Questions
Questions boards ask.
These are the twelve that come up most often, answered the way we would answer them in the room.
01
Before you vote.
What does it cost our group?
Nothing at any stage. No sign-up fee, no minimum, no charge for collection, and no charge for items that do not sell. There is no invoice at any point in this arrangement, because our only income from it is our half of what sells. If nothing sells, we have simply had a bad month; you are never out of pocket.
What does the 50/50 split actually apply to?
Net profit, meaning what remains after the marketplace fee and the shipping cost of the item sold. Our labour, storage, software and fuel come out of our half, not off the top. This is the question worth putting to every service you consider, because “fifty per cent” means very different things depending on what is deducted first.
Do we have to sort or scan anything first?
No, and we would rather you did not. The items with the most value are often the ones that look least valuable: unremarkable technical titles, regional histories, superseded textbooks. Sorting by eye tends to remove exactly those and keep the handsome ones that everybody already has. Every unit we take is checked against current market data before any decision is made about it.
Can we keep running our own book sale?
Yes. There is no exclusivity of any kind. Most partners send us only what the sale could not move, which is the arrangement we would recommend: your sale is a community event and a fundraiser in its own right, and nothing about this replaces it.
What happens to items that do not sell online?
They go into our monthly $1 community sale at our New Port Richey facility, and whatever remains after that is recycled. They are never returned to you, and disposal never becomes your problem or your cost. That is a deliberate part of the offer, not an afterthought.
Do you take ex-library copies with stamps and barcodes?
Yes. Stamps, spine labels, jacket covers, barcodes and security strips are all fine and need no preparation. Ex-library material is a normal part of what we handle, and asking volunteers to strip labels would defeat the purpose of a service meant to save them time.
What do you take besides books?
DVDs, music CDs, audiobooks on CD, cassette tapes and video games. Donation bins rarely contain only books, and a service that takes the books and leaves the media behind has handed you a smaller version of the same storage problem.
Is there anything you cannot take?
Water damage, mould and insect damage rule an item out whatever it is, because the risk is to the rest of the collection rather than to that one book. Beyond that we would rather look than have you guess. If a box is borderline, send it and we will make the call.
How large does a collection need to be?
For a local pickup, around ten banker’s boxes. For out-of-region freight, think in pallets. If you are unsure, ask; it costs nothing to find out, and if the answer is not yet we will tell you plainly rather than move boxes for the sake of it.
How often are we paid?
On a regular cycle, with a statement showing what sold. Reporting is available at any time, not only at payout. Payment goes to the organization, never to an individual, and if an item is returned by a buyer after you have been paid, you keep the payment.
How do we end the arrangement?
Thirty days’ written notice from either side. Anything already listed sells through and is paid out normally. There is no termination fee and nothing to unwind, which is the point: an arrangement you cannot leave easily is one your board should be slower to enter.
Are you a charity?
No. MaxX Multi Media LLC is a for-profit Florida company. We say so on every page, because a partnership built on a misunderstanding is not worth having, and because a board that discovers it later is entitled to feel misled.
Are you known in the library community?
We are a Business Member of the Florida Library Association and a sponsor of its Annual Conference, alongside EBSCO, OCLC, OverDrive and the other companies Florida libraries already work with. We attend because this is a relationship business.
Can you present to our board?
Yes, in person anywhere in the Tampa Bay area, or by phone elsewhere. We can send the agreement, a W-9 and a certificate of insurance in advance so the vote is not held up waiting on paperwork.
Who will we actually be dealing with?
The people who collect your donations are the people who sell them. There is no regional call centre and no account manager between you and the person who can fix a problem.
Do you work outside Florida?
Yes, where the volume justifies the freight. Collection in person is a Tampa Bay service; prepaid shipping is available nationally, and we cover the cost of it. See the mail-in programme.