Powell's Books

Whether in-store or on-line, we buy books we can resell. Our bids are based on the expected retail value of the books we buy. That retail value is derived from the books' desirability, current and historic market values, in-print prices, conditions, and our current stock levels. We offer 20% more in Powell's credit (to be redeemed in our stores or online) than we do in cash at our stores or through PayPal online.

We are very particular about the condition of the books we will buy. Please take a look at our condition guidelines before sending your books to us.

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Pays via PayPal
Vendor Pays Shipping
Provides Shipping Label

Website:
http://www.powells.com/

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Rating	Date	Comments
	Jul 2010	My package was delivered via usps and i still have not received payment for my books yet. I called them regarding the problem and they said " we still have not received the books"
	Jul 2010	My package was delivered via usps and i still have not received payment for my books yet. I called them regarding the problem and they said " we still have not received the books"
	Jul 2010	Ya, they will try to tell you that you sent them damaged goods and not pay full bid just like everyone else on here says they will. Avoid selling them anything that anyone else will buy.
	Jul 2010	I send a small box of books every time I have $10-$20 worth. I've been doing this for just 2 months, have sent 6 boxes, and have encountered no problems. All goes very smoothly. I don't send anything I wouldn't be happy to receive in the mail myself.
	Jul 2010	At this point, the only books we send to Powell's are those no other vendor is buying, and none over a certain dollar amount. Have tried to resolve the inconsistencies with their receiving process to no avail. Have had new, sealed books marked as missing or broken spine. Sometimes the transactions are very smooth, sometimes not. If you only sell a few books once in awhile it should be OK.
	Jun 2010	Not a vendor to use unless you don't mind losing 1-2 books per order. Never had a problem with them until this past year. You can count on the highest priced book/s, usually those $4 and up, in the order to be rejected for "broken spine." Reading comments here, we're not the only ones. We've sold to them for years, know their standards, never had a book rejected until now...obviously they don't think their customers know what a broken spine is. Thankfully lots of other vendors more reputable available now.
	Jun 2010	I sold one book and was paid through PayPal about a week later. Smooth transaction.
	Jun 2010	My first transaction went smoothly and payment was quick.
	Jun 2010	I sent in about 20 books and got paid nearly the full amount, minus one mid-priced book that was rejected due to a "broken spine." Overall, I'm pretty satisfied. Like other people said they take a bit longer and shouldn't be expected to pay the full amount. I wouldn't send a book here unless their quote is at least 20% more than a comparable site.
	Jun 2010	Have sent in 4 rounds of books so far with good success. I have always accepted Powells virtual credit, not cash. They are very picky about the condition of the books, so make sure you read their guidelines before sending any in. Good e-mail communication. For those who are not familiar with media mail, make sure you pack your boxes with LOTS of padding. The postal service is generally abusive towards media mail boxes, and your books can get easily damaged while in transit. This will cause Powells to maybe reject your books, like some other feedback has indicated. Pack carefully, and it should turn out fine.
	Jun 2010	Send 3-5 orders per month, and only new or as-new books. No consistency with what's accepted or rejcted, EXCEPT lately the book with the highest quote on every order is rejected for "broken spine". Last month began taking photos of books sent, as proof of condition; sent in email to company but no response to date. Wonder who might be pilfering these books. Big disappointment.
	Jun 2010	Smooth sailing. They accepted my books, the quote matched the amount paid, and the communication was timely.
	Jun 2010	This company says it gives you the highest dollar for your books, but that is if they acknowledge that they receive your books and if your book is in "NEW" condition. Don't send your books here is you expect to get paid full price and DO NOT send your books to them with INSURING your package. They will say they never received your books and you are out the books and money.
	May 2010	An honest company to deal with. They had a period where payment was slow earlier in 2010 as they were inundated with books following a Washington Post article. Since then, very prompt processing and payment. Make sure you follow their condition guidelines, etc. I am are pretty careful (I've been a bookseller for 15+ years so understand conditions, editions, etc.) but they do reject about 1 - 2% of the books we send in; fair enough considering we are sending in quite a few boxes every month of books we do not wish to sell online ourselves.
