The Best Places to Buy Used Children’s Books
I love stocking our home library with the best books! It might feel daunting to start a library from scratch if you browse full-priced books, but here’s an easy budget-friendly trick: buy used! This is a list of my top spots (both in-person and online) for purchasing affordable used books for your homeschool and beyond.
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This post shares the top spots I go for inexpensive and/or hard-to-find used books. I’ve included both online and in-person favorites. You can build your library easily AND save a ton of money when you start browsing used books!
I have always loved reading and having the opportunity to collect books for our homeschool is almost as fun reading the books themselves.
We always have long booklists each homeschool year! I’ve found a balance between purchasing new books, sourcing used books, and utilizing our local library system. We’ve even used read-aloud videos found on Youtube. I’ll cover those ideas in a future post, but for now let’s chat used books!
This post was inspired by my summer trips to my local Once Upon a Child location where I have found stacks of amazing books for our homeschool. I never realized the treasure trove this store was, so I figured I should share the spoils with my fellow homeschoolers (and highlight a few of my other favorite places to find used books).
Where Do I Store All These Books? Hm, good question. Everywhere! I do try to donate some titles every year, rotate collections, and be creative with storage solutions. I wrote a whole post on how I store our children’s books with ideas!
Best Places to Buy Used Children’s Books
Okay, let’s start with my favorite:
Local Children’s Resellers (such as Once Upon a Child)
My favorite! Visit these stores regularly to browse and find amazing titles to add to your library. My local stores don’t sell online, so I’ve found lots of great titles all for under $3.
I often shopped my Once Upon a Child location for clothing, but didn’t realize until recently that it was such a great spot to find books!
OUAC is a brick-and-mortar reseller that purchases used children’s clothing, equipment, books, and toys to resell. If you have a OUAC (or similar) near you they can be amazing places to find deals.
What kind of books do I find at Once Upon a Child? When I shop OUAC and similar stores, I tend to find mostly books by popular authors such as Jan Brett, Beverly Cleary, Cynthia Rylant, and Kate DiCamillo.
I’ve found many American Girl books, brand-new workbooks and sticker books, chapter books, early readers, and more. I’ve also found some great learning toys (such as Rush Hour) as well as puzzles and games.
I suggest trying multiple locations if possible. Some stores offer a lot more than others!
A similar shopping experience is children’s consignment sales. You’ll have to find these pop-up sales locally. While there is usually a heavy emphasis on baby gear, it’s worth browsing through the book areas if you have a little time on your hands.
Pricing: My Once Upon a Child location generally prices books either at $1.50 or $2.50 (though there are exceptions). Some of my favorite finds were a beautiful hardcover Winnie-the-Pooh story collection, American Girl books, and MANY perfect condition picture books that were already on my “to-buy” list from booklist recommendations from Sonlight, Memoria Press, and Math with Confidence lists.
Thriftbooks
Thriftbooks is my favorite online stop when I need a specific title. Wonderful if you are short on time. Not as helpful for vintage books or homeschool curriculum. You only need $15 to get free shipping!
While Once Upon a Child and similar stores are great for browsing and building collections over time, occasionally I’ll need specific titles–and quickly!
This is when I visit Thriftbooks. With Thriftbooks, you can search for the book you need and grab a copy in the condition you prefer. Like free shipping? You only need to spend $15+ to ship your items for free.
I usually buy chapter books and picture books at Thriftbooks and they are quite affordable–many around $5-6. You can also choose the condition of the book you are purchasing. Save money by choosing books in poorer condition or spend a dollar or two more and get something that is nearly brand-new.
If you are short on time in your homeschool, Thriftbooks is the way to go. Shipping is also pretty quick–I usually have my items within a week.
I’ve also found a neat little convenience. If you are buying for a specific homeschool list (such as Sonlight) their shopping algorithm seems to predict the books you need (presumably lots of homeschoolers are logging on to shop these specific booklists!). So the suggested titles that pop up are likely also relevant, which saves time searching titles individually as you can just click on titles you need when they pop and quickly add to cart.
Note: I do not like purchasing homeschool curriculum through Thriftbooks. It’s not always clear what you are getting. I find it’s easier to look at curriculum on eBay where there are photos of the exact pieces you are purchasing and you can ask questions of the seller if you are unsure about anything.
