Policy
Collection, Ownership & Payment Policy
Plainly stated, so you know exactly what to expect before handing anything over.
I.
Ordinary Collections
Most collections fall into this category. When an ordinary collection is accepted, ownership of the books transfers to us. No payment is normally made for ordinary collections unless a different arrangement has been agreed upon in advance.
Once transferred, books may be:
- kept in the collection
- resold
- donated
- given away
- recycled
- otherwise responsibly disposed of
There is no guarantee that individual books will be sold.
Why not consignment for everything? Sorting, researching, storing, photographing, listing, packing, and disposing of books all take a great deal of time and space. For most collections, the occasional sale doesn't cover that work — which is why ordinary collections are accepted outright.
II.
Valuable Collections
Collections containing meaningful resale value may be accepted on consignment instead. For consigned books:
- you retain ownership until the book is sold
- sale proceeds are divided according to the agreed consignment percentage
- payment is calculated from net proceeds
- terms are agreed upon before any books are sold
Net proceeds, defined
Sale price minus direct transaction expenses such as marketplace fees, payment-processing fees, shipping paid by us, authentication costs, or auction-house expenses.
How we usually decide. These are general guidelines, not guarantees:
- Collections with relatively modest expected resale value are normally treated as ordinary collections.
- Collections with roughly $500–$750 or more in realistic resale value may be considered for consignment.
- Individual books that look likely to sell for about $100 or more get a closer look.
- Unusually valuable individual items may receive their own negotiated arrangement.
Our trust policy
Unexpected Valuable Discoveries
Occasionally, an ordinary collection contains something unexpectedly valuable. Although ownership of an ordinary collection has already transferred to us, we believe significant discoveries deserve special consideration.
If we discover an item from an ordinary collection that we reasonably believe could sell for approximately $250 or more, our general practice is to contact the original owner before selling it and discuss an appropriate arrangement.
This exists for one reason: so that giving us your books never feels like a gamble against you.
III.
Consignment Structure
A typical consignment arrangement uses a 50/50 division of net proceeds. For higher-value material, the owner may receive a larger percentage.
A worked example
- Book sells for
- $300
- Marketplace / payment fees
- − $45
- Shipping expense paid by us
- − $15
- Net proceeds
- $240
Owner receives (50%)
$120
Aftershelf receives (50%)
$120
Aftershelf's portion pays for the work behind a sale: research, valuation, photography, listings, customer communication, storage, packing, shipping, time spent finding the right buyer — and the risk that a book may remain unsold.
For particularly valuable items, especially anything that may be worth $1,000 or more, terms may be negotiated individually. In some cases a specialist dealer or auction house may be the better route, and we'll say so.
See the draft agreement forms for how this is written down.
Books are meant to have more than one life.
Send a few photographs. We'll take it from there.