Frequently Asked Questions

What is Secondlove Books?

Secondlove Books is an independent Australian online peer-to-peer marketplace for book lovers to buy and sell books directly from their collections to others. Unlike other secondhand marketplaces, Secondlove Books is a space specifically dedicated for books and readers. 


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What do the listing conditions mean?

Every book on Secondlove Books has a condition rating so you know what to expect. Our condition ratings range from Poor up to New, with a description of each condition rating below. These ratings are a guide, but as condition can be a subjective (one person’s “excellent” might be another’s “good”), we always suggest checking the photos and listing details carefully, and contacting the seller if you’re unsure.

Secondlove Books Condition Guide

• 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. 

• Excellent: Maybe read once but still looks near new. Excellent books condition are still in great shape overall, are free of any obvious defects, but can show light signs of having been read. Books in Excellent condition should be free of any sun-damaged, discoloured pages, notes, highlights, dog-ears, or damage to the spine. Books with a minuscule issue or two may still be classified as Excellent, but their condition should be illustrated clearly in photos.

• Good: Good condition books may have some flaws or signs of use, but are still well cared for and nothing that affects readability. Signs of wear may include bends in the corners, old library stickers, and some cracks in the spine. Books in Good condition books may also contain a handful of notes, underlines, or highlighting, but if such markings are persistent throughout the book, the book should be classified as Fair.

• Fair: Loved and clearly read. Books in Fair condition have clear imperfections or damage but are still entirely readable. Fair books are notably worn and may have significant cracks or bends, persistent markings and highlights, missing dust jackets, or mild water damage.

• Poor: Books in Poor condition will have severe conditional problems and/or damage that affects readability. This includes significant water damage, missing pages, and/or structural damage to cover or spine.

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Is Secondlove Books available outside of Australia?

At this stage, Secondlove Books is only available for Buyers and Sellers located in Australian states and territories. We hope to expand internationally one day!

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Is Secondlove Books responsible for things bought and sold on the platform?

Secondlove Books is a peer-to-peer marketplace. That means the transaction is between the Buyer and Seller, and Secondlove Books provides the venue to make it happen. We do step in if there are issues, but the responsibility for the transaction rests with the Buyer and Seller.

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How can I contact Secondlove Books?

You can contact us at info@secondlovebooks.com.au

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How do I delete my Secondlove Books account?

We’ll be sad to see you go! But if you’d like to delete your account, go to 'Account settings' and tick 'I want to delete my account.' You will need to enter your password to confirm account deletion.

Deleting your Secondlove Books account will remove all your personal data, user profile, listings, and Stripe data from the marketplace. THIS CAN'T BE UNDONE. Your reviews and messages will remain, but will be anonymised.

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How do reviews and ratings work?

Reviews can be left by Buyers and Sellers once a transaction is completed and a payout is sent to the Seller.

The review period expires 7 days after the Buyer and Seller receive an email notification prompting them to leave a review, after which reviews can no longer be added. If one of the parties doesn’t submit a review, the other review still gets published

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Can reviews be changed?

If you have received a review you wish to see changed, you should message the other party politely to resolve any issue and/or ask if they’re willing to update their review.

If you’ve left a review and want to update it as something material has changed since writing your original review, email us at info@secondlovebooks.com.au and we’ll help. A “material change” refers to a significant change in the transaction since the review was first posted. E.g: The item was replaced or corrected after the review, or the Buyer’s concern was resolved and they wish to amend their rating.

If you’ve received a review that clearly untrue, erroneous, or breaches our Community Guidelines, report it to our team and we’ll take a look.

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What do I need to know about taxes as a Secondlove Books user?

Secondlove Books does not give financial advice or take any responsibility for your taxes. We suggest talking to your accountant and/or the Australian Taxation Office if you have any questions.

We note that as of 23 June 2025, the Australian Taxation Office's List of CGT assets and exemptions included "rare folios, manuscripts or books" as a Collectable that may be subject to Capital Gains Tax under certain conditions.

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How do I report suspicious, fraudulent, or unwanted behaviour?

For all users on Secondlove Books, safety and respect are of the utmost importance. If you experience unwanted contact, harassment, fraudulent activity, suspected scam, spam, or a violation of our Community Guidelines, contact us immediately at info@secondlovebooks.com.au and we will take action.

