell hundreds of books at once?
Instead of automatically listing every book individually, consider having the collection evaluated as a whole. Smart Price Books allows you to start by submitting overview photos of your collection.
Do I need to enter every ISBN?
Not to start an evaluation with Smart Price Books. Clear overview photos showing the collection can be submitted first.
Should I photograph books before packing them?
Yes. If you're considering selling them, photographing books while they're visible on shelves can make the collection easier to evaluate.
How early should I sort books before moving?
For a large collection, starting several weeks before moving day can give you more time to evaluate, sell, donate, and pack your books.
What if I have an entire personal library?
Treat it as a separate moving project. Decide what you're keeping, photograph the books you're considering selling, and explore having the collection evaluated together.
Does Smart Price Books pick up books before a move?
Pickup may be available for qualifying collections in the Greater Seattle Area after the collection has been evaluated and an offer accepted.
Make Your Move Lighter
Moving gives you an opportunity to decide which books deserve a place in your next home.
Keep the books you love.
Keep the books you'll actually use.
Keep the books that have personal meaning.
But don't automatically pack hundreds of books you already know you don't want.
Selling, donating, or passing them on before moving day can reduce what you need to pack and help usable books find new readers.
Moving Soon? Show Us Your Books Before You Pack Them
If you're moving in or from the Greater Seattle Area and have a large collection you don't want to take with you, Smart Price Books can help determine whether it qualifies for purchase.
You don't need to transport the collection first.
You don't need to create hundreds of individual listings.
And you don't need to enter every ISBN.
Take 2–5 clear photos → Upload your photos → Get a free estimate → Schedule pickup for a qualifying collection → Get paid.
Before those books disappear into moving boxes, find out whether they could go to new readers instead.
