I'd like to meet:

So You Want to Sell Us Some Books? 1510 King St. in Old Town Alexandria. 703-838-3620 or email at [email protected].
Q: Does Book Bank accept books for trade or purchase?
A: Yes, on a selected basis. Books that we need will qualify for store trade credit that can used in the store for all items except books we have listed for sale onlineon Advanced Book Exchange (ABE). We may also offer cash in a smaller amount, if you prefer, but only for hardcover books. Q: What kind of books do you want?
A: We stock most kinds of books for all ages. We want books that are in very good condition and without writing or marks except for owner name. Hardcover books printed after 1950 generaly need dust jackets. We are most interested in hardcover or larger paperback nonfiction, although we do acquire large quantities of fiction from our customers. We prefer literary fiction to popular fiction. We usually accept smaller paperback fiction only in the mystery/thriller and science fiction/fantasy genres, and only for trade credit. See the reverse side for more details.
Q: When can I bring my books to the store?
A: Anytime between 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday through Sunday. We do not accept books on Monday or Tuesday. If you can’t wait while we review your books, or if we will not be able to review them quickly, you can leave your books with us if you fill out an intake form. In it you will promise to return soon to claim any books we can’t use, and authorize us to proceed with pricing and shelving any books that we can use.
Q: Is there a limit on quantity?/b
A: Yes. We limit you to 3 boxes or bags of books at one time, due to our very limited storage space. If you limit your books to those that we are more likely to accept, using this handout as a guide, you can reduce the number of books that we will return to you. If you have a large collection or library for sale, please call us to discuss the best time to come in, or to see if we can arrange a house call to review the books (if nearby).

Q: How much will you pay me
A: Less than you would like. Unfortunately, building expenses, wages and other unavoidable expenses don’t leave much in our budget for book acquisition. By constraining our cost of book acquisition, we can also hold our resale prices to reasonable levels. Details of the credit and cash payment amounts we generally offer are on the reverse side of this sheet. You can maximize your return by taking credit instead of cash for all books.
Q: Why won’t you pay me cash or credit for all of my books?
A: Some books fall into categories that we don’t stock (see reverse side for details.) We also cannot accept: (1) books that are not in good enough condition; (2) books that we already have if we can’t use more copies immediately (particularly contemporary fiction); OR (3) books that will probably not sell in our store quickly for a reasonable price.
Q: Can I leave my books even if you can’t give me cash or store credit for them?
A: Please don’t. You might donate your “rejects” to a local library or non-profit thrift store.

Architecture
Art
Classic literature (including Children’s/YA)
Collectibles
Firearms
History
Local interest (VA, DC, DC)
Military
Philosophy
Prize-winning titles
Science
Spanish language literature/kid’s books
Trains/railroading
Travel guides from 2004 or later
Vintage (pre-1961) paperbacks
Our need for books in other categories fluctuates but we generally are taking at least some books in all of the categories in the store.
Book Club editions
Most large “Coffee Table” photo books especially travel related
Computer program books
Diet books
Encyclopedias
Ex-library books
Graphic novels or comic books
Large print books
Mystery/thriller hardcovers/large paperbacks (small paperbacks are OK)
Non-fiction small paperbacks
Political memoirs
Reader’s Digest Condensed Books
Romances or Westerns
Sports books
Textbooks
Time-Life, National Geographic or similar series books
Travel guides earlier than 2004

Cash amount for Hardcovers: 15% of resale value, up to $4.50 per book OR take the trade credit amount for hardcovers: 30% of resale value, up to $9.00 per book.

Trade credit amount is 30% of resale value, up to $6.00 per bookPlease note that these amounts are the maximums we will usually offer. We may offer less, and will tell you if we are doing so, particularly if we are presented with more than three boxloads at a time to review (we discourage larger quantities). On occasion, upon request, we will consider offering higher dollar amounts for collectible books or other valuable books of special interest (e.g., signed by author, collectible first edition, large art book, leather or other fine binding).

Music:

We play music at the store but we don't buy or sell any. We'll be happy to tell you what we're playing anytime!

Movies:

Movies based on books...click me!

Television:

Take A look, It's in a book!

Books:

BOOK BANK'S IVENTORY ON WWW.ABE.COM

Upcoming Literary Events

We do NOT have any of the following rare books in stock, and we doubt we ever will:

1. The Birds of America; from Original Drawings
By John James Audubon (original, first) $5,616,000
2. Doria Atlas
Probably commissioned by Admiral Giovanni Andrea Doria $2,562,000
3. Autograph manuscript of Grosse Fuge in B-Flat Major By Ludwig Van Beethoven
$1,951,440
4. Three-Volume Bible in Latin $1,788,160
5. "All You Need Is Love" By John Lennon $1,214,400
6. World map in the form of globe gores By Martin Waldseemüller $998,448