• Kindly include the following in your email:
• The user’s name or profile link
• Screenshots of the suspicious content or unwanted behaviour
• Transaction number (if relevant)
• A brief summary of what happened and when

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How do I contact the Seller?

Click on the book’s listing and scroll down to ‘About the seller’. Click ‘Contact’ and a window will pop up for you to send an inquiry linked to the specific book to the Seller. The conversation will be saved in your inbox so you can keep chatting later if needed.

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What forms of payment can I use?

All payments go through Stripe, a globally recognised payment processor, similar to PayPal. Stripe’s encryption and security protocols ensure your financials details are secure, and the details you enter are not visible to the Secondlove Books team. You can easily make payments with debit or credit cards.

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What if the Seller asks me to pay off-platform or pay an additional cost?

All transactions initiated on Secondlove Books must go through our platform’s payment tools and processing. This helps protect users by ensuring that purchases are covered under our payment, shipping, and refund systems. Keeping payment and communication on Secondlove helps to protect the safety and privacy of Buyers and Sellers.

If a Seller asks you to pay offline, via a different method, or add unexpected costs, this is a violation of our Community Guidelines. If you receive such a request from a Seller, please report it straight away via info@secondlovebooks.com.au so we can step in and keep the community safe.

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How long will it take for my book to arrive? How do I track my order?

The timeframe for Sellers to post your book/item is within 5 days. Once posted, the Seller must provide you with a tracking number. Delivery time then depends on the carrier service and postal distance.

You can use the tracking number to check delivery status with the carrier service. If your book seems unusually delayed, send us an email at info@secondlovebooks.com.au and we’ll look into it.

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Can I cancel my order? Do I get a refund if the Seller never posts my book?

You can request cancelation at any time before the Seller confirms the order as ‘Shipped’.

1. Notify the Seller that you need to cancel and why. Communication is key and courteous.
2. Contact the Secondlove Books team at info@secondlovebooks.com.au to initiate a refund to the Buyer.

Unfortunately, we cannot cancel orders that have already been shipped.

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I have an issue with the condition of my order. How do report an issue after delivery?

If you receive the wrong item or a book in worse condition than was described on the Seller’s listing, please take the following steps:

1. Go to your purchase order breakdown and select ‘Dispute order’ within 14 days of the transaction date. This option will appear after the Seller marks the book as ‘Shipped.”
2. Send an email to the Secondlove Books team at info@secondlovebooks.com.au with clear photos, screenshots, and relevant details about the condition issue to help our review team assess the claim.

Please note that disputes and refunds can only be done BEFORE a transaction has been marked as ‘Completed’.

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Can I send my purchase back if I am not happy or change my mind?

If you have received the correct item or book in the as-advertised condition with no issues, then returns are at the Seller’s discretion. Check with the Seller before you buy to see if they might allow returns and who covers postage.

Please note that refunds can only be actioned BEFORE a transaction has been marked as ‘Completed’. If you need to arrange a refund, please contact the Secondlove Books team at info@secondlovebooks.com.au for assistance.

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How do I decide the price of my book?

As the Seller, you have complete control of how you price your book, and if you decide to later adjust the price. Secondlove Books will never change the price for you. A good place to start is at around 60% of the retail price, and then consider:


1. Condition
2. Similar listings on Secondlove Books
3. How quickly you want to sell

Kindly note that the minimum listing price on Secondlove Books is $3.00 AUD.

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How and when do I get paid?

When your book sells, the Buyer pays securely through Secondlove Books. Payments are processed by our payment gateway, Stripe, and released to you once either:

• The book has been delivered and the Buyer marks the order as ‘received’.
• The transaction is automatically completed 14 days after you mark the order as ‘Shipped’ (if the Buyer forgets to confirm ‘Received’).

Once the transaction is marked as ‘Received’, the funds will be transferred to your bank account within 5 - 14 business days.

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How do I complete Stripe verification? Why do I need to complete verification?

When you sell a book, you will need to have set up your payout details with Stripe and complete verification in order to receive the funds when the transaction is completed.

Stripe is a globally recognised payment processor, similar to PayPal. Stripe’s encryption and security protocols ensure your financials details are secure, and the details you enter are not visible to the Secondlove Books team.

