What we look for:

  • Books in very good condition that are clean and intact

  • Popular fiction & unabridged classics across all ages & genres

  • Interesting non-fiction topics with no outdated info

  • Textbooks only if they are current and/or highly specialized

  • Unscratched, unabridged audiobooks on CD

What we avoid:

  • Books with writing, underlining, or highlighting

  • Books with stains, warping, or damage from moisture

  • Books with large or difficult-to-remove stickers on the cover

  • Ex-Library books

  • Advance Reader Copies or Uncorrected Proofs

  • Book Club Editions (smaller hardcovers)

  • Hardcover Romances or Serial Romances

  • Magazines

  • DVDs or Music CDs

Used Book Trade Process & Guidelines

  • Barbed Wire Books offers trade credit for your gently used books. We do not offer cash. Trade credit has no cash value and cannot be converted to cash.

  • Trade credit may only be applied toward the purchase of used items bought from our store inventory. This includes books and audiobooks.

  • Trade credit may not be used on new books, consigned art/jewelry, cards/gifts/other merchandise, or special orders (regardless of whether the book is new or used).

    • Essentially, if the item did not come into our possession through a customer trade transaction, it cannot be purchased using trade credit.

  • Your credit is stored in our computer, can be used immediately, and will never expire. To use your credit, just let us know you have an account when you are checking out.

  • The decision on what books to take from a trade will vary depending on the time of year, current inventory levels, etc., but our basic guidelines are summarized in the sidebar to the left.

  • The books that we cannot take will be given back to you. We are unable to accept donations or abandoned books — unfortunately we no longer have any direct “business-to-business” sources for donation so it is challenging to dispose of books we do not need. However, any of the charities in town would be happy to accept the leftover books you bring to them.

  • We do not require appointments and there is no limit on how many books you may bring in at one time. We process trades in the order they come in and we start working on them immediately.

  • The length of time to process will depend on the size of your trade, the number of booksellers available, and how many other trades are ahead of you, but we complete them as quickly as possible. Our “busy times” vary from day to day and week to week. We do request your patience in processing your trade.

  • Unless you are only trading a couple of books, please transport your books in something sturdy, and leave them inside the boxes/bags - our booksellers will sort and filter them directly from their containers. Remember that we likely will not be able to accept everything, so you’ll need something to carry out your leftovers!

  • Please make sure a bookseller is aware that you’ve brought in a trade, and that you’ve provided your name and phone number to us.

  • We usually ask that you browse in-store until your trade is finished, so that you may take your remaining books with you when you leave. On very large trades, or during extremely busy times, we may ask for you to give us an hour or two and return later in the day. If you must drop them off, please return as soon as possible (preferably same-day) to retrieve any books we were unable to take. We are very grateful for our customers who promptly pick up their boxes, bags, storage bins, etc!

  • Any exceptions to our guidelines are at Kathe’s discretion - please discuss with her before bringing in your books!

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