Selling Your Books!

 

Guide to "Selling" Used Books at Volumes

*We buy back used books for store credit ONLY*

Receive between 10-30% back on the original book price.
Did you purchase it at Volumes? You could receive up to 40%*!

Call 773-697-8066 or email us at info [at] volumesbooks.com to schedule an appointment. You can always

1. Take a photo of your stack of books and email us. We can usually tell you right away which books we will take (save your back from carrying too many). 2. Bring your stuff in. We might not get to it right away, but we will have you fill out a small form and let you know the results once we are done!

Why only store credit?

That is just how we do things.

Can I ask for cash instead?

Nope. There are several other bookstores that offer cash in the city. We are not one of them. Plus, there's a good chance you'll receive MORE in store credit than you would in cash.

How does the store credit work?

You can either put the money on a gift card or we will store the information in our system. You can then use the credit on new books, coffee, etc..

What kind of books do you offer store credit for?

We buy books based on the needs of our store at the time of purchase. We only buy books we feel are able to be resold. Due to changing market conditions and inventory levels, it is impossible to say what we will be interested in on any given day. However, as a general guideline, Volumes tends to like literary fiction, poetry, sci-fi/fantasy, history, lit crit, recent memoirs, social justice, LGTBQ and children’s books.

How do you determine the pricing on a book?

A number of ways. We look at the age, the type, the condition and whether we think we can sell the book in our store. 

IF you purchased the book At Volumes, and you either can provide proof of purchase or have an buyer reward account with us, you could receive up to 40%. 

*A current government-issued photo ID is required*

If we don’t choose to take all of your books, you are required to take them back with you. We have several suggestions of where you can take them:

Open Books

Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood

Chicago Books to Women in Prison

Bernie’s Book Bank

What kind of books do you not take?

Type: Antique books, encyclopaedias, textbooks, damaged books, library books, self-help, diet books, religious texts.

Condition: We do not accept damaged books (covers bent, drawn on, spilled on, pages written on or ripped) hardcover books without a book jacket, mold/mildew, stained, cat peed/chewed or taped books.

Do you just take donations?

Yes, within reason (we aren’t a large store)! If you have a large amount of books you’d like to donate to us for sale, please call ahead of time 773-697-8066