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What to Donate

Books, Movies, CDs, Audiobooks, Collectibles

Donations of books, movies, music CDs, used laptops and other items are 100% tax deductible! 

Please ensure all items are in excellent, almost AS NEW condition.  
During an in-store donation or a home pick-up, we will take a quick survey of the books (please scroll down for drop-off and pick-up information).  We can only accept items we know we can use - we will not take books that are in poor condition or out-of-date.  It costs us a lot of time and effort to dispose of unusable books, so please understand that we cannot accept these.

We need:

--Children's books - both hardcover and softcover

--Hardcover and softcover fiction.  We have to be very picky about ADULT HARDCOVER FICTION (it is very difficult to donate hardcover fiction novels to shelters, prisons, etc.).  In hardcover format, we are only seeking the more literary authors (i.e., Nobel Prize in Literature winners, authors such as Philip Roth, Salman Rushdie, etc.) as well as classic literature).  We will accept hardcover fiction from more popular authors (i.e., John Grisham, Janet Evanovich, etc.) as long as they were published in the current year or last year.  Please give us a call if you have questions about your hardbacks

--Hardcover and softcover non-fiction including art, cookbooks, history, foreign language, psychology, sports, coffee-table books, nutrition, self-help, music, etc.

--Encyclopedia Britannica sets from the year 2010 to the present

--Movies - DVD, Blu-Ray and classic or obscure VHS (meaning old movies on VHS - pre-1970; or very limited release more obscure movies)

--CDs - music, instructional, videogames, etc.

--Audiobooks on CD

--Used laptops, digital cameras, cell phones, etc.

--Collectible items such as antique or autographed books, vintage magazines, comic books, memorabilia, figurines, jewelry, watches, etc. are very useful - we will auction them and use the proceeds to fund our programs.  You will receive a tax-deduction for the full auction value of the item!  


We do not need...

--Hardcover fiction without a dust jacket, hardcover fiction with a torn dust jacket

--Textbooks more than three years old. This includes high school and collegiate textbooks

--Travel guides more than four years old.

--Romance novels in paper or hardback

--Ex-library books 

--Book Sale "Leftovers"

--Yellowed or damaged books. Please also keep an eye out for cracked spines, loose pages, and "foxing," which looks like little yellow or brown spots across the top edge of the book's pages. Also, books that have been stored for a long time in a basement or attic could possibly have book mold across the top edges of the book's pages. Again, just something to be aware of.  This climate kills books.

--Magazines, with rare exception

--Outdated books - including business/management/real estate books older than 6 years; politics or current events older than one year; any edition of "What Color Is Your Parachute" besides the current edition; think-tank/policy speciality books unless they are from the current year; items that look dated or just plain old (unless antique) 

--Lastly, please be aware that we may not be able to use books with highlighting or underlining


Items may be shipped to or dropped off at our Used Book Store in Washington, DC or to our Book Sorting Facility in Fairfax, VA.  

Please CALL AHEAD before dropping off books at either location, and keep in mind that there may be a short wait (we're getting very popular!).

Store
Books for America - a Bookstore with a Purpose
1417 22nd Street, NW (near the corner of 22nd & P NW in Dupont Circle)
Washington, DC  20037
202.835.2665
For directions, click here

Hours:
Monday - Saturday 10am-6pm
Tue, Wed & Thurs until 9pm
Sunday 11am-5pm

Warehouse
3829 Pickett Road
Fairfax, VA  22031
703.323.0152 (please be sure to call first to ensure we are there)
For directions, click 
here 

Hours:
Mon - Fri 9am - 4pm

We have a pick-up service if you have more than 50 items.  We currently serve:

  • Washington, DC
  • All Northern Virginia locations inside the Beltway (Rte. 495)
  • All of Fairfax, Oakton, Vienna, Tysons Corner and Burke
  • Northern Virginia locations up to three miles outside the Beltway (applies to Springfield, Alexandria, Great Falls, McLean)
  • Bethesda/Chevy Chase, MD

For larger quantities we will go even further!

Please email 
info@booksforamerica.org or call 202.835.2665 with questions.