Best Websites for Second-Hand Textbooks UK (Compared)

Why Buy Second-Hand Textbooks?

Before we get into the comparison, let's address the obvious: buying second-hand textbooks is the single easiest way to cut your university costs. A textbook that retails for £60 new can typically be found for £15–30 used — same content, same edition, just with a previous owner.

The UK second-hand textbook market has grown significantly in the last few years, with several platforms competing for student attention. But they're not all equal. Some charge hefty fees, some have tiny selections, and some aren't really designed for students at all.

Here's an honest, no-nonsense comparison of every major option available to UK students in 2026.

The Platforms: At a Glance

Let's break each one down.

1. UniBookTrade

Website: unibooktrade.co.uk

What it is

A marketplace built specifically for UK university students to buy and sell second-hand textbooks. Think of it as Depop or Vinted, but just for academic books.

How it works

For sellers:

• List your textbook for free by scanning the ISBN or typing the title
• Set your own price
• Upload photos showing the condition
• When someone buys it, you get a prepaid shipping label
• Drop the parcel at a nearby collection point
• Get paid once the buyer confirms delivery

For buyers:

• Search by title, ISBN, university, or subject
• See photos and condition descriptions before buying
• Pay online with card — a small service fee is added
• Book arrives via tracked delivery to a collection point near you

Pros

• Free to list — no upfront costs for sellers
• Student-to-student — you're buying from someone who just finished the same course
• Tracked shipping — no meeting strangers in car parks
• Search by university — find books relevant to your specific courses
• ISBN lookup — sellers scan the barcode and the listing auto-fills with the book details

Cons

• Newer platform, so the catalogue is still growing
• Collection point delivery only (no home delivery yet)

Best for

Students who want a fair price (whether buying or selling) and prefer a proper marketplace with tracked shipping over informal Facebook sales.

Browse textbooks → | Sell your books →

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2. eBay

Website: ebay.co.uk

What it is

The UK's biggest general marketplace. Not textbook-specific, but it has a huge selection of second-hand books.

How it works

Sellers list items at a fixed price or auction. Buyers purchase and the seller ships the item. eBay provides buyer protection through their Money Back Guarantee.

Pros

• Massive selection — if a book exists, it's probably on eBay
• Auction format can surface good deals
• Strong buyer protection
• Familiar platform most people already have accounts on

Cons

• High seller fees — 12.8% final value fee + £0.30 per order means sellers either price higher or accept lower margins
• Not student-focused — your listing sits alongside everything from car parts to vintage clothing
• Shipping is the seller's responsibility and can be expensive for heavy textbooks
• Easy to end up in bidding wars that push prices above what the book is worth

Best for

Finding rare, specialist, or out-of-print textbooks. Also good for selling high-value books (£30+) where the fees are worth the exposure.

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3. Amazon Marketplace

Website: amazon.co.uk

What it is

Amazon lets third-party sellers (including individuals) list used books alongside the new listing. When you search for an ISBN, you'll see "Used from £X" — those are marketplace sellers.

How it works

Match your book to the existing Amazon listing via ISBN. Set your price and condition. When it sells, you ship it (or use Fulfilment by Amazon). Amazon takes a cut.

Pros

• Enormous traffic — millions of people search Amazon for textbooks
• ISBN matching means your listing appears right next to the new book
• Trusted platform with good buyer protection

Cons

• Expensive fees — 15.3% referral fee + £1.00 per-book closing fee + £0.75 per-item fee (on the Individual selling plan)
• You're competing directly with professional resellers who can undercut you
• Setting up as a seller is surprisingly complex
• Returns policy heavily favours buyers

Best for

If you're already an Amazon seller, or if you have a popular textbook where the listing gets a lot of views. Not practical for students selling a handful of books.

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4. AbeBooks

Website: abebooks.co.uk

What it is

A specialist marketplace for books, owned by Amazon. It's particularly strong for older editions, international editions, and out-of-print academic texts.

How it works

Professional and independent booksellers list their stock. Buyers search by title, author, or ISBN. Shipping comes from the individual seller.

Pros

• Excellent for older or hard-to-find editions
• Often cheaper than Amazon for the same book
• International editions available (significantly cheaper)
• Good search filters for condition and edition

Cons

• Mostly professional sellers, not student-to-student
• Shipping can be slow (some sellers are overseas)
• Not great for selling — you'd need a professional seller account
• No student-specific features

Best for

Buying older editions, international editions, or niche academic texts you can't find anywhere else.

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5. WeBuyBooks

Website: webuybooks.co.uk

What it is

A buyback service. You scan your ISBNs, they give you an instant quote, you post the books for free, and they pay you.