How to complete verification:

1. Go to your Dashboard → Account Settings → Payment details.
2. Select the account type of your choice ("I'm an individual", for example).
3. Select the country of your choice. Note: Please remember that Secondlove Books is for users buying and selling within Australia only.
4. Click "Save details". You will immediately see another message with the title “Complete verification to receive payments.”
5. Click “Get verified”. Another page hosted at Stripe will open for inputting personal information.
6. Fill out the information that Stripe requests including name, date of birth, address, contact details, ID verification, and bank details.
7. Once done, click "Confirm". You will be redirected back to Secondlove Books.

Once completed, you can edit your information at any stage by clicking Edit Stripe Account under your Payment Details.

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What are Secondlove Books fees? How much does it cost to use Secondlove Books?

Secondlove Books is free to browse, sign up, and list as many books as you want. When you make a sale, Secondlove Books charges a 13% fee + 50c. This fee is only applied to books/items that sell, and there is no fee to delete a listing.

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How do I edit a listing?

To edit a listing, go to 'Your listings' and select 'Edit listing' under the specific book. You can then edit the listing details, price, shipping costs, and add/remove photos.

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I'm having trouble adding photos to my listing

Photo uploads can be slow depending on your image size and internet connection. Here are a few things that might help:

• Maximum file size is 20 MB and 3072 x 3072 pixels. Try uploading smaller photos, compress images before uploading, crop out unnecessary parts, and/or lower the photo quality.
• Make sure you're using jpeg or png files
• Only upload one image at a time.
• If you're still having slow uploads with smaller images, it's likely related to your internet connection speed. You could also try uploading from a different device or network to see if that helps.

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How do I delete a draft listing?

You can delete draft listings (unpublished listings) from the 'Your listings' page. You'll see a 'Discard draft' option below the 'Finish listing' button for any drafts.

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How do I delete a published listing?

If you would like to remove a book from sale, go to 'Your Listings', click on the three dots in the top right of the book listing you want to remove, and select 'Close listing.'

Closed listings are hidden from other users and can't be searched or purchased, but you as the Seller can still see them in your personal listings management area. This keeps the transaction history intact while removing the item from public view.

Should you decide to put the book up for sale again, you can reactivate the listing by going to 'Your listings' and selecting 'Open listing' on the closed item. There is no fee to re-open a listing.

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What is an ISBN? Why do I need to put this?

An International Standard Book Number or ISBN is a unique identifier for books. Different formats and editions of a book have a different ISBN (typically a 10 or 13 digit number), and adding the ISBN to your listing helps buyers search and find the exact book they are after.

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Can I sell books in languages other than English?

You can certainly sell books in whichever language you'd like on Secondlove Books. Just make sure your listing Photos and Description clearly illustrates the language of the book.

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Can I sell audiobook CDs and cassettes?

Yes - if it’s an audiobook! Please note that items such as DVDs, Blu-rays, VHS, CDs, etc. that are not audiobooks or accompaniments to physical books are not permitted. Kindly make sure your listing Title and Description clearly identifies the items type so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.

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Can I sell non-book items?

Yes - if it’s bookish! Secondlove Books is a bookselling marketplace, but bookish items such as bookmarks, themed mugs, stickers, dust jackets, and tote bags are welcome. Kindly make your listing Title and Description clearly identify the items type so buyers know exactly what they’re getting.

Please note that items such as DVDs, Blu-rays, VHS, CDs, etc. that are not accompaniments to physical books are not permitted.

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What is your policy on ARCs?

ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) are early editions of a book provided to reviewers, bookshops, influencers, and libraries by authors and publishers to generate early feedback and hype before the official release.

Secondlove Books discourages the sale of unreleased title. If you have an ARC, please wait until after the book’s official release before listing it. Unauthorised resale can reduce opportunities for reviewers and journalists, and adversely affect an author's prospects.

We’ll also remove ARCs if requested by authors or publishers. Secondlove Books reserves the right to remove ARC listings (or any other listing) from our platform for any reason. To submit such a request, please contact us at info@secondlovebooks.com.au

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Can I list multiple books together under one listing?

