Hours/Availability:

Check the pinned posts at the top of the Used Book Instagram @givensusedbooks in case we are not accepting used books at the moment!

In-person buying hours: Wed-Fri, 9AM-5PM (Lunch typically from 12-1PM). No appointment necessary. We have been averaging 10-13 people per day bringing in books, so you may have to wait when you arrive.

You can dop off books Wed-Sat, during business hours. There are orange drop-off forms located at the front counter and at the Used Book Desk. Expect a 1-to-2-week turnaround with drop-offs. The Used Book Buyer will call you when your books are done.

If you drop off books, you are automatically accepting our offer for your books.

We typically reject up to 80% of books brought in to sell. For amounts under $40, we ONLY give general store credit. We buy books that we sense strongly will sell. Hence, the large rejection rate. In some cases, we buy larger percentages of your books (quality and genre determine this).

If you would like the chance to decline our offer, please come during the in-person buying hours.

Donations:

We take book donations! Since we sometimes reject up to 80% of books, IF you donate them, we will in turn donate the rejects to local libraries, organizations, etc. Otherwise, you will need to pick up the remainder books we do not buy.

Please mark donations as such when you drop them off.

Payment:

For hardcover and trade paperbacks, you receive a percentage of what we think we will be able to sell the books for. See further down for Mass Market Paperback Trade Credit.

For amounts under $40, we ONLY give general store credit.

If the total amounts to $40 or more, we can write a check OR give general store credit (store credit offer is 20% more than the check amount). The general store credit is good for anything in the store except for the Corduroy Café (separate business).

Mass Market Paperbacks (the very small paperbacks) are handled separately. There is a 2-for-1 trade in credit, which is only applicable to Used Mass Market Paperbacks. We give you 50% of the cover price from your Mass Market Paperbacks.

What’s a Book Worth?

It is impossible to value your books without seeing them in person.

Typically, the books available on the shelves are priced from $4-$15. The more valuable used books are sold online (typically books $25 and up). A first edition is not inherently valuable nor does the age necessarily make it worth more.

Are Your Books Right for Us?

Shelf space is a major factor in whether or not we will take your books. This constantly changes. Fiction (most genres), Classics & Literature, and Children’s Books, are the categories with the most frequent and reliable turnover.

What We Like to Buy:

Ask yourself: Would I buy this book (in its current condition) if I saw it on a shelf?

• Books in great condition. Hardback, paperback, or mass market paperback.
• Any hardcover books issued with a dust jacket should have one.
• Vinyl records (typically sell for $1.50 - $5).
• Audiobooks on CD (typically sell for $5).

What We Don’t Buy:

• Damaged books (large rips in dust jacket, loose spine, ripped/missing pages, writing or highlighting, stains, warping, chew marks).
• Smelly books (musty, cigarette smoke, etc.)
• Textbooks, computer & software books, user manuals, most medical books more than 5 years old.
• Reader’s Digest Condensed Books.
• Encyclopedias / dictionaries (we may take very recent or antique editions [antique: 100+ years old]).
• Ex-library books.
• Magazines, DVDs, cassette tapes (we DO take CD audio books).