How it works

1. Enter your ISBNs on their website
2. Get an instant price per book
3. Send the books (free shipping label provided)
4. Get paid via bank transfer or PayPal

Pros

• Effortless — scan, post, get paid
• Free shipping (they send you a label)
• Quick payment (usually within a few days of receiving books)
• Good for clearing out large numbers of books at once

Cons

• Terrible prices — they routinely offer £0.50–£3.00 for textbooks worth £20–40
• They reject many ISBNs entirely (not accepting, or "£0.00" offers)
• You have zero control over pricing
• They profit by reselling your books at 5–10x what they paid you

Best for

Clearing out a big box of books you genuinely don't care about and can't be bothered to list individually. If you value your time at zero, this works. If you want a fair price, sell directly to students instead.

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6. Ziffit

Website: ziffit.com

What it is

Very similar to WeBuyBooks — a buyback service that scans ISBNs and makes instant offers. They also buy CDs, DVDs, and games.

How it works

Identical process to WeBuyBooks. Scan ISBNs via the app or website, accept the quote, post for free, get paid.

Pros

• Same convenience as WeBuyBooks
• App makes scanning multiple books quick
• Can sell other media (CDs, DVDs) at the same time
• Payments to PayPal, bank transfer, or donate to charity

Cons

• Same problem: prices are very low
• Limited selection of accepted ISBNs
• No control over pricing

Best for

The same use case as WeBuyBooks. Pick whichever one offers the better price for your specific ISBNs (check both).

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7. World of Books

Website: worldofbooks.com

What it is

An online bookseller that specialises in second-hand books. They're the seller — you're the buyer. They buy stock in bulk and resell it.

Pros

• Very cheap prices (many books under £5)
• Huge selection
• Rated condition descriptions are generally accurate
• Carbon-neutral shipping

Cons

• You can't sell to them as an individual (they buy in bulk from other sources)
• Delivery takes 5–7 days typically
• Textbook selection is hit-or-miss
• Often older editions

Best for

Students looking for very cheap copies and who don't mind waiting a few days for delivery. Worth checking for supplementary reading.

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8. Facebook Marketplace and University Groups

What it is

Informal, peer-to-peer selling through Facebook. Most universities have dedicated "buy and sell" or "textbook exchange" groups.

How it works

Post a photo of your textbook, add a price, and wait for someone to comment or message you. Arrange collection or posting between yourselves.

Pros

• No fees whatsoever
• You can target students at your specific university
• Direct communication with buyers
• Quick for local sales

Cons

• No buyer or seller protection — if someone ghosts you, there's nothing you can do
• Posts get buried in active groups within hours
• No search by ISBN — everything is a scroll-and-pray situation
• Requires meeting strangers in person (unless you trust posting without tracking)
• No standardised condition ratings or pricing

Best for

Supplementing a proper listing. If you've listed on UniBookTrade or eBay, cross-posting in your university group can help it sell faster.

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9. Perlego

Website: perlego.com

What it is

A digital textbook subscription service — think Spotify for academic books. Pay a monthly fee and access thousands of textbooks online.

How it works

Subscribe for approximately £12/month (student plan). Search their library and read textbooks digitally on any device.

Pros

• Unlimited access to a large library for a flat fee
• Cheaper than buying even one textbook per month
• Highlight, annotate, and bookmark digitally
• Offline reading available
• Some universities offer institutional access (free for students)

Cons

• No physical books — if you prefer paper, this won't work for you
• Not all textbooks are available (gaps in coverage, especially niche subjects)
• You lose access if you cancel your subscription
• Can't resell — it's a pure cost with no recovery

Best for

Students who need access to many textbooks and are comfortable reading digitally. Check if your university has an institutional subscription first — you might already have access.

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The Verdict: Which Platform Should You Use?

It depends on what you're trying to do:

If you're buying textbooks

1. Check your university library first — you might already have free access to e-books
2. Search UniBookTrade — best prices from students who had the exact same course
3. Check AbeBooks — good for older editions and international editions
4. Try Perlego — if you need several books and don't mind reading digitally
5. Fall back to eBay/Amazon — for anything you can't find elsewhere

If you're selling textbooks

1. List on UniBookTrade — free to list, fair prices, tracked shipping, student audience
2. Cross-post on Facebook groups — free extra visibility
3. Use eBay for high-value books — worth the fees if the book is worth £30+
4. Only use WeBuyBooks/Ziffit as a last resort — when you genuinely just want the books gone

The bottom line

The best platform is the one where students are already looking for your exact textbook. Generic marketplaces like eBay and Amazon have volume, but student-focused platforms like UniBookTrade have intent — every person browsing is a student looking for course books.

For most UK students in 2026, the smartest move is:

• Buy on UniBookTrade for the best student-to-student prices
• Sell on UniBookTrade for free, with tracked shipping and no meetups
• Check AbeBooks and Perlego as backups for anything you can't find

Happy textbook hunting.