Absolutely! Listing multiple books in one listing is a great option for when you are selling a series or have multiple books from the same author. Some important considerations when creating multiple-book listings:

• Ensure that your listing information includes details and photos for all the books in the bundle.
• Check the weight for all the books in the bundle combined in order to better calculate the shipping cost for your listing.
• Please note that if you do list multiple books together it can only be with a single price for the whole lot.

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Can I cancel a sale? What if someone orders a book I can no longer sell?

If you no longer have the book or can’t proceed with the transaction, you can cancel your sale.

1. Notify your Buyer that you need to cancel and why. Communication is key and courteous.
2. Contact the Secondlove Books team at info@secondlovebooks.com.au to initiate a refund to the Buyer.

We suggest regularly checking your listings to make sure everything you’ve listed is still current and available.

Please note that canceling a sale and then re-listing the book for a higher price is against our Community Guidelines.

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I can't post the book within the 5 day timeframe?

If circumstances arise where you are unable to post the book or item within the standard 5 day timeframe, kindly notify the Buyer of the delay and advise the proposed new timeframe. Communication is most important.

If the Buyer would prefer to cancel the sale, either you or the Buyer can contact the Secondlove Books team at info@secondlovebooks.com.au to cancel the transaction and initiate a refund to the Buyer.

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Who pays for postage/shipping?

Buyers always cover postage/ shipping costs at checkout. All shipping fees are set by the vendor directly, so check the order breakdown carefully, as these may differ from vendor to vendor.

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How do I calculate postage costs in my listing?

At Secondlove Books, the Seller sets the postage/shipping cost when listing the book. Factors to consider when calculating postage costs in your listing:

• Australia Post - Flat rate packaging: When sending parcels 5kg and under using Australia Post packaging, Australia Post offers flat rate postage rates based on the parcel size. See here for more details.
• Australia Post - Own packaging: When sending parcels 5kg and under using your own packaging, Australia Post offers flat rate postage rates based on the weight or cubic weight and the destination. See here for more details.
• Australia Post - 5kg to 22kg: Australia Post can send parcels that are up to 22kg, up to 105cm length, and up to 0.25 cubic meters within Australia. Postage for parcels over 5kg up to 22kg is based on the weight or cubic weight and the destination.
• Other courier or postal service: If you prefer to post items through an alternative service, remember to select a courier that enables you to provide the Buyer with a tracking number.

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What are the postage timeframe for Sellers?

We ask that Secondlove Books Sellers post promptly within five days of a book sale. If you are unable to post within this timeframe, we ask that you message to Buyer to keep them updated about shipping expectations.

Ensure that your books are well-packaged to prevent damage during transit. Use appropriate materials and take care, especially with more delicate and fragile books/items.

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Tracking numbers

Sellers on Secondlove Books are required to provide Buyers with a tracking number once the book/item is posted. Tracking numbers are important for multiple reasons:

• Ensures transparency, security, and peace of mind for both Buyers and Sellers
• Enables parcel tracking and delivery time estimates.
• Reduces the risk of loss and enables Australia Post and couriers to investigate more effectively.
• If a parcel is lost or damaged, postal services like Australia Post usually require a tracking number for compensation claims.

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When can I expect my book to arrive as a Buyer?

On average, Australia Post delivery takes 2-4 business days within the same state or 3-6 business days interstate. Delivery times may be affected by distance and seasonal factors. We suggest checking the postal service's tracking number for more information regarding estimated timeframe and delivery status.

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What if I got a notification that my book was delivered but it actually wasn't?

If you receive a notice that you book was delivered but you haven't received the parcel, first check the following:

• Use the tracking number to check the latest delivery status
• Your item may have been delivered to the Post Office. Check if a notification card is in your letterbox or under your door, or if you’ve received an email or SMS notification.
• Someone accepted on your behalf. Enquire if someone else at home or work accepted or signed for the item on your behalf. If you live or work in a large building, check with building management or the mailroom to see if they have it.
• Delivered to a safe place. Search to see if your item was left in a safe place. This could be under or behind something, or in your mailbox.
• Doublecheck with the Seller and via the postal tracking service that the sender entered your address details correctly.
• Search on the Australia Post or courier service website if there are any service disruption.

If the parcel still cannot be located, contact Australia Post (or the nominated courier service) to initiate an investigation. To assist with the enquiry, have your tracking number ready for reference.

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