How to Assign Value to Donated Books

Used books donated to charities or goodwill may be valued using thrift-store donation guidelines. The value guidelines for items donated to thrift stores and similar organizations contain figures accepted by the IRS as reasonable values for used items. Guidelines are published online by national donation centers such as Goodwill, The Salvation Army and Arc. You may use the values published by these organizations to determine the value of your donated books, even if you donate your books to a different charitable group.

Instructions

1. Calculate the value of paperback books you donate. In general, you may assign a value of 75 cents to $2 for each paperback book you donate. Assign lower values to donated books in poor condition, and higher values to books in good condition.

2. Calculate the value of hardback books you donate. Hardback donation values range between $1 and $3 per book. Consider the condition of each book when you assign values.

3. Add together the donated values of your paperback and hardback books. The result is the total assigned value for your book donation.

References

• Goodwill Industries: Taxes and Your Donation
• The Salvation Army: Donation Value Guide
• Goodwill Industries: Donation Valuation Guide (PDF): 2010