Best site for second-hand books? UK bargain books online

Whether you’re a bibliophile with an overflowing bookshelf or a casual reader looking for new titles to enjoy, there’s no reason why buying books needs to break the bank.

When you shop for books second hand, you can fill your bookshelf for less. And not only will it save you money, but it also benefits the planet.

In this guide, we’ll give you the rundown of all our favourite places to buy second-hand books online, plus money-saving tips to help you get the best possible price.

Our favourite places to buy second-hand books

We’ve narrowed down our five favourite places for buying second-hand books online. Different people will look for different things from a book seller, so we’ve given each of these a ‘best for’ badge, rather than an official ranking.

World of Books (Wob) are one of the largest second-hand book sellers in the UK. They buy books from people who no longer want them, reselling them on their website and app at impressively low prices.

With over two million books listed on Wob, you have a high likelihood of finding something that interests you. If you’ve got any old books to get rid of, you can trade them in with Wob and earn cash to put towards your next purchase (and earn cashback on your trade-in!).

Wob are a great sustainable, ethical consumer option. They bulk-buy books from charity shops, ensuring none of them go to landfill, and also pay authors royalties through the AuthorSHARE initiative.

You can find Oxfam Bookshops dotted around the UK, but did you know you can also buy books from their online shop? Browse over 60,000 preloved books, which range from fiction paperbacks to signed and even rare books.

As they’re a charity, the majority of the money Oxfam take in will go to people who desperately need it. For every £1, 79p goes to emergency and development work, 10p to running costs, and 11p to generate future income.

Vinted

The Vinted app is a fantastic place to buy books directly from private sellers, with Buyer Protection included on all orders. The range is more limited than the big resale sites, but you’ll find plenty of popular books and classics.

Awesome Books

Awesome Books have an extensive collection of new and preloved books available at affordable prices. There are millions of books to choose from, including a range of fiction and non-fiction bestsellers, children’s books and textbooks.

Like Wob, the Awesome Books team saves unwanted books from charity shops and resells them on their website to prevent them from going to landfill.

And their sustainability impact goes further than recycling. Awesome Books are passionate about making reading more affordable and accessible for people in the UK. Through their You Buy, We Give programme, they aim to donate 500,000 books each year.

You’ll know them for trading in your old tech and media items like books, DVDs and games, but did you know you can buy second-hand books from musicMagpie too?

Browse thousands of preloved books from popular genres like crime, science fiction, horror and romance on the musicMagpie website or app. musicMagpie offer free delivery on all orders with no minimum spend, making it really easy to save money.

As with Wob, you can trade in your unwanted books with musicMagpie to get some extra money to put towards your next book delivery.

Other sites for buying cheap second-hand books

The recommendations we’ve made so far have been for resale sites and marketplace apps with the widest appeal. They offer quick and convenient book-buying at affordable prices and with minimal fuss.

However, that’s not to say you can’t find a better deal at one of the places below. Some of these websites cater to a more specific niche, such as rare book collectors. You’re still likely to find popular titles at all of these places, but it may take a little extra digging.

Biblio

Biblio is the ‘largest independent book marketplace in the world’. They claim to have over 100 million new and preloved books, which you can buy directly from independent booksellers.

Biblio is particularly well-suited for collectors of rare books, but you can also buy low-priced mainstream titles such as Dune by Frank Herbert and The Housemaid by Freida McFadden.

This isn’t the easiest website to navigate, so we’d probably only recommend checking Biblio if you know exactly what you’re looking for. As it’s an American marketplace, make sure you filter for UK listings to avoid high postage prices and slow delivery times.

Alibris is a marketplace where you can buy second-hand standard and collectable editions of books directly from sellers. They claim to have more than 200 million new and used books available on their website, so we reckon you’re quite likely to find what you’re looking for.

The preloved books on Alibris aren’t always the cheapest, but price will depend on the book, edition and the seller. We saw some ex-library books listed for less than £1 each.

AbeBooks is another marketplace (this one owned by Amazon) where you can buy from independent booksellers. The platform is known best for rare books and collectables, but you’ll see standard editions of mainstream titles as well, starting from as little as £1.

That said, because the site prioritises rare books, it’s not always easy to find recent publications unless you search specifically for authors or titles.

