Amazon buys back used books from customers

It was back in 2009 that we covered Amazon’s video game trade-in program, and since then the company has launched several like-minded initiatives. First it was a DVD buyback program, then came the company’s textbook trade-in program. Now, through the latter, Amazon invites consumers to sell back a variety of the books they’ve purchased on the site. Amazon begins by inviting regular customers visiting the site to sell back books they’ve recently purchased, even listing eligible ones along with the value of the gift card it’s willing to exchange them for. Interested customers can also search for eligible titles themselves. Either way, once they’ve identified what they’d like to sell back, they simply print out a free shipping label, pack up the books and send them back to Amazon’s designated third-party merchant. Once the books are received, Amazon deposits an Amazon.com gift card into the customer’s account. In this ownership-averse era, buying a book — something that’s typically used only once — likely goes against the grain for many transumers, in particular. Knowing that they can sell it back, however, could well make all the difference. How can *your* brand let customers avoid ownership and get the most out of their hard-earned cash…? Spotted by: Tjalda Nauta