About - List Books - Buy and Sell Second-Hand Books

About this Site

I set up List Books to allow anyone to sell their second-hand books online. As someone who reads a fair number of books I was beginning to run out of shelf space and throwing books away after having read them only once seemed a waste, especially as they'd last for years. Going online I saw there were several places I could list my books but most either charged so much it cost almost as much as the book to list them or the services just didn't work well. So I rolled up my sleeves and built a site to sell my books. Great for me, but not much use for anyone else. Besides, I also liked the idea of finding second-hand books I could buy (the services were limited and/or expensive again). So I set to work building List Books to give everyone the ability to offer books they no longer wanted.

The site is completely free to use and hopefully it'll prove useful, if it does, please don't forget to tell others! The more people know about the site the more useful it becomes (more buyers, more sellers). I make no money from it so have nothing to spend on advertising, it's all down to you guys telling other people, grass roots marketing at its finest.

Regards

Lee

Friends of List Books

The following sites have been very supportive of List Books and I would like to extend my thanks to them. If anyone else out there is working hard to promote List Books and would like a link, drop me a line.

Questions

Answers to some of your possible questions.

How the site works
How do I buy a book?
How do I list my books?
Book listings
How much does it cost to list a book?
How is condition judged?
How is postage calculated?
How long is the book listed for?
How long does it take for my books to appear on the site?
Using the site
I've forgotten my password/username, what do I do?
I can't login, what could be the problem?
What do I do if my order doesn't arrive?
General
Why sell your old books?
Why use List Books?
Who built this site?
What about my privacy?
What guarantees do I have?
How do I complain?
How is this site funded and who owns it?

How do I buy a book?

Buying books from List Books is easy. You don't need an account to buy a book, just click the Buy link on any item page and you will be taken to a page where you can fill in your name and email address, when you click send, it emails the seller to express your interest in that item.

The seller will then get back to you to confirm the item is still for sale and state the options they offer for taking payment. You (the buyer) then pay for the book, either by sending a cheque (for offline payments) or via an online payment service such as PayPal/Nochex, depending on the seller.

Once payment is received, they will post the book to you. Once they've done this, they should mark the item as sent and you will receive an email (to the email address you used to contact the seller) telling you the book has been dispatched.

There will also be a link in this email for you to click when you receive the book. This link will take you to a page which allows you to provide feedback on the seller.

How is condition judged?

Excellent: As new condition, barely marked, if at all.
Good: Slight marks, signs that it has been read.
Normal: Well used, but looked after.
Poor: Usable, but only just.

Why sell your old books?

The amount of money you make from a typical mass market paperback won't make you a millionaire, so why bother? Well, selling your books can offset the expense of buying them in the first place, small amounts add up over time, you could donate the profits to charity (the charity shops near me are always saying they will not accept any more books), it'll clear some shelf space, it'll save trees, it'll allow people to read books they may not be able to otherwise (because they're out o print for example) and it'll help make reading even more affordable (£7 a book soon adds up when you read as much as I do).

How is postage calculated?

Postage rates are all calculated at standard Royal Mail rates in line with the changes that came into effect on 21st August 2006. Prices are for the UK, for European and International prices, please contact the seller to see if they would be prepared to send it overseas.

How much does it cost to list a book?

Absolutely nothing. Listing something on List Books is completely free and I'm dedicated to keeping it that way (for individuals at least). The only charge you'll incur is if you use one of the recommended online payment services. For more information on that check out the NoChex and PayPal sites.

How long is the book listed for?

At the moment, indefinitely. Books will remain up until they're sold, though you may want to review your pricing if they haven't been bought after a while and we may send you an email about books that have been listed for several months, but we don't plan to remove them at any point.

Why use List Books?

There are a number of options available to people who want to sell their books but unlike most of the others it doesn't cost a penny to sell via List Books. Amazon will charge you x% of the price of the book you sell, eBay takes x%, Abebooks charges a monthly fee and takes x% commission. If you're selling expensive books or large volumes that may be acceptable, but when you want to offer books for very low prices (or free if you wish) it can force the price much higher.

Who built this site?

I did.

How do I list my books?

Just drop by the registration page and fill in the details, you'll be sent a validation link by email which you need to click and then you can login to your account, complete the user details and start listing books.

How long does it take for my books to appear on the site?

Any new listings appear instantly.

What about my privacy?

As a major spam hater myself I promise to keep your details private and never sell or knowingly disclose them to anyone else. As for emails from this site, we have an optional monthly newsletter you can subscribe to, but if you do not wish to register for that you will only receive email concerning system problems/updates, your account (sales notifications, reminders about unsold items, etc) and possibly offers that I believe members will find useful (I promise to keep these to a maximum of one a month).

What guarantees do I have?

Unfortunately, none. This site is merely an advertising medium, it plays no part in any transactions that take place and cannot help except to provide information from our transaction history where appropriate. We ask that everyone uses commonsense in any transaction arising from a listing on this site. Generally people are honest, but it pays to be cautious.

If your transaction was made via one of the recommended online payment services, please raise any disputes with them directly.

What do I do if my order doesn't arrive?

If you do not receive an item please start by contacting the seller. If they are unresponsive you can contact me and, if I have the time, I may look into it. If you get no response from the seller I would advise contacting your payment service (your bank for cheques) and see about cancelling or withdrawing payment.

How do I complain?

If you have a complaint about a specific user (and you have already tried contacting them directly) then please send me an email with specific details and I will decide whether to suspend their account or not (after hearing their side of events). For other complaints, please contact me and I will address them as soon as I can.

How is this site funded and who owns it?

The site was designed and is owned and operated by Lee Penney. The site is funded from my own pockets. You can help with the burden by either using my affiliate link when buying through Amazon or by donating. I currently carry no advertising but if you have a product or service you want to advertise on this site, drop me a line and I'll think about it.

I've forgotten my password/username, what do I do?

As long as you remember the email address you signed up with you can simply use the visit the password reminder page and have your username and reset password emailed to you.

The user authentication system for the admin section uses cookies which are stored on your machine to confirm who you are, disabling cookies in you browser will stop this from working and you will not be able to login and use the admin section. Some privacy/spyware tools which are designed to block or manage cookies can also cause problems. Personally, I know that cookies are not dangerous and provide very little information about you, so I have no problems allowing them, but it's up to you, click here to find out more about cookies.