Today, let’s discuss the bookstores in Philadelphia where you can sell your used books.
Before we get to the list of stores with buyback offers and the places that buy textbooks, comics, and rare titles, we suggest you take a look at this wonderful Philadelphia Bookstore Map.
It’s a brilliant collaborative project by booksellers, book lovers, and the City of Philadelphia. It’s also the beautiful artwork by Henry Crane that showcases the city’s wealth of bookstores.
Here, you can find the 46 brick-and-mortar shops that live and breathe books in Philadelphia.
The map contains information about the city’s independent bookstores, each with its own story and character. We hope that you’ll find it useful in your walks around town and when you just need a new read.
Yet, not all of these shops buy books back. That’s why we’ll now move on to the descriptions of the ones that do. We hope the following list will help you get rid of the titles that you’re either tired of or just no longer need (e.g., old textbooks). First, we’ll discuss brick-and-mortar bookstores without any specialization (e.g., comics only) or specific buyback requirements.
- Where to Sell Books to Physical Stores?
- Where to Sell Textbooks in Philadelphia?
- Where to Sell Comic Books?
- Where to Sell Rare Books?
- How to Sell Books Online in Philadelphia?
Where to Sell Books to Physical Stores?
Brickbat Books
📌 Address: 709 South 4th St,, Philadelphia, PA 19147
Brickbat Books is a bookstore that sells and buys “new and used books and records in Queen Village, Philadelphia.” They also have an online store, Balancing Man Ltd.
They accept a wide range of literature, including literature and fiction (both paperbacks and hardbacks), genre fiction (such as science fiction, mysteries, detective stories, spy thrillers, and pulp), poetry, non-fiction (including essays, philosophy, spirituality, religion, history, popular science, music, and film), children’s books, art books (especially on modern and contemporary artists, photographers, and architects), comics, graphic novels, cookbooks, and rare or unusual books and ephemera.
However, they are selective about what they choose to buy. All items must be in very good condition—no underlining, writing, torn pages, or cover damage. Please note that we do not accept bestsellers, fantasy series, textbooks, or self-help titles.
Cathy’s Half Price Books
📌 Address: Manoa Shopping Center, 1305 West Chester Pk. (Rt. 3) Havertown, PA 19083
Cathy’s Half Price Books is an Indie bookstore that has been offering all sorts of books since 2004. It now has over 60,000 titles in stock and a great choice of CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays. It also buys back used books from the public for store credit (or half that amount in cash) or in the form of a donation. You can call 610-924-0988 to schedule an appointment.
Philly Area Book Recycling
📞 Phone: (267) 726-4795
Philly Area Book Recycling buys books and textbooks in and around Philadelphia. They’re not technically a bookstore; however, they specialize in buyback and are ready to pay nicely for non-fiction (their preference) and recent college editions. They typically pay about $1–$2 per book for an average paperback or hardcover and more for textbooks, depending on their condition and year of publication.
To get the estimate, use the contact form on the textbook buyback page. Enter the ISBNs of each textbook you want to sell, and they’ll contact you back with a quote.
Book Corner
📌 Address: 311 N 20th St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
Book Corner was established in 1991 as a program of the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia. This nonprofit organization helps Philadelphia residents get access to library services in the area. They have a great selection of new, rare, out-of-print, and quality used books. While they don’t have a buyback program, they accept donations.
House of Our Own Books
📌 Address: 3920 Spruce St., Philadelphia, PA 19104
We’re not sure whether this store buys books, but we encourage you to visit it either way. House of Our Own Books is located in a Victorian house on the grounds of the University of Pennsylvania.
You can find new and used books at different prices and on various subjects: fiction, non-fiction, biography, scholarly texts, and more. Since they sell used books, they might be interested in your titles.
Bookhaven
📌 Address: 2202 Fairmount Ave Philadelphia, PA 19130
At Bookhaven, there are “2 floors, 7 rooms, & a hallway of literature, philosophy, poetry, art, history, & more!” They have a great selection of books, “two of the fluffiest cats,” and they also buy books for store credit. Send them a message on Instagram or visit to get the offer.
