FAQs

That depends on the genre you’ve chosen, but they will mostly be good quality pre-loved paperbacks and the occasional hardback. If you choose a vintage box the books will be in very good condition for their age.   The joy of opening a subscription box lies in the delightful surprises in each box. Each of our boxes is unique to you as we hand-pick the books according to what you tell us you like to read. Every box is different so you never have to worry about the surprise being spoiled if you see someone else's unboxing video.  The books you receive will not be the ones photographed on the website as these are sample boxes only. 

Your first box will arrive 4-5 days after your payment is received. We ship by second class post to keep the cost of the boxes as low as we can. You’ll get your next box around the same time every month.

Of course. And if you want we can send a card to your gift recipient telling them when their subscription will start, or a personalised message from you inside the box. One-off gift boxes are also available and can have a personalised message inside if required.

Yes, you can change the genre, number of books etc up to one week before your box is due to be despatched. Just email us at [email protected]

You can pause your subscription at any time provided you give us 2 weeks notice of the pause and when you want to restart.

Yes, we use solely recyclable packaging so you can just drop it in your recycle bin. All our book boxes come in a sturdy recycled cardboard box with kraft paper fill. Our new book bands (in subscription boxes only) are made from FSC-certified paper and are still fully recyclable. We are constantly looking for ways to use less packaging, less gift-wrap etc, so that our impact on the planet is a low as possible.

We’re now shipping to selected European countries — Germany, France, and Ireland! 🇪🇺
Box prices remain the same, with shipping costs added at checkout.

At the moment, we can send Subscription Boxes of up to 4 books per month and one-off Gift Boxes, including our Year of Stories Gift Box.  The shipping price includes all VAT and customs duties, and we pay these upfront to Royal Mail, so there’s nothing extra for the recipient to pay — perfect if you’re sending a gift abroad.

Please note: for longer subscriptions, postage may seem high as multiple boxes are sent over the duration of the subscription. Postage generally works out at between £9 and £16 per box per month depending on the number of books.

If you are in a country not listed above it may still be possible to start a subscription with us. Please contact us on [email protected] and we will try and help.

We are compliant with all EU Packaging Waste Directives and with GPSR (Product Safety) Regulations. In all boxes you will be advised of contact details for the relevant publishers, and our own EU Authorised Representative for GPSR, in case of safety issues with your books. (Please don't drop the box on your foot!)

All the books are in a minimum of VG+ condition. Most will be much better. If you have subscribed to one of our vintage boxes the books will be in VG condition for their age.

Inside each box will be the requested number of books and a couple of small book-related gifts (bookmarks, postcard etc). In our subscription boxes the books are held together by a paper band and protected by a little paper fill. In gift boxes, including Advent & Year of Stories boxes each book is individually gift-wrapped. We know we could add tea or chocolate or candles or whatever but to be honest we’re not experts in these things. We’re experts in books so that’s what we send you. We’re all about choosing the best books just for you.

If you’ve already read a book then just let us know and we’ll replace it, either in your next box, or straight away (depending on how desperate you are!). Of course you could take the opportunity to re-read it. Some books really benefit from a second reading, especially if you’ve not read it recently. The only exceptions to this are our Advent and Year of Stories gift boxes, where our replacement policy does not apply.

We hope you’ll love the books we send you and will want to keep some of them, but we’re all about sharing the love of books so feel free to give them to friends or donate them to your local charity shop. Imagine if every book was only read once by one person? What a waste of that book’s potential that would be! And now you can also return your read books to us using our Re-Read Scheme. We will pay the shipping and those books will then be sent back out into the world for others to enjoy. There's even a little incentive for you to do this. Please contact us if you would like to do this.  Please read more about the Re-Read Scheme at the bottom of the FAQs page.

All our books are secondhand, firstly because we think every book needs to be read by as many people as possible to justify the carbon footprint. Secondly, because we want to keep our subscriptions as accessible as we can, so that for the price of a couple of cups of coffee a month you can discover a new world, be a time traveller, solve a tantalising mystery...

We’re experienced booksellers with the knowledge to be able to choose the very best books for you. Between us we have over 30 years experience with new and secondhand books. You tell us what you like to read and month by month we’ll choose great books just for you that we think you’ll love. And the longer your subscription the more we’ll get to know you and what you like to read. We just love choosing books for people - it’s why we became booksellers in the first place!

Certainly, you are most welcome to have as many monthly subscriptions as you like. However currently due to the way our payment model works, you may need to set up each subscription as a separate transaction. This will make it easier for you to change, pause or end each individual subscription.

All of our payments are processed by Stripe, so we never have access to your card details. These are securely handled by Stripe. Payments will show as Gently Used Book Club - Books. If you started your subscription before October 2022 then your ongoing payments are handled by Paypal, and payments will be shown as WV Books and Vintage as that is our parent company.

In the run up to Christmas we offer gift subscriptions which start shipping in January.  When purchasing any subscription, just select January Start from the drop down box on the product page, just under the drop boxes for length of sub and number of books.   You will get our normal email requesting more information about the kind of books you (or the gift recipient) like to read, plus a PDF file which can be printed and slipped into a card for gifting.  The PDF will detail the selected genre, length of subscription and number of books.  The first boxes will begin to ship from the first week in January. You can add a personalised message if you wish.   This subscription makes a great gift and takes all the hassle out of Christmas shopping with no worrying about lost or delayed parcels in the Christmas post.

We scour auctions, secondhand bookshops and charity shops in search of the perfect books for you.  We're always on the lookout for hidden gems and much-loved classics. People also donate books to us. If you have a collection you would like to donate please contact us on [email protected] for further information.

There is no expiry date on our gift cards. Vouchers can be used for full payment of any gift box or subscription, or as part payment for any longer or larger subscription.  Vouchers are non-transferable, non-refundable and not exchangeable for cash. Vouchers are redeemed at checkout where it asks for the voucher code. Please don't confuse this with other earlier boxes which refer to discount codes and coupons. If you have any issues using our gift cards please contact us on [email protected] and we will be happy to assist.  

Once you've read your books you can now return them to us, so that we can send them on to other readers. And now you can return your books to us much more easily. Just let us know when you have a box ready to return to us and we'll send you a postage label, either by email or in your next box.. Then your parcel can be dropped off at your local Post Office or you can arrange a collection using Royal Mail Parcel Collect.  All we ask is that you send at least 6 books (preferably more, in order to be as eco-conscious as possible). The books need to still be in good condition. Please don’t send us them if you have dropped them in the bath or spilled your tea on them! As an incentive, for each box of books you return to us we will take 15% off your next payment, or if you have a gift subscription we will send you an equivalent  e-voucher to spend on the website.   Please note our ReRead scheme is only for the return of books we have sent to you. Should you have books you wish to donate or sell to us please send us an email on [email protected] Tips for packing your boxes - Please use a sturdy box and pad round the books with some recycled paper so they don't get damaged in transit.  Don't use too big a box - not over 10kgs please.