	May 2010	I heard that Powells was most picky about the quality of their books. I sent 5 books--4 were accepted at full used price. One was marked down for highlighting, which I understood. Paypal payment was prompt, about 10 days after I mailed my box from CA. I tried both paypal and store credit (tempting at +20% of cash). Both worked fine.
	May 2010	I have sent books to Powell's several times with no problems, as they state in their terms books must be in good condition (no water damage, writing, bent spines, etc.)
	May 2010	I sent Powell's 5 books that few or no other vendors were buying. I knew some of my books weren't in the best shape and that I might not receive any money for them (I read Powell's terms and conditions). Nevertheless, for the books I did receive money for, the PayPal payment was sent quickly. There were only about 8-9 days between when I dropped my package off at the post office to when my PayPal account was credited. I only wish I could have found out which books I actually received money for (and the only reason I'm rating them 4/5). As for the books I didn't get paid for, I hope they're able to recycle the books because I had no use for them anyway.
	Apr 2010	This month I have shipped 3 orders and i recieved 3 payments in full with in 3-4 days after they recived them. Great company to work with.
	Mar 2010	At first, after reading the comments, I was reluctant to use this site. After using it for the first time, I would say that I wouldn't use this site often to sell my books. I've much rather sell them to those who will accept both new and used. They weren't as critical as I thought they would be, but they book does have to be in good condition, as if you just bought if from the bookstore. Powells took FOREVER to send me my money, about 4 weeks. I was about to call them because I thought I was getting ripped off. I received my payments for the other companies within a week of sending them. I'm still waiting for another box (25.95) to arrive, or for them to send some notice of it.
	Feb 2010	I found Powell's to be a little slow, but they did have the best prices of the sites I checked and bought books other sites didn't want. I also like their low minimums of 3 books or $5. The reason I gave only 4 stars is because they don't take book club books and those can be hard to identify. Though I checked my books carefully, I still got a cookbook rejected for being a book club book because I couldn't tell it was one.
	Feb 2010	I love Powells...I send them my books and I get paid for them. They have such a large collection of books to choose from as well.
	Feb 2010	I mailed my books 4 weeks ago today, and to date, their site still shows my shipment as "not yet received." I sent shipments to 3 other companies besides this one, on the same day and received payment from all three within a two weeks. I'm wondering if I will be taking a loss on the books I sent them....it's not looking good. Will post again with an update.
	Feb 2010	The only good thing about this company is that they pay very quickly via PayPal. I sent them 12 books(a total quoted price of $38.50), they only paid me $20.00! I called the company to inquire about the remaining amount. They informed me that 8 of my books were below their standard. All of my books were practically brand new! I will not sell my books to them again! My advice: unless your book is wrapped in shrinkwrap, do not sell to them because they will not give you the full amount quote!
	Nov 2009	First off I'd like to say that payment was received very quickly. That however is the only good part of this company! I sent 12 books that all met Powell's requirements and were virtually brand new. I was offered $63 and only got $20 for 5 books. All of the other books were rejected even though they deemed them to be in "good" condition. As for the 5 they did accept, I didn't even receive full price for them. I have sold to a lot of different sites and this was the first time I used Powell's and it was the first time I have never received full price for my books. Don't get ripped off, use someone else!
	Nov 2009	Sold 14 books to Powell's in Oct. They were very quick to issue payment but did reject one book that I thought was in the best condition of the bunch. It was also the one for which they had bid the highest price. I had read their condition requirements and all the comments so I knew they are extremely picky. I actual held several books back as I figured they would be rejected so I'm not sure, with such diligence on my part, what I missed with that one. So don't just evaluate your books once. Give them a second look while you're packaging them for shipment. If you find something you overlooked before, pull that book and note it on the invoice.
	Oct 2009	I just started selling to various companies, having been paid for a box to Powell's with another on its way. But already I find that Powell's has excellent customer service. Whenever I emailed a question to them about the particular condition of my books, about something not addressed on their website, they responded quickly and in detail. The only exception was one particular respondent, who only redirected me back to their website. This is nice, especially when compared to some other companies that either didn't respond to my questions at all and instead redirected me back to their website, or took a long time to reply. I love the fact that Powell's will buy many of the books (like novels) that other companies won't, and for the books that are sought after by many other companiesthat they seem to pay more than other companies do. I only wish that Powell's would use something faster than USPS Media Mail and that they would cut checks so I don't have to give a portion to PayPal. But still, I'm very happy with them so far.
