Where is the best place to sell university textbooks online in the UK?

For current editions, a marketplace with no seller commission, such as UniBookTrade or eBay for private sellers, usually returns the most because you set the price. For a mixed pile you want gone quickly, a buyback service such as WeBuyBooks or Sell Your Books by World of Books gives an instant quote.

How much should I sell my used textbook for?

Look at what copies of the same ISBN are listed for and, where possible, what they actually sold for. Then adjust for condition. Buyers on UniBookTrade typically pay 40 to 60% below RRP, so pricing a good copy in that range is a sensible starting point.

How do I post a textbook I have sold?

On UniBookTrade, the order creates a prepaid tracked Evri booking. You can print the label or show a QR code at a participating ParcelShop. On other sites, weigh the packed book, compare tracked services and always keep proof of postage.

When do students buy textbooks?

Demand rises before the autumn term (late August to early October) and before semester two (December to January). June and July are usually quiet, because lots of people are selling and few are buying.

Do I need to pay fees to sell textbooks?

Not on UniBookTrade, which has no seller fees. eBay charges UK private sellers no final value fee in most categories. Amazon and AbeBooks charge per-item fees plus a percentage of the sale.

How to Sell Your Old Uni Textbooks Online (UK, 2026/27)

Quick answer: look up the ISBN, check what that exact edition is selling for, then list it where you keep the most. That usually means a no-commission marketplace for current editions and a buyback quote for everything else. Take three clear photos, price slightly below comparable copies, and list two to three weeks before term starts.

Start with the exact ISBN

You probably have a stack of textbooks on a shelf, in a box under the bed or holding up a wobbly desk. What they're worth depends on the exact edition, the condition, and whether a course still uses them. Check the ISBN before deciding a book is valuable or worthless.

For several books, use Sell My Shelf to check up to 30 ISBNs and carry each match into a free listing. For one book, use the textbook value checker.

Where to sell: the UK options compared

Platform	Seller fees	You get	Speed	Effort
UniBookTrade	None; buyer's price includes delivery and protection	Your asking price	When a student buys	Low
eBay	No final value fee for UK private sellers; buyer pays a protection fee	Your price or auction result	Variable	Medium: you arrange postage
Amazon	£0.75 per item (Individual) + 15% referral + closing fee	Price minus fees	Variable	High
WeBuyBooks	None; £7.50 minimum basket	The service's quote	Fast	Very low
Sell Your Books by World of Books (ex-Ziffit)	None; free label	The service's quote	Fast	Very low
Facebook / uni groups	None for local cash sales	Agreed price	Variable	Medium: meet-ups

Comparing everything in more depth? See where to sell textbooks and our best websites for second-hand textbooks.

1. UniBookTrade: sell directly to students

UniBookTrade is a marketplace for UK students to buy and sell used textbooks.

How it works:

List your book for free: scan the ISBN or type the title
Set your price
Upload photos showing the condition
When it sells, open the order to get a prepaid tracked Evri booking
Print the PDF label, or show the printerless QR code at a participating ParcelShop
Get paid to your bank once delivery is confirmed, or when the order's automatic release date passes

Why it's worth using:

No seller fees: listing and selling are free, and you keep 100% of the price you set
You set the price, not an automated quote
Prepaid tracked postage, so no meet-ups with strangers
Students are the buyers, searching for course editions by ISBN, module and university

Selling directly gives you control of the price but no guarantee of a buyer. If a buyback quote is close to what you'd ask, take it.

List your first book for free →

2. WeBuyBooks and World of Books: instant buyback

Scan your ISBNs, get an instant quote, then send the books for free. WeBuyBooks needs at least £7.50 in a basket and pays once it has checked your books. Sell Your Books by World of Books, formerly Ziffit, provides a free label for InPost or DPD collection and pays by PayPal, bank transfer or cheque.

Pros: very little effort; one box for everything; payment within days.

Cons: the quote is set by the service and is usually lower than a marketplace price for a current textbook; books they can't resell quickly get no offer; damaged items can be rejected at inspection.

Verdict: good for clearing a mixed pile. For a current, in-demand edition, compare the quote with marketplace prices before you accept. Our comparison of where to sell textbooks puts the options side by side.

3. eBay: the largest audience

eBay says it is free for UK private sellers: no final value fees, and 300 free listings a month (35p each after that). Optional upgrades and international sales cost extra. Buyers pay a Buyer Protection fee of £0.10 plus 7% on the first £20 of the price, with lower rates above that.

