Do you buy textbooks?
No. Many teachers, and particularly textbook authors, look upon the reselling of complimentary desk copies as an ethical gray area, and many departments dislike having textbook dealers lurking in the hallways. We've found it simplest to stay out of the textbook trade.
How much do you pay for books?
This is a question I can only answer after looking at your books and assessing their resale potential. I can promise to pay substantially more money than you will be offered for the same books by your local used bookstore. Furthermore, I do all the packing and lifting. You don't even have to stand up.
What percentage of the in-print price do you pay?
Given that a book can be in print for $25.00 yet available used on Amazon for one cent, the publisher's list price isn't helpful. Furthermore, when we buy hundreds of books in an afternoon, it's not practical to propose a separate price for each title. We size up the collection for overall desirability, count the books, and make an offer on the lot.
Do you buy journals?
Regrettably, no. With the onset of the digital age nearly every university library and many senior academics are unloading runs of journals, but they're extraordinarily heavy, take up vast amounts of shelf space, and the market for them is slight or non-existent.
Don't I come out ahead by donating the books to a library and taking the tax deduction?
Probably not. If you donate to your university library a book for which you claim a value of $100.00, you're allowed to deduct 35% of that amount from your taxable income. So, if you're in, for example, the 25% tax bracket, the reduction in what you actually pay is only 25% of $35. But if you sell your books to Michener & Rutledge, I box up the books, do all the lifting, and leave you with a check in hand, probably in an hour or less.
Do you do appraisals?
No.
No. Many teachers, and particularly textbook authors, look upon the reselling of complimentary desk copies as an ethical gray area, and many departments dislike having textbook dealers lurking in the hallways. We've found it simplest to stay out of the textbook trade.
How much do you pay for books?
This is a question I can only answer after looking at your books and assessing their resale potential. I can promise to pay substantially more money than you will be offered for the same books by your local used bookstore. Furthermore, I do all the packing and lifting. You don't even have to stand up.
What percentage of the in-print price do you pay?
Given that a book can be in print for $25.00 yet available used on Amazon for one cent, the publisher's list price isn't helpful. Furthermore, when we buy hundreds of books in an afternoon, it's not practical to propose a separate price for each title. We size up the collection for overall desirability, count the books, and make an offer on the lot.
Do you buy journals?
Regrettably, no. With the onset of the digital age nearly every university library and many senior academics are unloading runs of journals, but they're extraordinarily heavy, take up vast amounts of shelf space, and the market for them is slight or non-existent.
Don't I come out ahead by donating the books to a library and taking the tax deduction?
Probably not. If you donate to your university library a book for which you claim a value of $100.00, you're allowed to deduct 35% of that amount from your taxable income. So, if you're in, for example, the 25% tax bracket, the reduction in what you actually pay is only 25% of $35. But if you sell your books to Michener & Rutledge, I box up the books, do all the lifting, and leave you with a check in hand, probably in an hour or less.
Do you do appraisals?
No.
Michener & Rutledge Booksellers, 1865 N. 500 Road, Baldwin City, KS 66006 USA