Selling Your Books

Guidelines for Selling Your Books to Iliad

SORRY – WE ARE NOT BUYING OR TRADING BOOKS AT THIS TIME, BUT WE WILL ACCEPT BOOK DONATIONS. THANK YOU.

 

If you have more than three bags and/or boxes, you must call us at 818-509-2665 to set up an appointment (and please realize that we have many appointments, so if you must cancel or move your time LET US KNOW; if you are late, you may have to wait until we can fit you in). Due to the huge number of books we see every day, expect a wait when you bring even small amounts of books in to sell or trade, and please be aware that we may have to cut off buying early on certain days. Thank you.

Here at Iliad Bookshop, we buy, sell and trade used books. We look at literally thousands of books every week for possible purchase, and we’ll be happy to look at yours! However, here are a few simple guidelines that you might want to read first, so your experience selling your books can go smoothly and quickly for everyone:

1. We buy/trade small quantities of books Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; we look at small quantities for trade only on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m; and we will look at one bag or box for trade only on Sundays from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. However, if you have more than 3 bankers’ boxes and/or shopping bags (approximately 50 books), please call first at (818)509-2665 to check on our main buyer’s availability – his name is Dan and his usual hours are Tuesday through Friday from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. WE DON’T BUY BOOKS AFTER 9 P.M., AND WE DON’T PAY CASH FOR BOOKS ON WEEKENDS.

2. We only buy books in person – we do NOT buy books via mail. If you have a significant quantity of books (say, a library of 1,000 or more), we may be able to schedule a house call; please call us at (818)509-2665 and you can schedule a time with Dan (see Dan’s hours in #1 above). Sorry, but we don’t have time to make house calls for anything less than at least 1,000 books.

3. If we can’t use any of your books, you’re always welcome to leave them as donations in our giveaway boxes.

4. If you have any books that might be rare or more expensive (i.e., signed first editions or coffee table books), please speak to Dan before you come in.

5. We pay cash or credit for hardback and trade paperback books (Monday through Friday); for mass market paperback books, we won’t offer much cash, but will trade at about four-for-one of similar value. For hardback and trade paperback books, we will offer about 20% more in credit for books we can use. If you would like to take credit but keep it for a later date, we’ll be happy to write you a credit slip you can use at any time (however, if you lose your credit slip, we can’t replace it). Cash payments may be in the form of checks (at our discretion).

6. We may ask to see your Driver’s License when we purchase your books, and you will be required to provide us with your name, signature, and address. This isn’t our idea; it’s required by law.

7. If you have a significant quantity of books, please use either boxes, plastic cartons or sturdy grocery bags to transport them. We don’t recommend plastic bags or suitcases, since the books may be damaged, and we won’t buy them.

8. If your books have been in storage for some time in a garage or other open area, PLEASE take the time to clean them before you bring them in. We may refuse to look at books that are excessively dirty, dusty, moldy or covered with living creatures that will scuttle over our hands when we reach into your box.

9. We do not buy books on rainy days.

10. Here are a few subjects we do NOT buy in: Textbooks, business (includes economics, finances, salesmanship, business biographies), sociology, current politics, pregnancy, education, child-rearing, travel, computers, diet, and law. We don’t buy Reader’s Digest condensed books or most book club editions. We don’t buy magazines. We buy very few books that have highlighting or are in poor condition. We buy very few books from the bestseller lists – we already have plenty of Grisham, Clancy, etc.

11. We can usually go through your books while you wait (remember, we do this a lot, so we’re good at it!). If you have any unusual titles, we may take the time to check their value before we make an offer. We do NOT pay a percentage of the cover price; we DO pay a quarter to a half of what we think we will sell the book for. Also, please remember that just because you’ve seen the book for sale online at $200, that may not be a realistic price; there are lots of fly-by-night book dealers online who don’t have our experience or knowledge.

12. Just because a book is old, that doesn’t make it valuable. Sorry, but your 1897 mathematics textbook or 1910 edition of Longfellow really isn’t going to cram your pocket with dollar bills…but a book published two years ago might. Books become valuable because they’re desirable, not because they’re old.

13. Don’t ask us to appraise a book over the phone or e-mail. Sorry, but there are too many variables in estimating a book’s value, and we simply can’t do it without seeing the book in front of us. This applies to ALL books, not just collectibles.

14. We pride ourselves on being fair and honest when we purchase your books. We’ve been in the used book business for over thirty years, so we like to think we know what we’re doing.

If you have any questions on selling your books, please call us at (818)509-2665 or drop us an e-mail. Thank you for taking the time to read this far, and we hope to see you soon!