The Book Trader
📌 Address: 2202 Fairmount Ave Philadelphia, PA 19130
The Book Trader doesn’t technically buy used books. They give 10-20% of the original sale price of books in store credit. You’re limited to 2 standard grocery bags or small boxes, and while small trades can be made during weekdays without an appointment, larger trades require calling ahead.
They accept most books in good condition but do not take ex-library books, heavily marked or damaged books, textbooks, or books we already have in excess. Also, they accept LPs, DVDs, and CDs in good condition.
Molly’s Books and Records
📌 Address: 1010 S. 9th St., Philadelphia, PA 19147
Molly’s Books and Records is owned by Molly Russakoff and Joe Ankenbrand. Located in the heart of Philadelphia’s iconic Italian Market, it has a lot to offer. You can find all sorts of literature, children’s books, nonfiction, and a great collection of cookbooks.
They buy, sell, and trade vinyl records and CDs. Check their Instagram page for buyback information.
Mostly Books
📌 Address: 529 Bainbridge St, Philadelphia., PA
Mostly Books might be interested in some of your books, so you can give this store a try. Though they mostly get donations, you can get up to 35% store credit for eligible titles. On average, you can expect $1–$2 per book. However, keep in mind that they are very selective even about donations, so no damp or mildewy copies.
Newtown Book & Record Exchange
📌 Address: 102 S State St., Newtown, PA 18940
Newtown Book & Record Exchange accepts gently used paperbacks (no hardcovers, except for kids’ books and bestsellers) and LPs in good condition. They offer 20% store credit based on the original list price, which can be used for in-store purchases only. They do not offer cash.
Where to Sell Textbooks in Philadelphia?
Community College of Philadelphia
📌 Address: 700 Spring Garden St., Pavilion Building, Philadelphia, PA 19130
The bookstore of the Community College of Philadelphia accepts last-semester textbooks for buyback. It has a typical for all Follet campus stores buyback program: you can bring your books in good or like-new condition and get up to 50% of their original price. They don’t accept heavily worn books, damaged copies, or titles that are not in demand.
The University of Pennsylvania Official Bookstore
📌 Address: 3601 Walnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19104-3895
The University of Pennsylvania Official Bookstore buys books from students for up to 50% of their original price if you bring them in during finals week. Make sure they are in good condition without any signs of damage.
Barnes and Noble
📌 Address: 1708 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19103
Barnes & Noble has a buyback program for used textbooks and trade books, though not all titles may be accepted. Use the online store locator to find the nearest location in Philadelphia. Don’t forget to check the Sell Your Textbooks page for current demand. For further details, see our earlier posts on selling textbooks.
Where to Sell Comic Books?
1. Garden of Earthly Delights
📌 Address: 7907 Bustleton Ave, Rhawnhurst, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 332-3321
🌐 Website: Garden of Earthly Delights
📙 Buys/Sells: Sports Cards, TCGs, board games, coins, comics, action figures, etc.
2. Brave New Worlds
📌 Address: 45 N 2nd St., City Center East, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 925-6525
🌐 Website: Brave New Worlds
📙 Buys/Sells: Photographs, memorabilia, pictures, author readings, collections, in-store events
3. Atomic City Comics
📌 Address: 638 South St., Wharton-Hawthorne-Bella Vista, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 625-9613
🌐 Website: Atomic City Comics
📙 Buys/Sells: Comics
4. Ontario Street Market
📌 Address: 2235 E Ontario St., Richmond, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 288-7338
🌐 Website: Ontario Street Market
📙 Buys/Sells: Comics, graphic novels
Where to Sell Rare Books?
1. Bauman Rare Books
📌 Address: 1608 Walnut St. FL 19, City Center West, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 546-6466
🌐 Website: Bauman Rare Books
📙 Buys/Sells: Rare books, accounting, gifts, sales, collectibles, collections
2. The Last Word Bookshop
📌 Address: 220 S 40th St. Frnt, Cobbs Creek, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 386-7750
🌐 Website: The Last Word Bookshop
📙 Buys/Sells: Used and out-of-print titles
3. Philadelphia Rare Books
📌 Address: 5301 Tacony St. Ste 314, Frankford, Philadelphia, PA
📞 Phone: (215) 744-6734
🌐 Website: The Philadelphia Rare Books & Manuscripts Co.
