If you are thinking about donating books please consider following these simple donation etiquette guidelines:

• Please do not leave donations outside the shop while it is closed.
• Please read the list of things I definitely do not want and remove them from your donation box before bringing it in.
• Please do not bring in more than three boxes at a time. My shop is small and my space is limited.

Prompting the creation of these guidelines was what I returned to on my first day back from a much needed vacation.

I was less than thrilled by the sight. I know whoever left this donation had nothing but good intentions, after all, donations are a very important part of my business. But this sort of donation is not helpful. Here’s a list of reasons why:

1. The bags and boxes were left there for multiple days and at least one of those days it rained… a lot. Wet books are unsellable books.
2. Many of the books in this donation were on the list of items I definitely do not want. This list does include water damaged books.
3. Aesthetics. Left as it is, this donation makes the front of my shop look like a garbage pile. This is not good for my shop or for the neighbourhood which already has issues with empty store fronts and a lack of visual appeal.

Thank you for reading through this entire post, for understanding why not all donations are good ones, for considering donating to my shop, and for your support.