	Oct 2009	I love this company. They pay the quoted price in a timely manner. They pay a high price for a huge selection of books.
	Oct 2009	Shipped Powells 13 books in one box via Media Mail (using their free label) all the way across the country from Virginia. Received payment for the full quoted price in less than a week. It's important to read their conditions guidelines and not send anything in marginal condition. I send them only copies that are in like new condition. Considering that they buy titles no one else does, and that they pay better for many titles that others buy, I can live with restrictions on condition.
	Oct 2009	I recently sold some books to Powell's for the first time. Compared with four other online book buyers I've used (CKY, WeBuyYourBooks, Textbooksrus, Bookbyte), I have to say that the only reason I'd sell to Powell's again is because they buy numerous books that nobody else does. The four other bookbuyers that I have previously used all cut checks to make good on their offers. However, Powell's makes the seller go through the unnecessary hassle of setting up a PayPal account just to get the payment. Moreover, I did not receive payment for one book in excellent condition simply because the dust jacket was missing. While the dust jacket qualifier is noted in a single sentence at the very bottom of the exhaustive multi-page list of exclusionary criteria on the Powell's web site, it is pretty subtle. What really burns me up though is Powell's policy that "Books sent in error or in a condition that prevents us from reselling a book will not be returned to the seller. Books sent in error that Powell's cannot buy will be donated." I had to chuckle at that because there were several other online bookbuyers who offered almost as much as Powell's did but didn't have a dust jacket requirement. I wonder if Powell's will donate my book to one of those other online bookbuyers for almost as much as they offered me? Ouch!
	Oct 2009	I am very satisfied doing business with Powell Books. I have been selling for about 6 months and have only had good experiences. I enjoy selling to Powell and highly recommend them to anyone wanting to sell as well. Ms Starr
	Oct 2009	I sell quite a few books, but had avoided Powell's until recently. On the first shipment, they rejected a book that THEY qualified as "good" condition, just like the others in the shipment. It was in good condition and would've been accepted by most any other used book buyer. Apparently, used books you sell them -- even if they grade them as "good" themselves -- must have no highlighting whatsoever in them. Disappointed.
	Oct 2009	I had 54 items in two orders, and they accepted 53, rejecting only 1 for condition - they received my shipments promptly, processed them in a timely manner, and PayPal was so fast on the second order that I got my PayPal e-mail a minute before my Powell's e-mail - I'll continue to use Powell's
	Oct 2009	I have completed 2 transactions in the past month and they both went very smoothly. I would definitely use Powell's again.... :-)
	Oct 2009	I sent a set of books with a couple I thought might get rejected as a first-time seller's test. They took all the books I sent, so I was pleased, and now have a better idea of what they will take. The time it took to get my order processed and payment sent to PayPal was longer than I would have liked so I only rated them 4 stars.
	Oct 2009	It took Powell's well over a month to let me know they had received my books. Although I sent all of my books in one box, they claimed that over 2/3 of the books were missing. Being that I personnally packed and shipped the box after triple checking the packing list, there is no possible way the books were not in the box. I received only a quarter of the payment quoted and am very disappointed in this buyer. I have previously sold books to three other buyers and always received the quoted payment in two weeks or less.
	Oct 2009	I placed a book buyback order on Sept 11th. Sent the books out via pre-paid media mail on Sept 16th. The books were recv'd and I was issued a payment via paypall on Sept 30th. Good Customer Service as well when I emailed them a question. Great to deal with. A+
	Sep 2009	I sent in my books and was paid within 2 weeks at the price they quoted me. I will use them again.
	Sep 2009	I sent my second batch of books and with in 10 days I recieved my money in my paypal account. And it was right before labor day.
	Sep 2009	there were good. they are very pickey about condition. i would use them again any time a+
	Sep 2009	After reading the comments I have wanted to leave a few observations: 1.) the Media Mail label has an e-tracking number on it that you can check through the USPS website. DO this - it took over a week from receipt verification through the post office before it showed as received in my account tracker. However, I DID get paid the same day it posted as received from their warehouse. 2.) they are very picky about condition - hands down. If you even THINK they might reject it, they probably will. Powell's has been great so far. After 5 shipments I have had no issues. Will keep using them.