📙 Buys/Sells: Used books, rare books
How to Sell Books Online in Philadelphia?
Selling books online is another option whether you live in Philadelphia or anywhere in the US.
You can opt for universally known resources and marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Better World Books, ThriftBooks, or BooksRun; if you have textbooks to sell, try Chegg, eCampus, or ValoreBooks.
Alternatively, you can check local services that cater specifically to Philadelphia and nearby areas. For instance, the Mayfair Hub service center has a buyback program for Philadelphia residents. They buy textbooks from students and residents of Philadelphia for cash. Mind that you have to contact them personally to understand their quotes.
Alternatively, you can list your books on such resources as Bx-zone.com, which serves as some sort of a mediator between you and book buyers looking for second-hand books.
BookScouter
However, do not forget to check BookScouter. This price comparison platform collects data from more than 30 vendors and provides you with the most up-to-date price information about your used books. One of the benefits of the service is that you don’t have to do all this manual search, browsing the buyback offers of different sellers one at a time. You can do this online from any location in the US. You can do the same thing whether you’re in San Antonio, San Diego, Seattle, or Ashburn.
Let’s take a look at the example. If you’ve always been fascinated by crime stories and have recently been quite impressed by Mindhunter (2017) and Through the Darkness (2022) Netflix series, you may have a few books on profiling. However, it makes little sense to keep them once you’re finished with them, right? Other profiling enthusiasts may enjoy your copies. So, here’s the list of books you may be looking to sell:
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- Criminal Profiling: An Introduction to Behavioral Evidence Analysis (ISBN-13: 9780123852434)
- Criminal Profiling: How Psychological Profiles Help Solve Crime (ISBN-13: 9781838862206)
- Wordcrime (ISBN-13: 9781441193520)
- Profiling and Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues (ISBN-13: 9781455731749)
- Crime Classification Manual (ISBN-13: 9781118305058)
- Mindhunter (ISBN-13: 9781501191961)
- Journey Into Darkness (ISBN-13: 9781787465145)
- Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking (ISBN-13: 9781119433385)
Step #1: Check ISBNs one by one
Checking ISBNs individually one by one is okay. But we recommend it for cases when you have one or two books, as it won’t take much time.
Step #2: Check all your ISNBs at once
If you have more than three books, we recommend using multiple ISBN search. You simply enter all your SBNs in the search field and click Add ISBNs.
And here you go:
You can easily see that only Crime Classification Manual (ISBN-13: 9781118305058), Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking (ISBN-13: 9781119433385), and Profiling and Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues (ISBN-13: 9781455731749)
will earn you the most cash at the moment, with offers from $10 to $16, while your other titles aren’t exactly high in demand now.
If you sell all the books now, your maximum payout can be $44.15. Your most convenient but less profitable deal will be with Wob, which is willing to take all the books but for $34.66. Selling separately clearly gives you more.
If you choose the best offers, you can also see that three of your books can go to TextbookManiac, three books that don’t seem to be in demand now—to BooksRun, and Social Engineering: The Science of Human Hacking (ISBN-13: 9781119433385)—to BlueRocketBooks.
The incredible Mindhunter (ISBN-13: 9781501191961) is now worth less than a dollar, so we recommend waiting for a better offer. Demand for this or that book often increases or decreases.
By the way, if you’re a seasoned reseller and want to be on top of all buyback prices, you can also check BookScouter’s Pro Tools and the Buyback Price History feature, where you can look up all the ISBN history since 2016. For example, here’s the price history chart for Mindhunter for the past year. You can also check the entire history available for this ISBN.
Final Thoughts
We hope our list of Philadelphia brick-and-mortar bookstores will help you find a great place to sell used books or pick up something new. We also hope that our review of BookScouter and its potential will help you get the best deal if you decide to look for online alternatives.
For details on bookstores in other cities, explore our posts about Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Dallas, Florida, Boston and New York.
