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We’re always looking to buy books.

Here are some of our most frequently asked questions:

What books do you buy?

Anything interesting. There are lots of books out there and we have limited space, so while there are no hard and fast rules for what we buy and what we don’t, here are some general guidelines:

Good titles, good condition. Literary fiction, serious non-fiction, kids books, books that teach you how to do things, beautiful books, classics, poetry (both rhyming and non-rhyming), fine bindings, peculiar topics, cookbooks and field guides, whatever you have been studying for years (either for work or for yourself), pulp covers, and much more.

We also buy Lego ($4/pound for as much as you care to sell us), board games, maps and autographs, records and DVDs.

What else do you have? We might buy that, too.

Here’s what we don’t buy. Romance novels, diet and stock market books, dummies/idiots guides, anything that smells like cigarettes or mildew, textbooks from before last year, books promoting guns/bombs/racists & Nazis, and bland ordinary books that you can’t even remember how you got. We also pass on current, popular books sometimes, if we have lots of them around.

When can I bring books for you to review?

We buy books every day (mostly). You can bring them in the front door and we'll look at them as soon as we can -- at the moment, not everyone who works here is buying books, so we may ask you to leave them overnight, if one of our experiences book buyers is not currently in the building. Please call ahead (540) 373-6148 if you'd like to see if it's a 'same-day' day or a 'we'll call you tomorrow' day. 

Do you pay cash?

Yes, we pay cash. We will try to tempt you with store credit by offering a higher amount, though.

I have a whole library I need to sell. Can you come to my home?

Yes. We purchase single volumes as well as entire libraries. We are not appraisers, but we can tell you what we would offer for your books. Please call or stop by the store to set up a time.

I have a family bible I'd like repaired. Are you currently accepting book repair jobs?

A few. Please email us (riverbybooks@gmail.com) or bring it in and we'll let you know. 

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