FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

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Where do you get your books?

The majority of our books are brought to us by our customers and book fans. Many people choose to donate their unwanted books to us because they want to support their local bookstore, and help us keep the prices low and the doors open. However, when you bring books in, we also offer 20% off your purchase of used books that day.

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How does the 20% off work?

When you bring books in, you are always offered 20% off used books on the day you bring them in.

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Why do you not give trade-in credit for books?

We used to own a bookstore in Washington, where we did trade-in credit for a long time. It was a very emotional and costly practice. It was emotional, as customers would sometimes struggle to understand why we could not take a book, or why their book was only worth a small amount when they had initially paid full price for it. This caused tensions between the booksellers and customers that made the whole bookstore experience unpleasant. It was also a costly practice, as trade credit could not pay the rent or keep the lights on. The landlord and electric company required money, which was very hard to come by when we used a trade credit system! When we switched to the donation and 20% off used books system, our business became stable almost immediately, and customers seemed very happy with the new system too. We also found we were able to lower the price of our books, since the overhead had decreased significantly. We are grateful to be able to use this system still, and so happy when we see a donation come in!

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When do you take donations? How many books can you take? What if you can’t use them?

We are so grateful and happy for book donations, that we want to make it as painless as possible for you! You can drop off and bring in donations at any time during our open hours, and bring in as many as you want. We will not make you sort through them or put any additional effort into bringing us books. Sorting and the like is what we do best! If we find that we can not put some of your books on the floor due to condition, age, or quantity, we always pass the donations forward to several different charities. We give to the friends of the library, the local veterans organizations, local homeschooling groups, and other non profits as we are able.

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Do you guys host events?

We believe a local bookstore is a community hub. There is always something going on at Back Again! We host author events, kids events, books and brew, sidewalk sales and more. We work hard to keep the website updated, but it is best to follow Back Again Bookshop on Facebook or Instagram to make sure you are always in the know. You can also submit your email in store to get on an email list!

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Can you order new books for me?

Absolutely! We can either order them for you from the store, or you can purchase them yourself on our website. Either way the books can be sent directly to your home, and Back Again will receive a share of the purchase price to help keep us strong.