About Us

Why BookThrifting.com?

What about us makes BookThrifting.com different? We’re readers helping readers—and sellers, too. Our journey began with a simple frustration: finding an affordable, good-quality copy of a book club read was harder than it should be. We noticed how today’s big book-selling platforms prioritize profit above all, often leaving both buyers and sellers feeling unsatisfied.

That’s where we decided to step in.

BookThrifting.com was founded on the idea that book lovers deserve a fair deal, and so do the people who sell them.

While large sites chase profits to satisfy boards and investors, we keep things simple and personal. We’re a community-focused marketplace, offering sellers a place to list their books for a small insertion fee. Our fees are just pennies a month to get your items seen by thousands of people a week. We give readers better prices and direct access to those hard-to-find treasures.

Our Mission: Quality, Fair Prices, and Personal Service

Our mission is straightforward: we care about making buying and selling used books easy, affordable, and rewarding for everyone involved. Sellers on BookThrifting.com can make a fair profit without dealing with hefty fees.

Buyers enjoy the personal touch and unbeatable deals that come from shopping small. By keeping our costs low, we’re able to bring buyers and sellers together with no need for complex algorithms or inflated pricing.

BookThrifting.com is built on a simple concept that works for everyone. For a few pennies per listing, we’re creating a community where readers and sellers connect over a shared love of books.

A Marketplace, Not a Merchant

At BookThrifting.com, we connect buyers and independent book vendors by providing a trusted platform where transactions happen safely and directly. When you purchase a book here, you’re buying directly from the vendor, just as you would on a marketplace like Facebook or Craigslist. Our role is simply to bring readers and sellers together.

Smooth and Secure Transactions with PayPal

For a smooth and secure buying experience, we’ve integrated PayPal as the payment gateway. PayPal’s trusted payment processing ensures that every transaction is protected, allowing buyers and sellers to exchange funds with confidence. However, BookThrifting.com itself doesn’t handle payments or inventory. Instead, we give vendors the tools they need to list their books and reach readers. While buyers enjoy the assurance of dealing directly with each vendor.

Think of us as a community-oriented platform, similar to Craigslist, rather than a retailer like eBay. We’re here to support connections between book lovers and sellers, with a simple, hands-off approach that allows each transaction to be a direct exchange between buyer and vendor.

Return Policy

At BookThrifting.com, we serve as a trusted liaison between buyers and independent sellers. Each seller is free to set their own return and refund policies.

Each seller has a custom shop page where they can outline their specific terms, philosophy, and policies. This transparency allows you to understand each vendor’s approach before making a purchase. This lets you choose the book and seller that best match your needs.

All Vendors are USA-Based

To enhance trust and streamline your experience, all vendors on BookThrifting.com are based in the USA. That’s not about having anything against non-USA vendors. But by working exclusively with U.S.-based sellers, it allows us to streamline our processing for low-cost efficiency and provide the following benefits:

Reduced Processing and Shipping Times: U.S.-based sellers allow for faster, more predictable shipping and handling times, helping you receive your books without delays commonly associated with international shipments.
Identity Verification: Our vendor sign-up process includes identity verification for all U.S. sellers, so you can shop with confidence, knowing each vendor has been carefully pre-checked.
Simplified Payment: Restricting vendors to the U.S. allows us to avoid complications with currency exchange rates and international payment processes, making transactions more straightforward and reliable.

Again, we keep it simple so we can keep our expenses low and pass those savings on to vendors. But if we learn that buyers and sellers really want international elements we can readdress our services and fees to provide it. Just let us know!

Making Informed Purchases

For a positive buying experience, we encourage you to review each seller’s return policy, as well as their ratings and reviews. This lets you see their commitment to quality and service, allowing you to make purchases with full transparency and peace of mind.

BookThrifting.com User Conduct and Enforcement Policy

At BookThrifting.com, our mission is to create a trustworthy, fair, and enjoyable environment for all users. To support this goal, we take vendor and buyer conduct seriously, especially as it relates to fraud, unethical behavior, and repeated violations of trust. This policy outlines how we address incidents of potential misconduct and the steps we may take to protect our community.

1. Warning and Investigation Process

Initial Warning: For minor or isolated incidents, a warning will be issued, outlining the nature of the issue and recommending corrective actions.
Investigation: If a report is filed against a buyer or seller for serious or repeated misconduct, we will conduct a thorough investigation. This investigation will include a review of all available information related to the incident.
Supporting Evidence: In certain cases, we may supplement our investigation with an online search of publicly available information regarding the individual’s past conduct, particularly if there are claims of fraud, bad faith actions, or a pattern of unethical behavior.

2. Policy Violations

Fraud and Misrepresentation: Any attempt to deceive or mislead other users, whether through item misrepresentation, inaccurate descriptions, or falsifying transactions, is strictly prohibited.
Abuse of Return Policies: Taking advantage of return policies to exploit vendors unfairly or repeatedly returning items without legitimate reasons will not be tolerated.
Unethical Behavior: This includes, but is not limited to, intimidation, harassment, or attempting to manipulate reviews, feedback, or policies to gain an unfair advantage.

3. Escalation and Ban Criteria

Repeated Offenses: Users who consistently engage in unethical or bad-faith behaviors may be subject to suspension or permanent removal from the platform.
Determination of Bad Faith: We believe that good people sometimes make mistakes, but bad actors reveal a pattern of character over time. If an investigation reveals an ongoing pattern of fraud, manipulation, or harassment, the user’s account will be permanently banned.

4. Protecting Our Community

BookThrifting.com will take proactive measures to ensure that both vendors and buyers are protected from harmful practices often overlooked by larger platforms.
No Unlimited Patience for Fraud: We aim to foster a community where honesty and good faith transactions are rewarded. Users showing repeated lack of integrity or character will be permanently banned to preserve the quality of our community.

By using BookThrifting.com, you agree to adhere to this policy and understand that we reserve the right to issue warnings, conduct investigations, or remove accounts based on our findings. Our commitment to a safe and fair marketplace means that while we are understanding, we also take repeated, malicious actions seriously.

Thank you for helping us build a trusted community of readers and book enthusiasts.

Need Assistance?

If you have any questions or concerns regarding a purchase, BookThrifting.com is here to help facilitate communication with the seller. Contact us if you need assistance or if you feel someone is not operating in good faith. The same is true of buyers as well. We are here to faciliate the best buying AND selling experience we can.

At BookThrifting.com, our goal is to create a trustworthy marketplace where buyers and sellers come together through clear, reliable policies tailored to our vendor network.