What to Do with Old University Textbooks in the UK: Sell, Donate, or Recycle?

TL;DR: What to do with old textbooks

Short on time? Here's the quick answer:

Start by checking whether they are worth selling. Value one ISBN, or use Sell My Shelf to check up to 30 books at once. If a book has current demand, you can list it free, set the asking price, and keep that book price when it sells.

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First, is your textbook worth selling?

Before you do anything, it's worth a 30-second check, because the answer decides everything below.

A textbook is worth checking if it is a current or recent edition, in readable condition, and still used on a course. Medicine, law, engineering, economics and nursing titles are sensible places to start, but demand varies by exact ISBN.

A textbook is worth donating if it is several editions out of date but still clean and usable. Recycle it if it is damaged beyond reuse.

If you're not sure, run the ISBN through the free textbook value checker and compare current copies on a couple of the sites in our best places to buy and sell second-hand textbooks guide. No result is a signal to investigate further, not proof that the book has no value.

Option 1: Sell them (the option that actually pays)

Selling is the only option that puts money back in your pocket, and for most textbooks it's surprisingly easy. You broadly have two routes:

Sell directly to other students

Listing on a student marketplace like UniBookTrade gets your book in front of people who are looking for that exact title, usually because they're about to take the course you just finished.

Why it works well for students:

• Free to list: no upfront cost, and you keep 100% of the price you set.
• You set the price: you are not at the mercy of an algorithm's lowball offer.
• Prepaid tracked shipping: follow the carrier instructions, with no meeting strangers or chasing payment.
• Search by university and subject: buyers find books relevant to their actual course.
• ISBN lookup: scan the barcode and the listing fills in the book's details for you.

The trade-off is that you're listing each book and waiting for a buyer, so it rewards a little patience and good timing (more on that below).

Sell to a buyback service

Sites like WeBuyBooks and Ziffit buy your books outright: scan the ISBNs, accept an instant quote, post them, and get paid. It is quick, but the quote may be lower than a direct-sale price because the service needs room to resell the book. Compare the quote for your exact ISBN before deciding.

Buyback makes sense when you genuinely just want a big box of books gone and value your time over the money. For anything worth more than a few pounds, selling direct to students earns far more. We compare all the major options side by side in our best websites for second-hand textbooks guide.

How to get the best price when selling

A few things make a real difference to whether your book sells:

• Time it right. Demand often rises before term starts and around new module reading lists. List before those windows.
• Price with the market. Compare active listings and, where available, recent sold prices for your exact ISBN. Condition and demand matter more than a fixed percentage of the original price.
• Tidy it up. Clean the cover, rub out pencil notes where you can, and be honest about any highlighting or damage.
• Photograph it properly. Clear, well-lit photos from a few angles, plus the ISBN, help buyers trust the listing.
• Get the edition right. Some textbooks have different international editions, so state clearly which one you have.

Ready to go? List your books in a couple of minutes →

Option 2: Donate them

If a book is not worth selling, or you would simply rather it did some good, donating can keep a usable copy in circulation.

• Oxfam shops accept book donations at most branches, subject to local capacity, and offer a postal route.
• British Heart Foundation shops list quality books among the goods they accept.
• Campus reuse programmes at some universities accept current textbooks or run book exchanges.
• University libraries usually apply collection criteria, so contact them before arriving with books.

Use our verified UK textbook donation directory for current official links, regional campus contacts and the sell, donate or recycle decision flow.

Option 3: Recycle them

Some books are simply done: water-damaged, mouldy, falling apart or incomplete.

Recycle Now says books are not usually accepted with kerbside paper because of the glue used in their bindings. Some recycling centres accept them, so use its postcode finder through our donation and recycling directory and follow the current instructions for your local facility.

University buyback schemes

Some UK universities run their own end-of-term buyback events, where a bookstore or third-party vendor assesses your books and makes an on-the-spot cash offer.

The upside is convenience with no listing or shipping. The downsides are that the windows can be short and acceptance depends on the exact edition. If your university runs one, compare the options for your ISBN before deciding.

Do you pay tax on selling old textbooks?

Selling a few personal possessions does not automatically mean that tax is due, but the answer depends on why you acquired the items, whether you are trading, and your wider circumstances. Buying books specifically to resell for profit is different from clearing books you previously bought for your course.

HMRC provides a short online-platform income checker and separate guidance on the trading allowance. Use the current official guidance rather than relying on a marketplace article, and keep records if you regularly buy and resell stock.

This is general information, not tax advice. Check your circumstances with HMRC or a qualified adviser.

The bottom line

Don't let good textbooks rot in a box. Run the quick value check, then:

• In good condition and still in demand? Sell them on UniBookTrade. It is free to list, you keep 100% of your asking price, and the next student can find the exact edition.
• Not worth selling? Donate them to a charity shop, library, or community group.
• Beyond saving? Recycle them rather than binning them.

Whichever you choose, you're clearing space and keeping books out of landfill. And if you're also kitting out for next term, see the cheapest ways to buy university textbooks before you pay full price for anything.

Sell your old textbooks now