The engine of the whole place since 1973
Sell & trade
Book recycling is what these stores are built on: bring in what you’re finished with, walk out with credit toward what’s next.
The short version
How trading works
Bring your things
Books, movies and music in good, clean condition — any day, 11 to 7, at either store. For more than a bag or two, call ahead and plan to drop off; we can sometimes make home visits for larger collections.
We work them up
We’re selective about condition, supply and demand. On the things we can best use, you’ll normally get credit worth half the price we put on them — harder-to-sell items bring a smaller percentage.
Spend it (or save it)
Trade credit pays for up to 50% of most purchases, at either store. No need to use it all at once — keep a balance on file for whenever the next find shows up.
Worked example
What credit actually does to a price
Take a pocket-size paperback that cost $5.99 new. Our normal price is half the new price — $3.00 plus tax. Pay half of that with your trade-in credit and it costs you just $1.50 cash plus tax.
- Credit is honored at both bookstores
- We can pay cash for some items — usually about 60% of the trade-in value, and we’re more selective
- Credit can’t be used on new or consignment items
- Gift certificates can be combined with trade credit to stretch them further
One honest tip from us: check condition before you load the car. If the bugs or the water got to a box in the garage, those are headed for the free pile out front, not the credit ledger.
Straight from the counter
The policies, in plain words
Both policies below were last updated August 2024 — same rules at both stores.
Trading policy
- Pay for up to 50% of the price of most purchases with trade credit.
- Credit can’t be used on new or consignment items.
- We’re selective on condition, supply and demand; our best-use items earn half of our selling price in credit, harder items less.
- Keep a credit balance for future visits — no rush to spend it.
- Bringing more than 1–2 bags or small boxes? Please call ahead, and plan to drop off so we can call you when they’re worked up.
- Cash paid on some items, at lower rates than credit.
Pricing policy
- With a publisher’s price printed on the item: you pay 50% of that price ($2.00 minimum — just 50¢ on children’s books), unless a blue sticker says otherwise.
- No printed price? We write ours inside on one of the first light pages.
- Magazines and comics are priced on a separate schedule.
- Higher-than-half prices usually mean inflation on old cover prices; lower usually means condition. We sit in the middle of every trade and do our best to be fair in both directions.
- There’s currently a 10% surcharge on used items at both stores that goes entirely to paying our staff more — think of it as an organized tip jar. Credit still covers up to half of the total.
For sellers with serious quantity
Whole collections, estates & bookstores-in-waiting
Clearing an estate, a classroom or a storage unit? Call the store nearest you before you load up, and we’ll talk through what we can take and when. For very large collections we can sometimes come to you.
And if you’ve ever dreamed bigger — our wholesale division, Books Across America, supplies opening inventory for new used bookstores, and we consult for people getting into the trade. More on wholesale & consulting →
