Selling Us Books

Yes, we buy books! If you have books you would like to sell, please read the following information. We receive a high volume of inquiries about buying books and do not have the time to respond to every single message. 

Please note that we buy books by appointment only. No drop-offs at the store without prior arrangement, please! We are a small space constantly bursting at the seams, and we buy books very selectively. 

Here's how to sell us books:

  1. Read this page first to get a better idea of what books we buy. 
  2. If you think your books will be a good fit for us, send us an email with more information about your books. This can be a list of authors and titles or photos of the book spines. 
  3. We'll let you know which ones we're interested in reviewing them in person and set up an appointment.

Thanks in advance for your patience as our response might take up to a week. We're a two-person operation and reply to messages in order of receiving them.

Our Book-Buying Policy

We pay up to 30% of our listed price in cash, or up to 35% in store credit. For mass market paperbacks, this generally ends up being around $2-$3 per book. The actual amount we're able to pay will depend on demand, condition, and current inventory. If you have a rare book to sell, please reach out with more information (edition, condition, and so forth) and we will be in touch.

We also accept book donations. Get in touch via email or phone to confirm your books will be a good fit and to schedule a time to drop-off. We appreciate the support for our little independent bookstore.

Our Book-Buying Critera

The best way to get an idea of what we would buy is to come into the shop and check out our collection. If your books would fit in well with our existing authors and titles, it's likely we would buy them.

We are always looking for:

  • Theory and philosophy
  • Leftist political books, including ephemera
  • LGBTQ+ books (fiction or nonfiction), no matter how old
  • Books on nature, ecology, regional-specific gardening, and climate crisis
  • Literature in translation
  • Indigenous works
  • Contemporary literary fiction and nonfiction
  • Classic and subversive sci-fi and fantasy (Tolkien, Pratchett, Butler, Le Guin)

Some presses, publishers, and imprints we're always interested in:

  • Radical presses such as Haymarket, Verso, AK Press, and Between the Lines
  • Indie presses like Nightboat Books and Feminist Press
  • Penguin Classics
  • Semiotext(e)
  • New York Review of Books
  • Drawn & Quarterly, Fantagraphics, Taschen

Here are some example of authors of books that we would buy:

  • Rebecca Solnit, Judith Butler, Roxane Gay, Zadie Smith, Kurt Vonnegut, Angela Y. Davis, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Colson Whitehead, Colette, e e cummings, Simone de Beauvoir

Here are some examples of authors of books that we do not buy:

  • Dan Brown, Lee Child, David Baldacci, John Grisham

We do not generally buy books that are in rough condition, unless they fit in the above categories. We also do not accept popular fiction and thrillers, business or self-help books, old magazines or cookbooks, or encyclopedias. If you have these kinds of books and are looking to move them along, we recommend trying another used bookstore or donating them to a nearby thrift store. (Our choice is the Bissell Centre Thrift Store on 118 Ave. which supports important, much-needed work in our community, or Goodwill.)

House Calls

We do offer house calls for larger collections, especially academic ones. House call pricing may vary, as we also take labour and transportation into account. Please get in touch with more information about the books you have, and we'll make arrangements.