Abe Books
Abe is another online book reseller and has a similar selection to Thriftbooks, but with more of an emphasis on vintage or HTF (hard-to-find) books. I was able to complete a few of my American Girl series by purchasing copies of missing books from Abe. Thriftbooks on the other hand didn’t have any of the older AG books for many titles.
Shipping works a little differently on Abe, so pay attention to totals as you shop.
ebay
Ebay is great for sets, lots, encyclopedias, and used curriculum!
If I need a complete set of a series, a used homeschool curriculum, or vintage/hard-to-find books, I go straight to ebay. Sometimes I’ll just see if they have a better deal than my other go-to sites–and they just might!
You can search, create saved searches, submit offers (on select items), and bid on auctions. A little tip: add things to your favorites list (called a “Watchlist”) and see if the seller sends you a coupon or offer. Obviously if you really want something it’s a little risky, but can be a good way to save money!
Another perk is that most (not all) listings have photos of the exact product you are buying.
Local Thrift Stores
Local thrift stores that do not sell online can be incredible! I browse through looking for familiar authors or illustrations and then pick the best stuff.
One of my favorite resources for finding lots of stuff, but definitely books. Locally independently-owned thrift stores seem to have a better selection than Goodwill these days, but of course every store is different.
I often find vintage books at our store and everything is priced low at a dollar or two.
I always browse all the aisles when I thrift–you never know where a treasure is waiting to be found!
Goodwill
I like to browse Goodwill, but locations vary a lot. They cull the best titles to sell online.
Goodwill stores are great for a browse, but they vary SO much in quality! Plus, if you are on the hunt for great books, it’s getting even harder to find them. Goodwill now sells many of their books on goodwillbooks.com.
So instead of selling the books in their stores for $2 they are re-routing them to online stores to sell for a higher price. I find this to be such a bummer! For this reason, I stick to independently-owned thrifts (that do not sell online) when possible.
Local Sales
While these sales aren’t always easy to discover, they are great if you are looking for lots of different things for bargain prices. Check large local churches and libraries (particularly in spring/summer) for upcoming sales.
Church Sales: These can take a little sleuthing to find out about, but the prices are always low and often the volume is exceptional. If you have time for bargain hunting, church sales are fun to browse.
Co-op Book Sales: Sometimes homeschool co-ops host book sales. These tend to happen in the spring, but each sale is different of course. I suggest becoming a member of any local or state-wide homeschooling group on Facebook. These groups will often post promos of upcoming sales.
Library Book Sales: Also keep updated with library book sales. These can be a mixed bag, but it’s a fast way to shop a LOT of books all at once. Books are usually priced low, with additional discounts on the last day of the sale. Every library is different so browse your local offerings and mark the sale dates on your calendar!
Facebook Marketplace
Good for used curriculum. I avoid items that ship (whether though FB groups or Marketplace). If it’s not a local pickup, I stick with eBay as it is less risky for buyers.
I often get asked how to save money on my favorite reading curriculum, and purchasing through Facebook Marketplace is a great way to do just that! Browse curriculum particularly near the end of the school year and during summertime to see what you can find.
I don’t always enjoy the unknowns of meetups and pickups, but if you don’t mind the back-and-forth of messages and setting up pickup times, FB can be a good way to save money.
I avoid any type of shipping through Facebook. There really are not good buyer protections in place and I see far too many scams to be comfortable. Always use your best judgement and consider safety first, especially when picking up items.
Garage Sales
While not the most efficient option, garage sales have endless possibilities! Browse books, toys, and home goods to use around your homeschool.
Garage sales are so hit or miss. In the interests of saving time, I often don’t bother these days. I feel like most people are going for the easier option of Facebook Marketplace (or even eBay) to sell the good stuff (and often get a higher price).
The last few garage sales I’ve been to have been pretty lackluster.
If you do like garage sales, I’ve found that city-wide garage sale days are the most efficient way to shop since you can visit many sales in one day.
You can also keep your eyes open for other homeschool resources. What about dress-up costumes, fabric (or clothing/sheets to cut up!), old pots and pans for science and crafts, or old bins for small toys for building sensory bins or busy bins. Also check out old CDs, books on tape, board games, and “endless play” toys (like building blocks or magnet tiles).
Where are your favorite places to get great deals on used books?
I’d love to hear your tips and tricks in the comments!
Thanks for reading!
~Ellen
