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Original poster

How much do you pay for second hand paperbacks?

33 replies

HildaHotPants · 16/08/2012 10:38

Was a bit shocked yesterday, as I picked up some books in a charity shop and the price was £1.50 each, £1.99 each. For chick-lit shite, and nothing very recent.

In my local shops you would pay 50p for the same thing.

I know it's all for charity and I did pay it, but wondered whether my local price was very low.

OP posts:
MoaningMingeWhingesAgain · 16/08/2012 10:53

I paid 2.75 for 2 recent pbs at the Arthritis Research shop, they were 2.50 and 2.75 but BOGOF. I am put off oxfam because they are hardly any cheaper than supermarket.

HipHopSkipJumpomous · 16/08/2012 10:53

about £1.50 at my local charity shops - sometimes more.

Though they do sell childrens picture books 3 for £1

R2PeePoo · 16/08/2012 10:50

Sounds about right for my area. The most expensive are Oxfam at £2.50 on average, other bigger charities are around £1.50. I simply don't impulse buy in those shops any more, I'll only buy the occasional book that I know I will read.

I shop mostly at the smaller, less organised shops where books are cheaper and end up with 5 or 10 impulse buys instead. I get the majority of my reading material from the library now, both borrowing and from the library sale where they are 20p-50p. The RSPCA shop near me has a box of children's books that are all 10p so the kids get most of their books from there and the library.

LeeCoakley · 16/08/2012 10:49

I bought two the other day from my local Age Concern shop. One was 99p and the other was £1.99. Bit random and can only assume it was because one was thicker than the other!

I used to work in there and we charged 10% of the cover price for books less than 4 years old which I thought was jolly reasonable. Now I think there's a structure of pricing within the chains. The independent charity shops are where you'll still get the bargains I imagine.

CleoSmackYa · 16/08/2012 10:47

50p from my local charity shop.

ShellyBobbs · 16/08/2012 10:47

Glad I'm not on my own there! I like to shop on the market, I get much better deals there, about £1.

My library sells off old books for 20p each or you can buy a canvas bag and fill it all for £3!

I do shop at charity shops though, I'm not that tight :)

mollymole · 16/08/2012 10:44

Around £1.00 at local Oxfam and also Community Library. Am always shocked at price of paperbacks in Cancer Research - £2.50 plus

notnowImreading · 16/08/2012 10:42

My favourite charity shop (Barnardos) charges £1.99 for a paperback. Where do they charge 50p? Might be worth a day out!