Our Book Policies
Book Trade Condition
In general, we are looking for clean and generally undamaged books. This means:
All pages and covers intact; no overly stained or physically ruined books; no overt water damage (like severe wrinkling or rippling of pages or cover); no smoke damage or smell; no insect or bug tracks; no underlining or highlighting.
That said, we will make exceptions for rare, out-of-print, or coveted books.
What We Want & What We Can Do Without
Our shop is modest. With limited room and a desire to keep our shelves filled with alluring titles, we are particular about what we purchase or accept as trade.
With this in mind, we are interested in:
art books; underground comix; vintage comic books (in good condition); Folio Society; first editions; classics; horror or gothic fiction; small press or small publishing groups; Dalkey Archive; Picador; NYRB; literature; general fiction; postmodern fiction; speculative fiction; weird fiction; graphic novels; alternate history; historical fiction; oddball fiction; poetry; westerns that are not Louis L'Amour; crime fiction; Penguin classics; Centipede Press; noir fiction; science fiction; fantasy fiction; unusual nonfiction; unusual biography; music history and music biography, and more!
What we are not interested in:
grocery aisle best-sellers; magazines; kids' books; textbooks; cookbooks; colouring books; how-to-books; general biographies; romance novels; Readers Digest novels; travel guides; encyclopedias; sports-related books; self-help; most non-fiction.
How It Works
If you are looking to sell or trade us a large quantity of books (say, more than a bag or two) it's best to contact us beforehand to set-up an appointment; otherwise, feel free to walk on in with what you have.
Depending on the condition and demand (or our ability to move the items), we're ready to give out 20-30% of our retail price in cash per book. If a science fiction book can be sold for $12, you'll potentially receive $4 if the book meets our condition standards. Bigger percentages may be granted to larger book lots - and everything is negotiable.
If you're looking to trade, we offer up to 50% of our retail price in store credit per book. If a fantasy book can be sold for $6, you'll potentially receive $3 in store credit if the book meets our condition standards (which can be used on anything in the store, including vintage clothes and accessories).
We keep record of all unused trade credit and trade credit does not expire. Note that trade credit cannot be exchanged for cash or converted in gift certificates.
Listed Book Condition
To simplify matters, we use a book grading system pulled right from AbeBooks.
Any book we list will detail any major or noticeable flaws, if they exist.
The gradings are as follows:
As New: The book is in the same immaculate condition as when it was published. This could be the description for a book that has been kept in a warehouse for years, never shelved, thumbed or even opened yet may still be some years old.
Fine (F or FN): A Fine book approaches the condition of As New, but without being crisp. FN means Near Fine. The book may have been opened and read, but there are no defects to the book, jacket or pages.
Very Good (VG): Describes a book that shows some small signs of wear - but no tears - on either binding or paper. Any defects should be noted by the seller.
Good (G): Describes the average used worn book that has all pages or leaves present. Any defects should be noted by the seller.
Fair: A worn book that has complete text pages (including those with maps or plates) but may lack endpapers, half-title, etc. (which must be noted). Binding, jacket (if any), etc., may also be worn. All defects should be noted.
Poor: Describes a book that is sufficiently worn. Any missing maps or plates should still be noted. This copy may be soiled, scuffed, stained or spotted and may have loose joints, hinges, pages, etc.
Binding Copy: Describes a book in which the pages or leaves are perfect but the binding is very bad, loose, off, or non-existent.
Reading Copy A copy of a book usually in poor to fair condition that includes all text presented in a legible fashion. The copy is fine to read but nothing more.