Library Book Sales: How to Find Them and Shop Like a Pro

Few places offer as many good books for as little money as a library book sale. Donated books and library discards are sold to raise funds, usually by a volunteer Friends of the Library group, and prices are often a dollar or two per book, falling further on the last day. Here’s how to make the most of them.

How library book sales work

Sales range from a permanent shelf near the entrance to multi-day events with tens of thousands of books. Larger sales often follow a pattern:

• Members’ preview: the evening before opening, open to Friends members (membership is usually inexpensive)
• Opening day: full prices, best selection
• Middle days: steady restocking in some sales
• Half-price day and bag or box day: a flat price for whatever fits in a bag or box

Proceeds fund library programmes, so even when you find a bargain, you’re supporting the library.

Finding sales

• Your local library’s website, newsletter and noticeboards
• The Friends of the Library group’s own website or social pages
• Community calendars and local newspapers
• Map searches for “library book sale” (our finder builds these for you)
• Book sale listing services that cover your region

Sign up for e-mail alerts from libraries in your area; larger sales are often announced weeks in advance.

What to bring

• Bags or a box (many sales provide them, but not always)
• Cash and a card; some sales are cash only
• A list of authors, subjects or titles you’re hunting
• A phone to look up prices if you resell (respect any device rules)
• Patience and a willingness to dig

Shopping strategy

Go early for selection, late for price

Collectors and resellers arrive at the preview or opening for the best books. Readers who care more about price than selection can wait for half-price or bag days.

Head for the sections others skip

The fiction tables get mobbed. Specialist sections, such as reference, science, history, art, crafts, cookery, local history and collectibles, often hide the best value. Many sales set aside a “better books” or collectibles table, priced higher but still well below market.

Look at every spine

Work systematically along each table. Scan spines for publishers, subjects and authors on your list, and pull anything with a dust jacket, an unusual binding or an old date for a closer look.

Check condition before you buy

Donated books vary. Fan the pages for writing and water damage, check bindings, and smell for mustiness, which can spread to other books.

Etiquette that keeps sales friendly

• Don’t hoard huge stacks you haven’t checked; others are waiting.
• Don’t sweep entire tables into boxes to sort later if the sale asks you not to.
• Follow the rules on scanners and phones.
• Be kind to volunteers; they run the event for the library’s benefit.

After the sale

If you resell, list promising books quickly while demand is fresh, and use our profit calculator to stay disciplined. If you bought to read, consider donating them back after you’re done. Books that cycle back into the sale keep supporting the library.