	Sep 2009	Have sold to them three times and was pleased with every transaction. I will say that in some cases they don't pay as high as some others.
	Aug 2009	Stay away from Powell's! Per Powell's web-site, books sent to them will be processed within one to two days of receipt. I sent my books with shipment confirmation so I know Poewll's received my books 6 days ago. They have yet to acknowledge receipt. When I called to ask why they have not acknowledged receipt, I was told that they are behind and it will take at least four weeks for them to process sold books. I asked why this was not posted on their website and I was very rudely told that they would post what they wanted on their website, acknowledge receipt when they wnted to, and process the books when they wanted to. These comments were from "customer service". I also sold books to Abes and to Textbooks.com with no problem. Books to Abes were shipped two days later than the shipment to Powell's and Abes has already paid me. Textbooks.com promptly acknowledged receipt of the books.
	Aug 2009	I sent them books and they paid me what they had promised fairly quickly.
	Jul 2009	This company is in my top 3 to use. They are picky about quality but they are quick to pay.
	Jul 2009	I just sent off my 150th buyback package! I have been doing business with them as well as several other companies . I like almost all the other companies but Powells is my Favorite! It takes a while to process but I do so much business that I never go very long without money coming in.I have had a handful of books rejected but after hundreds and hundreds of books...who could complain?
	Jul 2009	I sent Powell my books that were all in excellent condition. They rejected some of my books because they were book club editions. I never saw on their site that they did not accept book club editions. Why? They were in perfect condition. It also took a long time to get the books processed.
	Jul 2009	I mailed a box and a padded envolope on the 30th of june and I recieved emailed today stating that they just recieved both packages and it was processed and money was in full in my paypal account today...will do more with this company.
	Jul 2009	Prompt payment, however, good conditioned books are rejected. It makes me question Powell's integrity. I sent two books that were never read and they rejected them. On the other hand, I bought used books from them that were yellowed and NOT in good condition.
	Jul 2009	Rejected a book that was in nearly new condition. It had never been read. I won't be sending them anymore books.
	Jun 2009	Powell's Books is a great company! My money was sent to my paypal account in about a week and a half. They did reject 4 of my books but still recieved $30.50 of the $34.50 offered. Overall this is a great company to sell your books to! I would highly recomend them!
	Jun 2009	Free media mail shipping, accurate offer, fast payment, good online tracking. Although media mail is pretty slow, I received my payment within 9 days of shipping the books. Their email after reviewing included detail on their classification of each book's quality ("Good", "Broken Spine/Hinge - Good", etc.). I got an online offer of $53 for my books, and received $49 after evaluation. The downgrades on 3 of my books were justified. I'd definitely use Powell's again.
	Jun 2009	Powell's overpromises on bids. I shipped three boxes of books. Although my books met Powell's guidelines of acceptable conditions, I was offered $240.00, but received only $155.00. They kept all books they deemed "unacceptable".
	Jun 2009	I've sent 2 boxes of books and received prompt payment from Powell's! I will definitely use them again!
	Jun 2009	I expected more from Powells. They accepted and paid for all of my books except for one, which they rated in "poor" condition. It definitely was not -- I would not have sent it to them if it were in poor condition. The advantage for them is that they get to keep any books they reject... so if they reject just one book from each shipment they receive, they are accumulating quite a nice collection of free books. I will not deal with them going forward. There are other, more reputable dealers to sell books to. I would have made more of a profit by selling my book at a yard sale, than to Powells. They basically stole my book.
	Jun 2009	I sold 3 boxes of books to Powells before I discovered bookscouter, and was surprised to find their rating was only 3 stars (at the time, now 3.5 stars.) As others mentioned, I think part of the issue is that they are pickier than some sites about condition. They recently added alot more info to the section of their site that describes what is acceptable in terms of condition, including large, clear color photos, to illustrate some of their criteria, which is very helpful. I think if you check that part carefully, you'll know in advance if they'll take your book & avoid disappointment. They are willing to buy more books than other sites and often pay more. At least for the type of books I'm selling, they are one of the two top sites I sell the most to. They respond quickly to email and are easy to reach by phone.
