Good is the grade most second-hand books are actually sold at — roughly 65% of top price, or $2 to $438 across the category (about £1 to £325). Read, complete and sound: every page present, binding holding, no water damage. Loose pages or a split spine put it in Fair.
Where the line falls
Books fail at the spine and the edges: the glue cracks where it is held open, the corners bump, and the paper browns from the outside in.
For comparison, one grade up is Like New Books and one step down is Fair Books.
What books are worth here
| Grade | Share of top price | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Like New | about 85% | $2 to $573 |
| Good | about 65% | $2 to $438 |
| Fair | about 45% | $1 to $303 |
Guide ranges, not quotes, at £1 ≈ $1.35 (August 2026). All five grades.
What to check before you buy
- Art Books — Check the copyright page for the printing
- Childrens Books — Sort by reading age and photograph the bundle
- Comic Books — Check the indicia inside for the printing and date
- First Edition Books — Photograph the copyright page in full
- Manga — List which volumes you have and identify any gaps
- Paperback Novels — Group by genre or author and photograph the bundle
- Textbooks — Check the edition number against the current one
- Vintage Books — Open the covers and check the hinges for cracking
- Art Books — Inspect the plates for foxing
- Childrens Books — Check every book for drawing and torn pages
Listing at the Good grade
Say whether the dust jacket is present and whether the price is clipped. On collectable editions those two facts move the price the most.
Shots that carry the most weight in books:
- Paperback Novels — The whole bundle laid out with titles and spines readable
- Rare Books — The book closed, front board, straight on
- Textbooks — The front cover straight on
- Vintage Books — The book closed, front board and spine
On a typical $220 listing, a marketplace charging 20% takes $44, one charging 13.6% takes $30 and one charging 10% takes $22. WishThrift charges neither side, so you keep the whole $220. Listing is free.
Browse books
See every listing at the Good grade, or the whole Books category at every grade. The grade is the seller’s own; WishThrift does not inspect or verify items.
Other grades in books: New with Tags, Like New, Fair, For Parts.
Common questions
Is the dust jacket present and unclipped?
Creased spine, bumped corners, browned page edges, and possibly a previous owner’s name inside the front cover.
What is the difference between Good and Fair books?
Anything falling short of Good is graded Fair Books.