When making a listing on PangoBooks, you'll be asked to select a condition. Our conditions range from Poor at the bottom to New at the top. Below is a description of what each condition means. If you are unsure about the condition of the book you are selling, don't hesitate to reach out to our Support team for help.
When listing a book, the bottom line is that is always better to be upfront about issues with a book than to end up with a disappointed buyer once it sells. The best way to mitigate any issues regarding listing condition is to include many photos in your listings and ensure that your sales are well-packaged to prevent any changes in condition while in transit.
New: Books in New condition have never been read and are exactly as they come from the publisher. New condition books should be unopened, flawless, and still in protective packaging where applicable. When a buyer buys a book in New condition on PangoBooks, they are expecting to receive a book as though they bought it new from a bookstore. If you have a book that is flawless but you’ve opened or read it at all, it does not qualify as New.
This condition is intended mostly for professional book retailers and distributors, and authors selling self-published books directly.
Like New: Like New condition is intended for books on your shelves that are more or less the same as a new book from a retailer. Like New condition books should show no signs of wear on the pages or cover, and be completely free of any markings, folds, notes, or other signs of use. If you bought a new copy of a book and read it once very gently, or maybe just opened and paged through it a bit, it can count as Like New.
If there are any signs of use or if you are unsure, consider classifying your listing as “Excellent” instead.
Excellent: Books in Excellent condition are still in great shape overall but can show signs of having been read. These books may not be quite as “crisp” as those in Like New condition but are still free of any obvious defects. Excellent condition books should also be free of any sun-damaged or discolored pages, notes, highlights, dog ears or damage to the spine.
If you have a book with a minuscule issue or two but that you would still consider as Excellent, be sure to describe the specifics in your listing photos and description.
Good: Good condition books may have some flaws or signs of wear, but nothing that affects the book’s readability. Old library copies with added stickers, outer sleeves, or markings on the inside cover can qualify as Good, as well as books with some bends in the corners or mild cracks in the spine. Good condition books may also contain some notes in the margins or highlights, but if these sorts of markings are persistent throughout the book, it is likely better classified as Fair.
We recommend including additional photos in your listing of any issues to ensure that both you and the buyer are on the same page about the book's flaws.
Fair: Books that exhibit obvious imperfections or damage but are still totally readable should be classified as Fair. Compared to Good condition books, those in Fair condition will be more outwardly worn with more severe cracks or bends, and with more prevalent markings and highlights. Books with mild water damage should be classified as Fair. Additionally, books missing the original dust jacket should be listed in Fair rather than Good condition in most cases, especially for newer publications.
While books in Fair condition will have some damage, they still should have all pages intact. If the book is missing pages or literally falling apart, it should be classified as Poor instead of Fair.
Poor: Books in Poor condition will have major conditional problems and damage that will affect the readability of the book. A Poor condition book might have structural damage to its spine, missing pages, or severe water damage.
When listing a book in poor condition be sure to communicate such issues in the description and include photos that make it clear to the buyer the state of the book they are buying.
PangoBooks asks that you take consideration when selecting the condition of a book. If an issue report is submitted by the buyer upon delivery and our team determines that the condition of the book was misrepresented at the time of purchase, PangoBooks reserves the right to withhold earnings from misrepresented sales.