Appraisals

We are available for valuations and general appraisals (USPAP compliant). We are not currently offering appraisals for IRS/tax purposes.

An appraisal is a service, conducted in compliance with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP), intended to address specific needs, such as insurance (initial coverage or loss claims), probate, or charitable donations. We determine the fair market value of your books, then provide you with formal, written documentation, in compliance with USPAP, attesting to that value. As this carries a high level of responsibility on our part and requires considerable time and resources, it can incur significant expense. We do not recommend appraisals for someone who is simply curious about the value of a few old books or wants to sell them. Most old books are just old books and not worth the expense of an appraisal.

A valuation is a general estimate of value. It is not a formal, USPAP-compliant appraisal and includes no official documentation. In giving such a valuation, we are not acting in the capacity of a formal appraiser. This incurs less expense on your part, and we recommend it if you simply want a rough approximation of value for your books in order to determine their disposition.

We charge a fee for all appraisal or valuation services. These are done in person by appointment. The fee for our service is in no way dependent on the items’ value. Therefore, it must be understood that there is no guarantee that the items' determined value will meet or exceed the cost for their appraisal or valuation. To avoid conflict of interest, we will not purchase, or take on consignment, items for which we have already provided an appraisal or valuation. We might, however, offer to purchase or take on consignment items before conducting an appraisal or valuation for them.

Our fee for in-store valuations is $25 for the first one to five books and $5 for each additional book. To save you unnecessary expense, we conduct a rough initial cost-free screening to eliminate items having little or no significant market value.

Our fee for all appraisals or for in situ (in-place) valuations is $95/hour.

In addition, for appraisals or in situ valuations requiring more than one hour travel time, we charge a flat fee of $100 (per visit) for travel time, plus expenses. If overnight, we charge a flat fee of $100 for travel time, plus $100 per diem, plus expenses. Zoom is a possible option for in situ valuations, but not for appraisals.

Please be prepared to answer the following:

• What is your intent?
• How many books do you have?
• Where have the books been kept (e.g., in an attic, basement, closet, barn)?
• Have the books been exposed to cigarette smoke, moisture, or pets?

And, for in situ appraisals or valuations, all the above, plus:

• Are the books on shelves or in boxes?
• Is there wi-fi at the location of the books?