*Holiday Season Note!*
THE BUY COUNTER IS CLOSED ON DECEMBER 24TH
AND JANUARY 1ST.
Please Note!
We only buy books at our 506 Clement St. location -- we do not buy books at Green Apple Books on the Park or Browser Books. Trade cannot be redeemed at Browser Books.
What are the buy counter hours?
10am-6pm daily, except 12/24 and 1/1, which are the only two days of the year the buy counter is closed but the store is open (barring a staffing issue or emergency). We don’t take appointments, it’s first come first serve. There might be a 5 minute - 1 hour wait depending on how busy the store is so please come prepared to wait. The buy counter tends to be busiest Sunday, Monday, Friday and Saturday. Please box or bag your books in advance, especially if you have a large quantity.
Will you take all my books?
No. We look at books everyday, but we can't take everything that is brought in to us. Please only bring in what you are willing to take out.
How do I know what to bring?
Look around our store for a sense of the things that we carry! We are a generalist bookstore. This means we carry a wide array of subjects and genres but highly specialized books, like medical or law textbooks for example, are not something we are looking to buy or carry.
What do you buy?
It’s a book by book determination. It depends on what we think we can sell and what our current stock levels are. Besides our usual primary areas of interest (literature, poetry, philosophy, natural history/field guides, art monographs, and cooking) we would like to see current & classic titles on social justice and race studies.
What do you not buy?
Books that are marked up with pen, pencil, highlighter and the like. Books with sun, water, or mold damage. Books we don’t think we can sell based on sales history and condition. No magazines, textbooks, encyclopedias, or manuals. Books that are out of date (older computer books, out-of-date travel guides, fad diet books no longer in demand, older business books, etc.).
Do you buy DVDs/Blu-Rays?
Very selectively. We are mostly interested in Criterion Collection titles, international films, and classic films that are not available on streaming services.
Do you buy LPs?
Very selectively. No classical, no showtunes. We are mostly interested in punk, post-punk, metal, bebop, and free jazz.
Can I donate?
We don’t have the space to take donations. We suggest reaching out to the Friends of the Public Library for information about making donations to their organization. Their website can be found here.
How much do you pay for books?
There is no set formula for what we pay for books. It is based on supply and demand. That said, we pay very aggressively for the best books: beautiful art books, quality cookbooks, graphic novels, etc. Quality books that are in demand fetch top dollar. For more common books, we also pay competitively. We do buy collectible books but we are not an antiquarian bookstore. We are specifically looking for the Beats, Black Mountain School, Black Arts Movement titles--20th century experimental visual and language arts.
Do you pay in cash or in trade?
We offer both—your choice. Trade towards used books is 50% higher than cash, while trade for new (non-discounted) books is 25% higher than cash.
Will you come to my house and look at my books?
Possibly... if it’s a large collection, you can email us photos to usedbooks@greenapplebooks.com and we can talk further.
Will you come out to my car and assess the books there?
No, it is our policy that our buyers stay in the store for safety reasons. You may leave an ID with the front counter and borrow one of our hand trucks.
Can I list my books over the phone or in an email and you tell me what you will take?
No. Our book buying policy states that we cannot make offers unless the books are physically in front of us. Due to the high volume of phone calls and emails we receive, our buyers cannot advise about specific titles over the phone or email. We prioritize what people have physically brought in. Please only bring in what you are willing to take out.