Fair means a fault the seller has named, and it prices books at about 45% of the top grade: $1 to $303 across this category (about £1 to £225). A named fault: a split spine, loose or missing pages, water staining, or heavy highlighting through the text.
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 Good Books and one step down is For Parts Books.
What books are worth here
| Grade | Share of top price | Typical range |
|---|---|---|
| Good | about 65% | $2 to $438 |
| Fair | about 45% | $1 to $303 |
| For Parts | about 25% | $1 to $168 |
Guide ranges, not quotes, at £1 ≈ $1.35 (August 2026). All five grades.
What pulls the price down at this grade
- Art Books — Foxing on plates, which is very visible
- Childrens Books — Crayon marks, tears and missing pages
- Comic Books — Spine ticks and colour-breaking creases
- Cookbooks — Kitchen staining and splatter marks
- First Edition Books — Later printings described as firsts
- Graphic Novels — Creased spines from reading
- Hardback Books — Missing dust jackets
- Manga — Broken spines and creased covers
- Paperback Novels — Cracked spines and yellowed pages
- Rare Books — Missing dust jackets, which can slash the value
Listing at the Fair grade
Photograph the split or the marked pages and say how many are affected. A study copy with honest highlighting still sells well.
Shots that carry the most weight in books:
- Art Books — The spine and board edges
- Childrens Books — Any complete series grouped together
- Comic Books — The spine, showing any ticks or colour breaks
- Cookbooks — The spine, showing any cracking
On a typical $152 listing, a marketplace charging 20% takes $30, one charging 13.6% takes $21 and one charging 10% takes $15. WishThrift charges neither side, so you keep the whole $152. Listing is free.
Browse books
See every listing at the Fair 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, Good, For Parts.
Common questions
Are any pages missing or loose?
Still readable from cover to cover, but with damage that a buyer will notice on the first opening and must be warned about.
What is the difference between Fair and For Parts books?
Anything falling short of Fair is graded For Parts Books.