	Jun 2009	I have sent about 10 shipments and out of about 200 books they only had an issue with 1. Of course they took a few weeks to get me my payments but they have more than me to buy books from so as long as your patient this is the place to sell books!
	Jun 2009	Would recommend. I just got paid for my 2nd shipment to them and they paid 100%, like my first. It took 2 weeks, so I am not sure they process them within 1-2 days from receipt like their site says. I only live 50 miles away, and even with Media Mail they should be there within a few days, but I was in no huge hurry, and will sell to them again.
	Jun 2009	I Would Recommend. They Are Very Picky, But They Tell You That Upfront. Do Not Send In Former Library Items.
	Jun 2009	I received 100% payment 10 days after shipping about them 50 books. Would recommend!
	Jun 2009	I have been selling to Powells for almost 8 months now...and have sent them over 40 shipments (sometimes only a few books...but as many as 100 books in an order before). They are great because they take books that no one else is buying and they offer far more for the books then I can get anywhere else. I have gotten up to $20 for just one book before (and I got the full quoted price)! They have reduced my total value of pay from their quoted price for about 70% of the shipments, however my pay is normally only a difference of a few dollars at most. And I have had many other book buying companies reject a few books in my order before...so my pay being different from my quote is no new thing. Besides, what is a few dollars less from a total order quote when they are paying a few dollars for EACH BOOK that I can maybe can get only 25 cents for elsewhere? Powells is also great because they pay quickly through paypal or you can get store credit (with an additional 20% bonus credit for choosing your pay in store credit)...so you can get money for yourself or get other books from them (or movies...which they ship for free). I highly recomment Powells...just make sure your books are in good condition before you ship them.
	Jun 2009	They're pretty picky about condition. But payment is reasonably prompt, and I like that they pay with paypal.
	Jun 2009	highly recommend
	Jun 2009	BE CAREFUL THEY WILL RIP YOU OFF!!! I have sent them several boxes of books. They paid part of their offer on the first box and claim not to have received the other two--even though I have proof of delivery. Be safe, sell to honest buyers--don't use Powells
	Jun 2009	I've had no trouble with this company. The paid the amount they said they would and when I needed customer service they were very quick to respond to my questions.
	Jun 2009	Very good store. Better than other companys i have sold to. I got paid by Pay Pal a few weeks after I sent my books which is what I estimated. They rejected one book out of 15 but I am sure they inspected the books thoroghly and I didnt. I only dusted them off, put them in a box and shipped. I think the site is easy to use. Will sell again to them soon.
	May 2009	I sell to this company quite often and they are fabulous. Only a couple of times they did not think the books were in as good of a condition as I did. They are my first choice to sell books to. Now with paypal or store credit.
	May 2009	my experience with powell's books. EXCELLENT
	May 2009	After reading all the negative feedback about Powells, I decided to give them a chance, anyway. What I found out was the negative feedback IS warranted. I sold them 4 books, all of which were in excellent condition, 2 never had been opened before. They rated them as in "good" condition and therefore reduced the amount they quoted me by 1/3 e.g. if quoted $30 you are paid $20 instead. I have been selling books for a while now and have sold with out any problems to cash4books and jitterbooks. They have received the same quality books from me and have always paid the full amount as quoted. Cash4books also pays a 3% bonus for using paypal and jitterbooks offers a daily $50 prize to the highest $ amount sold, which I won last week. Seller beware - i packaged my books with bubble wrap and in a box that was sturdy. It also took over 3 weeks for them to post that they received my books when the others took only 2 and payment was received the same week. Yes Powells does accept books other companies don't, but it doesn't do you any good, if they're not going to pay you what they quoted - In my humble opinion, this is a bait and switch scam they have going on. Just as a side note, Powells site is very difficult to navigate, sort of like jumping through hoops to get to the buy my books section.
	Apr 2009	I sell books all the time, and while they often display some of the best prices - I have yet to be paid the quoted price. Both orders I have sent have been adjusted downward by 26% and 39% respectively for some supposed flaw with my books. What is really interesting is they rejected one of my books for water damage, even though it was Brand New in shrink wrap from Barnes and Noble.
