95% of the merchandise on the shelves at McKay Used Books comes from people like you. Yes, you. We pay people like you cash or trade credit for most of the items on our shelves. People (like you) go through their old cool stuff and bring us the things they can live without, then our buyers use proprietary software to determine the pricing of each individual item. The greeters will then tell you what we can offer you for your items.

Firstly, don’t worry about it. We have first time traders every day, and we’re always happy to explain the process.
1. Figure out what you’d like to trade in.
2. Load it in a box or bag(s) – 3-4 copy paper size boxes per day per adult.
3. Load it in your car (bike, backpack, whatever works for ya).
4. Scoot on over here during incoming trade hours: at least one hour prior to closing for most items, 5pm for holidays and electronics/cartridge games.

5. Bring valid photo ID with current address.
6. Grab a black wagon if you want the assist bringing your items inside (note that the red shopping carts do not leave the store).
7. Enter the check-in line to speak with a Greeter at one of the check-in windows.
8. Read through the agreement posted on the wall – this is the legally binding agreement you enter into when you leave your items with us.
9. The Greeter will tell you the basics and answer any questions, then give you our bins – up to 3 or 4, depending on the day (more details below).
10. You must transfer your items into our bins – this is how we keep track of everything, and allows more than one Buyer to work on your order at once, if you bring in multiple bins.
11. Ensure you get either a text or a paper ticket before you leave the check-in window.

11. Decide now if you want to see what we may not have taken, or purchased, from what you provided to us. You have the option to see those items, and take them back again as long as you return within three(3) hours (or 5 minutes prior to the close of business that day) of getting your check-in text or ticket. Our offer is final exactly three(3) hours after check-in, so if you have expectations of what you think the payout should be, come back within three(3) hours. After three(3) hours (or the close of business, whichever comes first), we cannot return anything to you.

12. The four-letter word on your ticket or text will be displayed on the screen on the wall above the agreement once it is “In process,” and then it will show when it is “completed.” If you opt to receive a text, you will receive a text when completed.
13. Enter the check-in line again, and when called, come to the Payout window. The greeter will tell you the options, which will also be displayed on a screen for you to see. You will be offered trade credit, perhaps a combination of Blue (limited) and White (unlimited) trade credit, and you may be offered another choice which could include cash/check/PayPal payment along with trade credit. You will need your valid photo ID to claim payment. More details below.

You may bring in your merchandise 7 days per week up until 1 hour prior to closing, or up to 5pm on holidays.
Please note that occasionally we have to stop or delay accepting incoming trades due to the size of the space available for processing, or the time available before we close.
Large orders (more than the daily allowance) are accepted as space allows.

Up to three (3) bins on weekends and holidays, or four (4) bins on weekdays, per adult. Our bins are measured at 18″x13″x12″.

For larger quantities (up to 8-10 file boxes), please inquire with the Greeter if a Large Order Bin is available. Large Orders are limited and accepted on a first come, first served basis. There are no reservation or holds available. We are only able to check for available Large Order Bins if you are present. A Large Order contract is required, as well as a phone number that we can text upon completion of the order. Your party/organization is able to check in one Large Order at a time, up to once per month. It will take up to two weeks to complete the Large Order. After you receive a text that your Large Order is complete, payment must be claimed in person within 30 days. Your payment will reflect the items that we anticipate will sell on the salesfloor to other customers. If there are items we are not able to accept, they will be recycled and not returned.

The short answer is, as soon as it is ready! Ask the Greeter when you check in how long it will be, and they will give you a rough estimate. The order status is posted on the screen on the wall in the check in area, and if you receive a text, you will receive a text when the order is complete.
You must claim the payment in person, within three days of dropping off your items. Valid photo ID with your current address is required.

Everything is based on supply and demand. The higher demand we have for it in our store, the more we will pay for the item. The lower the demand, the lower the payout.  Our prices range from 15 cents to $50 and our payouts are a portion of the selling price. Lower and general demand items usually yield trade credit with no cash option while higher demand items will offer a cash option. If there is a cash option, any amount over $30 will be issued in the form of a check or PayPal.

We price each item individually, based on the demand we see for it in our location. It is not unusual for it to differ from the price you might find at an online retailer. Our focus is on serving the customers that physically walk in the door to browse for fun new treasures, not on what AI told the internet it is worth. We are constantly reviewing and updating our pricing and working toward better each day. Accordingly, the prices, and therefore the payouts, can fluctuate. Books by the same author can have different values, even books from the same series can vary greatly in price and payout. Due to the nature of supply and demand, we offer cash/check/Paypal payment for limited items only, and we offer trade credit for everything.

