With the growing adoration for audiobooks and Kindles, physical literature has seen a downturn in popularity.
Yet there remains a select group of people, us included, who can’t bear to relinquish the smell of crisp, printed pages and the satisfying feeling of closing a hefty, 1,000-page book after finally finishing it.
Rising global temperatures and overflowing landfills make shopping sustainably more important than ever, which means that filling our bookshelves with brand-new editions will not only negatively affect our bank accounts, but the environment too.
After all, there are only so many books you can honestly declare that you’ll re-read at some stage in your life, making housing a miniature library within the walls of your home more of a vanity project than anything else. That being said, we can understand the desire to have a chic and oh-so-intellectual Zoom background during those all-important work meetings.
So, how does one reconcile the desire to own physical, aesthetically pleasing literature without harming the environment? The answer is simple, and it’s all about purchasing from the hundreds of millions of books already in circulation.
Just like the second-hand fashion revolution is promising to reduce waste in the clothing industry, purchasing second-hand books en masse can have the same effect on the publishing industry. If consumers work together to reduce the amount of brand-new books sold, the number of copies which go to waste may just gradually reduce over time due to a reduction in the amount of copies printed.
Of course, it’s still incredibly important to support the publishing industry and our favourite authors by purchasing new releases from time to time, but supplementing your literary addiction with second-hand purchases of older titles is the ultimate way to promote a circular approach to book-buying while helping to alleviate environmental strain and saving precious pennies in the process.
We’ve rounded up a selection of the best places to buy second-hand books online. Keep scrolling to dive in.
Abe Books
If you’ve ever studied a humanities subject at either school or university, you’ll likely be intimately familiar with AbeBooks. Founded in 1996, the e-commerce store specialises in used, rare and out-of-print books on just about any subject you could possibly imagine.
Though the retailer has been a subsidiary of Amazon since 2008, its independent heart has never ceased. This is because the millions of books and other objects that are listed for sale on the website are uploaded by thousands of individual sellers across over 50 countries. It’s like Depop for books – only better.
Buy now, Abe Books
World of Books
Not too dissimilar to AbeBooks, World of Books was founded after a group of bibliophiles discovered the sheer number of books in charity shops destined for landfills. Since its naissance, World of Books has grown its book inventory to over seven million.
Specialising solely in the selling of pre-loved books, World of Books is also a certified B Corp, so you can feel safe and secure in the knowledge that your purchase is aiding the circular economy.
Buy now, World of Books
Oxfam
If you don’t have the time to pop into your local Oxfam bookshop, the beloved charity also has a fantastic online offering. With over 6,000 sprawling pages of fantastic second-handbooks ranging from bizarre vintage finds to contemporary classics, you can shop sustainably while supporting a brilliant charity.
Buy now, Oxfam
Alibris
Enjoy best-selling, popular fiction and non-fiction titles at a bargain price over at Alibris. Home to over 175 million new and used books, including textbooks and audiobooks, Alibris was founded in 1997 in California but ships worldwide. They also have a handy UK-based online storefront.
This online bookstore is a specialist in used, out-of-print and rare books thanks to their vast network of independent booksellers. We love that you can search books, movies and music through their specialised ISBN engine and even start your own wishlist via Alibris for Libraries.
Buy now, Alibris
Music Magpie
Contrary to popular belief, Music Magpie is home to so much more than second-hand tech. Browse a bustling selection of popular, award-winning reads for jaw-droppingly low prices. You can also snag impressive bundle deals on used books, such as two for £5 and five for £10. Now that’s sustainable, bargain shopping.
Buy now, Music Magpie
Monster Bookshop
Founded in 2008 with a mission statement to bring sustainability back to bookshops, Monster Bookshop stocks titles both new and old. All pre-loved items undergo a three-stage quality control process by Monster’s dedicated warehouse team to ensure readable condition, and you can also find a description of the book’s condition in each product summary.
Buy now, Monster Bookshop
Biblio
A website for rare and first-edition book collectors, Biblio offers an eye-watering 100 million used, rare and out-of-print books by collaborating with specialist booksellers across the globe. They also have a handy first-edition identification guide as well as information regarding how to care for rare books.
Buy now, Biblio