	Apr 2009	I read some of the March feedback and although it was quite negative, they were the only ones buying these titles so I sent them about 35 books and waited to see if I would be terribly disappointed. I was NOT! It took about 2 weeks to get paid, they paid exactly what they said they would and took all of my books. I would do business with them again.
	Apr 2009	I am NOT a fan! They were very slow to process my books and took longer than most to pay. They are WAY too picky about which books they will buy as has been said by others. I too have had a problem with them judging my books improperly. They do take more books than others, BUT they are way too picky and if you want to pay to have your books shipped back to you you can't. They donate your books that you could have resold! I would do business with them ONLY as a last resort. Keep looking for somewhere else to sell would be my suggestion.
	Apr 2009	It has been a month and I still have not received a payment from Powells. I made the mistake of sending them a large order of books too. I was expecting $171 in my paypal. They still say they have not received my books yet. The other companies I have delt with got my books and processed them right away. I hope they pay me for these books. I will not use them again.
	Apr 2009	I will not be using this company again. They chose to pay for just a few of the books I sent them and rejected the rest based on their condition. The books were generally in wonderful condition and I question their criteria. If it's been read once, don't send it in! I got much less money than I expected and they conveniently keep the rejected books, too. I represent a non-profit group and I'm afraid I lost them money on this deal.
	Apr 2009	Be very careful when dealing with Powells. I've had two bad experiences with them and will never deal with them again. I actually tried them because I used to live in Portland, OR and liked their store but they are definately lacking in honesty when it comes to the buy back mail in program. They offer better up-front pricing than many online stores but it doesn't do you any good if they say the book is damaged (one was brand new!) or is the wrong book (it wasn't) so they don't pay you. Not the same company they used to be!!!What a disappointment.
	Apr 2009	similar experience to last commenter...lots of excuses to not buyback the more expensive books if you send back multiple books. they do pay quick b/c of paypal but if you send a large order, don't expect the full quoted price.
	Mar 2009	I will never do business with this company again. I have successfylly sold books through a dozen different companies with no problems at all but this transaction was different. Not only were they slower than most, they rejected 3 of my books stating they were not in good condition. One of the books was brand new and I had not even read it. They were all in very good condition and were packed very carefully. Be very careful in dealing with this company. There are too many other excellent companies to choose from.
	Mar 2009	They do take books that others don't but they can change in hours, I have about 5 books they said they would buy and then when I went to sell they were no longer needed and I also noticed that they are rejecting more books, and maybe they were damaged in shipment but they certainly are getting really really picky, I only send in clean books and it is hard to fight them on things since they are so far away, kinda annoying. they do pay paypal but they take a little longer to process, I have had a few shipments get paid before the bigger ones. They will reject for ANY highlighting which is not what others do, one or 2 lines and you lose the money they do not ding you in paypal which is great I wish they fedex or ups, but they do take alot of books and I recommend but be careful they have a few really picky people opening the books
	Mar 2009	Payment was slow. They could not find one of the books I sent. Out of the $15 worth of good-quality books I mailed, I received $5 in my paypal account.
	Mar 2009	Powell's now offers payment via PayPal. My transaction was smooth and quick. Using the pre-paid media shipping takes a little longer than regular shipping, but it's hassle-free and FREE. They even took a few books that I would have never imagined anyone wanted anymore. I would definitely recommend Powell's and I will surely use them again.
	Feb 2009	Powell's seems to give the most for books - but in store credit only. And shipping will eat up about $3 for just one book. So keep that in mind. But you do get your credit in a reasonable amount of time.
	Jan 2009	They take many books no one else will. Customer service is good as well. I am glad I have $300 in credit but I kind of wish it they went Paypal sooner and I had $225 in cash. Oh well at least I never have to buy a book again.
	Jan 2009	Powell's Books is now paying for books through PayPal!!!! It looks like they have just changed their policy of just giving store credit. I prices they pay are really great.
	Jan 2009	Very good results! Only issue was a bit slow on processing sale - possibly due to the holiday season. Will go with this company again!
	Sep 2008	Awesome place for stocking up on store credit and using the credit for gifts very fair on prices of book as long as the book are in good shape
	A while ago	Takes many books everyone else won't, but only offers online store credit. Still, better than having a bunch of dead weight books. They pay for the media mail shipping too. I recommend that you dump your excess unwanted books here.