Amazon

While individual sellers do list used books on Amazon, a large portion of book listings you'll see are actually from resellers like WeBuyBooks and Wob.

Search for a title you’re interested in, and you’ll see buying options for new and used copies in the product listing. You can find used books for under £1 each, but keep an eye out for delivery charges, which will vary.

You can buy books directly from sellers on eBay, as well as from popular resellers like Wob, Wordery and musicMagpie. When you browse eBay for second-hand books, you can find instant buys or bid on auctions.

Narrow down your search using filters like price, format and condition (which can vary widely between sellers).

eBay is also a great place to find rare books, although they’re often not cheap. We spotted a signed copy of Annie Lennox’s Retrospective (£70) and a British Library Deluxe Facsimile Edition of Pride and Prejudice (£120).

Money-saving tips for buying used books

Before we leave you to your book browsing, here are a few final tips for bagging the best price next time you shop for books online.

🔍 Use a comparison tool

We’ve included lots of amazing places selling preloved books in this guide. With so many websites and apps out there, the books you’re interested in may be listed on a few different platforms.

A tool like JustBooks.co.uk can be handy for comparing deals, to help you be sure you’re getting the best price. Just search a book title or author name to see the best prices available in real time (prices include the postage fees too, which is really helpful).

📮 Factor in delivery fees

We’ve all been there – a great deal suddenly doesn’t look so great when you realise you have to add on a few £££s for delivery.

The delivery costs are an important factor to consider when hunting for the best site for second-hand books. UK retailers with generous shipping policies include musicMagpie, who offer free delivery on all orders, and Wob, who waive the shipping fee on orders over £5.

Similarly, it will likely work out cheaper to buy multiple titles from the same retailer than to shop around, as you may have to pay more than one delivery fee.

💸 Get cashback

Some of the apps and websites we’ve mentioned in this guide are listed on TopCashback, which means you can earn cashback on your purchases.

When you shop with one of our brands like musicMagpie, AbeBooks, or Oxfam Online Shop, we’ll give you a portion of your spend back. You can think of it as a post-purchase discount – an easy way to save a bit of extra cash – without the hassle of discount codes.

If you’re not already a TopCashback member, you can take advantage of our £15 sign-up bonus when you click the button below and create your free TopCashback account.

📚 Sell your old books

This can help you make space on your bookshelf, while also building up some funds to buy more titles. There are loads of different ways to sell books you no longer want, whether you use a book-buying app like Wob or a marketplace like Vinted. To help find the best option for you, check out our handy guide to selling books online.

Buying cheap second-hand books offline

This guide has focused on the convenience of finding second-hand books online, but there are also book bargains to be found on the high street.

🛍️ Shop at charity shops

If you’re out and about, popping into your local charity shop can be a great way to find hidden gems. Books are often £2 or less, and shopping in person cuts out the delivery fees (not to mention you’ll be supporting a good cause too).

You can go in with an idea of the books on your list, or just see what catches your eye while you’re there. There’s no guarantee as to what books you’ll find, but we honestly think this is the most fun way to find affordable books (and one of the cheapest).

📍 Look for independent second-hand bookstores near you

If you’re lucky enough to have any independent bookstores near where you live, you’ll be missing a trick if you don’t head inside and see what they have to offer. Even if there aren’t any in your local area, keep an eye out if you’re visiting any other UK towns or cities.

🧑‍🎓 Check out public libraries in your area

Visiting your local library is a fantastic way to read print books without paying a penny. Of course, you’ll have to return the books once you’ve read them (although some libraries have small collections of books for sale!).

But there are plus sides to borrowing instead of buying, aside from the initial cost; you’ll also avoid book-buying regret if you don’t enjoy a novel.

For free eBooks and audiobooks, apps like Libby and BorrowBox allow you to borrow from your local library for free.

More bang for your book

So, now you’re ready to resume your book search armed with all the info you need to find the titles you’re interested in at the best possible price.

There are so many benefits to buying used books online instead of ordering new copies. Not only can you save money, but it also reduces your carbon footprint, so you can be kinder to your bank balance and the planet.

Our favourite places to find cheap books online are resale sites like Wob and musicMagpie, as these have a huge selection of titles, plus discounts to help you save even more cash. If the joy for you is more in the hunt for a great bargain book (we can relate), then try searching on Vinted or heading to your local charity shop – you might be surprised by what you find.