Business Policies.
I treat my customers as I would wish to be treated.
Returns.
Any book may be returned for a full refund, including postage, should it be damaged in the post or not as described. Should you wish to return a book due to any other reason then I am more than happy to refund the cost of the book but will not refund the postage. Please contact me by email before returning any book. As a distance seller based in England I abide by the law, in this case the Distance Selling Act 1974 and your statutory rights as laid out in English law.
Book Grading.
My overall terms are as follows:
Mint
This means the book and DJ look brand new under close inspection. Handling marks are unacceptable. The book and DJ must be perfect. The slightest fault moves the book into the Fine grade. Note that this is a grade I virtually never use!
Fine
The book & wrapper look new at first glance. More intense inspection will reveal minor wear and signs of handling that are acceptable but tears in the DJ will degrade it to Very Good, the spine may have marginal stress lines. If the book is on a shelf and you can see a fault, it degrades to Very Good.
Very Good
A good clean book and wrapper. However, further inspection reveals further faults such as: light shelf-wear; handling wear; fading and/or tanning; lightly dog eared pages; inscription; bookplate; light bruising; light reading creases to the spine; light foxing; light soiling. A Very Good DJ will be just that, but may have very small tears, slight fading or ruffled edges.
Good
A Good book is one that has notable faults such as hinge weakening, spotting and fading. Any faults will be noted with both the book and the wrapper. If collectable then this is an acceptable copy, if not then it is an acceptable reading copy.
Poor
I rarely list books in this condition unless they have re-binding potential, are rare and/or collectable or have notable reference materials. Occasionally a book will be described as "Poor - too many faults to list" and, no, this is not laziness (well, not entirely) but a conscious effort to convince a buyer that this is barely a reading copy. Most books will have the notable faults listed.
I do not sell books with missing covers, or pages. They are recycled into newsprint.
Note:
Some times a book is really of a higher grade but is let down by some particular fault. If this is the case then I always describe that fault, for instance a Fine/Fine but with a ding to the upper board would be an example.
I also have a grade peculiar to myself. This is Good - An Acceptable Reading Copy. I hope that this is self explanatory. The book is complete, all text is present but it ain't one I'd put in a display cabinet... if it is not acceptable to you then my usual guarantee applies of course.
I prefer not to waffle on about what a lovely copy this is, my grading states that in the overall grade and I only note those faults that I would feel prospective customers want to know and, indeed, those that I myself would like to know should I be buying that book.
Packaging
I use a combination of packaging depending on the book in question. Paperbacks are, if of lower value, sent in Mail Lite jiffy bags but more valuable and heavier books are:
- Wrapped in kraft brown paper
- Wrapped in bubble wrap
- Wrapped in heavy duty fluted card
- Taped correctly and inserted into either a jiffy bag or a box depending on the weight / size of the book.
I do not use recycled packaging.
Environmental Issues
I care about my environment and do my best to minimise my impact. As I buy several thousand books a month those of unsuitable quality are sent to a paid-for recycling unit to be shredded and turned into news print. I dispose of all recyclable materials ethically.
Privacy Policy
My web site uses an order form for customers to request information, products, and services.
I request visitor's contact information (name, address, and email address) and financial information (payment information to make purchases).
Contact information from the order form is used to ship orders to customers.
The customer's contact information is used to contact the visitor when necessary.
Financial information that is collected is used to bill the customer for products and services.
My web site has security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse and alteration of the information under our control.
We use 512-bit SSL encryption to protect your financial information and your details are not stored on systems accesible via the internet.
We provide users the following options for removing their information from our database and to not receive any future communications from our service.
You can send an email to dgs@SecondHand-BookShop.co.uk
You can write to the following postal address.
David Gower-Spence
The Second Hand Bookshop
Post Office, 12 Bath Road
Peasedown St. John
Bath
BA2 8DH
England
You do not have the option to change and modify information previously provided on line. To do so you must contact me.
I don't share your information with anyone. I may, occasionally email you about a special offer - if I do you have the option of opting out of any future emails of course.
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