Sell Your Books

Selling Your Books Here is Easy

Do you have books to sell? Bring them in between 11am and 7pm, Monday through Saturday.

No appointment is necessary, though on Saturdays, you might want to call and make sure there isn't a line when you're on your way, since the meters down here are 1 hour only.

We'll go through the books while you wait, select the ones we'd like to purchase, and make an offer promptly. Please allow ten minutes per box, more for unusual or very old books.

If you are selling a collection or are not able to bring your books in to the shop, you may call and have us visit your library on a Sunday.

We stock a wide variety of books, but we do not purchase:

- Former library books
- Condensed or abridged books
- Encyclopedias or magazines
- Romance novels
- Books with water damage, mold, broken binding, or missing covers or pages.

Thank you for sorting your books in advance.

We offer cash payments or store credit. Prices paid are based on condition, scarcity, and many other factors. If you call or email in advance, we can give you a rough idea of what we would pay for some types, but we do need to see them in person to make a purchase offer.

We are not currently visiting collections outside the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. We apologize for the inconvenience.
What We Want Most Right Now

Children's books (fiction and nonfiction, picture books and chapter books), young adult fiction, philosophy, eastern religions (especially Buddhism and Shinto), classic and recent plays, nature and ecology, Ancient, Medieval, and Renaissance history, Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Trans issues, African history, Japanese history, books in Latin, ancient Greek, and Spanish, mythology and folklore, vegetarian and vegan cookbooks.

We are always interested in essays about nature, books on writing, film history and criticism, all sciences, all religions, fine arts, award-winning and classic literature, poetry, and plays, books about Iowa, graphic novels, world history, military history, political science and economics, and paperback mystery, science fiction, and fantasy.

We do not buy hardcover mystery novels, romance, westerns, manga series, teen vampire books, self help, motivation & inspiration, current events prior to 2010, travel guides, magazines, books published by magazine companies (Reader's Digest, Time-Life, Better Homes & Gardens), audio books, movies.
Store Credit
If you are bringing in books for sale or trade, we can offer you store credit as payment. We usually offer more in credit than we would in cash. Credit can be applied toward the purchase of any books in the store, and sales tax does not apply to credit purchases. (Credit can only be applied to book purchases, i.e., not cards, toys, etc., because of tax rules.)

Credit need not be spent immediately, and setting up an account is quick and easy. (We do not share account information with anyone except the account owner(s), so it's also hassle-free.) You can designate other people (partners, family members, friends) to share your account. Credit can also be converted to gift certificates, but cannot be converted to cash.
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