Best Second-Hand Textbook Websites UK (2026/27): Buying and Selling Compared

Quick answer: the best website depends on whether you need one specific edition or want to clear a shelf. To buy a course book, compare the exact ISBN on a marketplace (UniBookTrade, eBay, Amazon, AbeBooks) and check the delivered total. To sell for the most, list on a marketplace with no seller commission (UniBookTrade or eBay) and wait for a buyer. To sell fast, take a buyback quote from WeBuyBooks or Sell Your Books by World of Books (formerly Ziffit), and expect less money.

Buying several books? Paste your list into the Reading List Checker to find matching editions on UBT and set alerts for missing copies. Check your university library before paying for access you already have.

This guide is published by UniBookTrade. We have tried to be fair: UBT is not the cheapest option for every book, and some books are not stocked here at all. Fees below were checked on each service's own site in October 2026 and can change, so confirm before you buy or sell.

Affiliate links: the retailer links in this guide, including Amazon's, are ordinary links, not affiliate links, and we earn nothing if you use them. For books no student has listed on UniBookTrade, our book pages and reading lists may show affiliate links to Amazon and Bookshop.org, from which we may earn a commission. See our affiliate disclosure.

The UK options at a glance

Which service fits your situation?

UniBookTrade: course books from other students

Sellers list physical books, set an asking price and upload condition photos. Listing and selling are free, with no seller commission. Buyers see one price that includes delivery and buyer protection. When a book sells, the seller gets a prepaid tracked Evri booking (a printable label or a printerless ParcelShop QR code). The seller is paid after delivery is confirmed or the order's automatic release date passes. See how it works.

Used copies on UBT are typically 40–60% below the publisher's RRP, and sometimes up to 70% less. The limitation is stock: there may be no copy of an exact edition. Set a stock alert and compare the alternatives below rather than switching to a different edition.

Find an edition or check what your books are worth.

eBay: the biggest audience

eBay's UK fee page says it is "free for UK-based private sellers to sell": no final value fees, and 300 free listings a month (35p each after that). Optional upgrades, international sales (3%) and lost disputes still cost money. Business sellers pay standard fees.

Buyers pay instead. On UK private-seller listings, eBay adds a Buyer Protection fee: £0.10 per item, plus 7% of the first £20, 4% from £20 to £300 and 2% from £300 to £4,000. On a typical textbook price, that works out like this:

eBay Buyer Protection fee on a private-seller listing

Item	Value
£10 book	£0.80
£20 book	£1.50
£40 book	£2.30
£60 book	£3.10

When you compare eBay with other sites, add this fee and postage to the listed price. Check the ISBN in the photos as well as the title, because eBay listings often group several editions together.

Vinted: popular for cheap books

Vinted has a books section, and listings are quick to create. Buyers pay a Buyer Protection fee at checkout, which Vinted describes as "usually 3% to 8% + £0.3 to £0.8", plus postage. It suits cheap, popular paperbacks better than large, heavy textbooks, where postage can cost as much as the book.

Amazon and AbeBooks: compare individual offers

Search the ISBN on Amazon and AbeBooks. Check where the seller is, the format, condition and delivered total. A very low price can turn out to be a different international edition, or can exclude postage.

Both are built mostly for professional sellers. Amazon's Individual plan charges £0.75 per item sold plus a 15% referral fee on books and a closing fee. AbeBooks' Basic plan charges £0.75 per item plus 15% commission. That can be worth paying for a rare title, but it is a lot of setup for a few course books.

Buyback: World of Books and WeBuyBooks

Sell Your Books by World of Books used to be called Ziffit. You scan barcodes for an instant price, print a free label and send the parcel via InPost or a DPD collection. It pays by PayPal, bank transfer or cheque. World of Books is the same group's shop for buying used books. Count them as one company, not two separate offers.

WeBuyBooks works in a similar way. Its basket page sets a £7.50 minimum offer. Postage or collection is free, and it pays once it has checked your books.

Buyback is the fastest way to clear a mixed shelf, and the quote is certain once your books are accepted. The trade-off is price: a buyback company has to resell at a profit, so its offer for a current course textbook is usually well below a marketplace asking price. Our where to sell textbooks comparison sets marketplace selling against buyback in more detail.

Libraries, digital access and local groups

A library loan or licensed e-book may mean you don't need to buy at all. Check the exact title, edition and loan rules. Subscription platforms such as Perlego can be worth it, but only if they have the exact titles you need for as long as you need them.

Local student groups are useful for books you can collect on campus. Confirm the edition before meeting. Facebook's Purchase Protection only covers eligible orders made through Facebook checkout. Local pickups and deals arranged in Messenger are not covered.

Compare books in five steps

1. Copy the ISBN from the current reading list or publisher listing.
2. Check edition and format differences.
3. Compare delivered totals, including buyer fees and postage.
4. Read condition details, including missing pages, annotations and access codes.
5. Choose a copy that arrives in time. If UBT has no stock, set an alert and check the alternatives.

Selling instead? Read what to do with old university textbooks or check your whole shelf in one go.