Pros: a huge audience; auctions can work for rare or sought-after titles.

Cons: you arrange and pay for postage up front; your listing competes with professional sellers; buyers aren't specifically students, so a standard course text can take a while to sell.

Verdict: good for rare or expensive textbooks and anything non-academic.

4. Amazon

You can list used books against Amazon's existing product pages by matching the ISBN. On the Individual plan, Amazon charges £0.75 per item sold plus a 15% referral fee on books and a closing fee. The Professional plan costs £25 a month (ex VAT).

Verdict: a lot of setup, and you'll be undercut by professional resellers. Worth it mainly if you sell regularly.

5. Facebook Marketplace and university groups

Most universities have buy-and-sell groups, and local listings are free.

Pros: you reach students at your own university; posting is quick.

Cons: posts get buried; buyers scroll rather than search by ISBN; no-shows are common. Facebook's Purchase Protection doesn't cover local pickups or deals made in Messenger.

Verdict: a useful extra channel, especially for sharing a link to a listing that already exists.

How to price your textbooks

Find the RRP on the publisher's site.
Check comparable copies of the exact ISBN. On eBay, filter by "Sold" to see real sale prices, not just asking prices.
Adjust for condition. On UBT, used copies typically go for 40–60% below RRP, so a good copy priced in that range is competitive.

Condition	Description	Pricing approach
Like new	No marks, highlights or wear	At the top of comparable copies
Good	Minor wear, clean pages, a few pencil notes	Below like-new copies
Acceptable	Noticeable wear, highlighting or annotations	A clear discount for visible wear

What affects a textbook's value

Current edition: the edition being taught now is worth far more than the one before it
Course size: core texts for big courses (psychology, business, law, nursing) sell faster than niche readings
Exam cycles: ACCA, CIMA, AAT and SQE books lose value when their edition expires, so sell them soon after you finish
Condition: water damage, missing pages or heavy highlighting cut the price sharply

How to photograph your textbooks

Use daylight, near a window
Front cover, clear and straight on
Spine, so buyers can see it isn't cracked
The ISBN and edition statement (back cover barcode or copyright page)
Any damage: highlighting, wear or marks. Being upfront prevents disputes

Three or four photos is enough.

How to write a good listing

[Title], [Edition] – [Author]

Used for [Module] at [University]. Condition: [Like new / Good / Acceptable]. [Notes, e.g. "Highlighting in chapters 3–5, otherwise clean."] ISBN: [number]

Buyers care about the edition, the condition and whether it's the right book for their course.

How to ship your textbooks

On UniBookTrade, postage is handled: open the order to get a prepaid tracked Evri booking, then print the label or show the QR code at a participating ParcelShop. You don't pay or guess postage.

Selling elsewhere? Weigh and measure the packed book, then compare current tracked services, as prices and size bands change. Always use tracked postage when selling to a stranger, and keep your proof of postage.

Packaging tips

Use a padded envelope or wrap the book and put it in a box
Books are heavy, so make sure the packaging won't tear
Supermarkets often have spare cardboard boxes

When to sell

Period	Demand	What to do
Late August–early October	Highest	List two to three weeks before term starts
December–January	High	Semester-two reading lists start
April–May	Moderate	Some revision buying; supply starts to rise
June–July	Low	Lots of sellers, few buyers. Hold current editions until August

Exam books follow their own calendar: list ACCA, CIMA, AAT and SQE books soon after your exam while the edition is current. For the full calendar, including what to do over the Christmas break, see the best time to sell textbooks in the UK.

Step-by-step: sell your textbooks today

Gather your textbooks from shelves, boxes and under the bed
Find each ISBN: on the back cover above the barcode
Check the value with Sell My Shelf or the value checker
Take three or four photos of each book
List them on UniBookTrade: about two minutes per book
Share your listings in your course group chat or uni group
Wait for the sale notification
Post it with the prepaid label or ParcelShop QR code
Get paid once delivery is confirmed

Ready to sell?

List your textbooks for free on UniBookTrade →

Not sure a book is worth selling, or want to donate or recycle some? Read what to do with old university textbooks. Got novels or manga to sell too? Here's where to sell books that aren't for your course. Buying for next term? Here's the cheapest way to buy university textbooks.