1. You might want to try selling it yourself online, first. We will not pay you as much as you might see things listed for online. We are a used bookstore, selling things at a used value. We will offer you a portion of the price for which we hope to sell it.
2. Tell the Greeter when you first check in. They can advise as to whether we offer cash for that category of item at all.
3. Don’t go far. You have three (3) hours, or up until we close that same day, from the time you receive your ticket or text confirming your order to reject the offer and reclaim your items. We do not have sufficient space to hold your items longer than three (3) hours, including items will not be held overnight.
4. Be patient. Each item is individually priced – during the Buyer Evaluation. This means that the price stickers must be removed if they are returned to you. In addition, all items are sorted into their sections within a few minutes of the Evaluation, which means we will need to gather them together again to return them to you.

• Fiction Books
• Non-Fiction Books
• Text Books
• Children’s Books – must be free of writing, stamps, and stickers on the exterior. 
• Literature and Classics
• Comic Books & Graphic Novels
• DVD & BluRay Movies
• Audio Books on Compact Discs(CDs)
• Music CDs
• Vinyl Records
• Board Games, Jigsaw Puzzles, & Wooden Children’s Puzzles
• Video Games -Disks and Cartridges* (newer and retro systems)
• Video Game Controllers (name brand, newer and retro systems)*
• Video Game Consoles mainly Retro!– we do not accept PS4, PS5, XBOX 1, XBOX S, XBOX X*
• Magazines based on movies, music, or gaming
• Action Figures & Funko Pops
• Beanie Babies, stuffies based on video games, books, or movies , and Squishmallows
• Matchbox sized Diecast cars
• Nerf Brand Nerf Guns
• Magic The Gathering, Pokemon, and Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards
• Legos, bulk and sealed sets. Legos must be clean.
• New/Factory Sealed Craft & Activity Kits

_{*Electronics, controllers, and cartridges can be checked in up to 3 hours prior to closing. You must have a valid photo ID and a phone that can receive text messages.}

If the condition is not good enough to loan to a friend, we will not offer you payment for it. For example, please consider:

• Is it water damaged, or wet?
  • No, thanks
• Is the spine broken?
  • No, thanks
• Did your child write or draw on the pages or cover it with stickers?
  • No, thanks
• Does it smell like cat or cigarettes?
  • No, thanks
• Are there bugs?
  • No, thanks
• Is it a children’s book? We have some special criteria for those, link below!
  • Children’s Books Guidelines

Some things we just don’t see demand for, and so we do not take them in. It’s never personal, these are rules that apply to every customer equally, with the only exception being Resellers (see Reseller FAQs here)

• General stuffies with no relevance to gaming, books, or movies
• National Geographic Magazine (We only carry magazines geared towards music, movies, and gaming)
• Reader’s Digest Condensed Volumes
• Library books or rental copies, current or discards
• Books missing items that are there when purchased new
• Encyclopedia sets
• Pornographic materials
• XBOX 1, XBOX S, XBOX X, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5 consoles
• Items with exposed/repaired wiring
• Time Life Series Books
• Books containing excessive highlighting or writing
• Fiction and Kids books missing dust jackets
• Disk items without complete cases
• Records without inner and outer sleeves
• VHS/VCR Tapes

McKay Used Books is intended for the end user – the readers of books and players of games – not resellers. Resellers are permitted to shop while following the following rules. Any abuse of these policies will result in the reseller’s party being removed from the premises, potentially permanently. McKay Used Books reserves the right to change these policies at any time.

1. Resellers and those shopping with electronic devices may shop from 9am to 10:30 am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday only.
2. You agree to purchase items that you or your party place in your cart. You may not collect items and park a cart to look through them later. Check items as you shop and return them to their original location if you do not intend to purchase them.
3. Staff must be given space and time to put items on the shelves. Please wait for staff to vacate the area prior to shopping in those areas. Merchandise may only be shopped from our shelves, not from carts of Staff members. 
4. Shelves must be left clean and neat.
5. Price stickers may not be tampered with in any way.
6. All electronic devices must be on silent mode at all times.
7. A group of resellers is limited to three (3) bins of incoming merchandise each weekday. There are no trading hours for resellers on weekends.