APU Careers & Learning

Use Sticky Tabs to Avoid Devaluing Your Books

While going through school, you will encounter hundreds of books, many of which you will have to purchase at some point. It is tempting to take a pen and highlighter to the pages. However, if you have any hope of reselling the book later, then you must avoid marking it up. In the resale market, Amazon considers any book with a marking in it as being in “Used – Good” condition. This is four levels below “New” and sells for a lower price.

Instead of marking up your book, use sticky tabs. There are numerous cheap brands on the market. More importantly, the cheap price you will pay sticky tabs is far less than the money you will lose by selling all your books at such a low condition.

Consider this copy of The Art of Maneuver Warfare, which has already made it through one course and a complete reading by a student.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Although a student used it extensively and it has sat on a private shelf for over a year, Amazon would still consider it in “Like New” condition. In addition, the sticky tabs make it obvious where there is something the student wants to remember.

As for the pages and the sticky tabs, they are made for easy removal without damaging the book.

 

 

 

 

One approach is to place the tab directly above the first sentence you want to find. From there, you can type the note or even better, store it in Google Docs for future retrieval. Regardless, treat your books with care and be sure not to damage them unnecessarily, especially you want to resell them.

By Scott Manning
Online Learning Tips, Student Contributor

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