Hal's Books

Discussed here is how I grade my books. eBay has recently changed book condition categories to Brand New, Like New, Very Good, Good, Acceptable. All older listings have been automatically changed by eBay to Acceptable to replace the New/Used categories of the past. I am in the time consuming process of correcting that.

Like New – just as it says. Note - even a new book stored on a bookstore shelf may have some very minor wear such as a slight dust jacket edge page curl
Mint – almost like new; no obvious defects but you just know it’s not new; e.g. it may have been read once
Excellent – some very minor defects such as slight shelf wear or small nicks on the dust jacket. Would be fine for a gift if an older or scarce book.
Very Good – has some defects but generally those that are typical for a book its age
Good- complete and usable but obvious defects such a markings, small page tears, cover edge wear
Fair – not in very nice condition; may have large tears, separated hinges, missing a page or two
Poor – really bad condition

For "in-between" books, I use + or -; e.g., VG+. I try to avoid fair and poor books but there are some relatively scarce books in good or very good condition with fair or poor dust jackets. If a bad dust jacket bothers you, you can always throw it away if having it is not important to you.

If there is a big difference between the dust jacket and book condition, I will rate each separately. In most cases a book is in better condition than the dust jacket. I do take age into account for very old books. A 100 year old book may be rated as excellent while a five year old book in the same condition may be rated very good.

I have listed well over 10,000 books on eBay. Is it possible that I have missed an underline on a page or an owner name on the inside back cover? Of course. I try to avoid such things, but they can happen. So far, it has been very seldom. If you get a book that is not accurately described. please contact me and I'm sure we can get the problem resolved.

Because of the subjectivity of describing condition, those who are very concerned about condition should contact me first before bidding in order to get more details.

My Detailed Seller Rating of 4.9 for the Description category is testament to the care I take to accurately describe the content and condition of the books and items I offer. I promise to do everything possible to maintain that record.