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Which charity shops accept second Han book donations?

(19 Posts)
IreneAdler2 Sun 03-Feb-19 12:43:53

Does anybody know which charity shops will accept second hand books?

I’ve got hundreds of hard back and soft back books in varying conditions and if varying ages which I need to get rid of.

I’ve heard that some chains of charity shops are not keen on receiving second hand books.

Can anyone name specific charity shop chains or similar that will accept them?

As a last resort I will take them to the paper recycler.

IreneAdler2 Sun 03-Feb-19 12:45:26

That should be second hand not Han!

BlueBelle Sun 03-Feb-19 12:48:24

We have loads of charity shops in this town and they all have book sections The one I work in certainly does and very popular it is too I don’t think I ve been in one that doesn’t and I go in plenty of charity shops for sure
Theres a book section in Heart Foundation, Barnadoes, Sue Ryder and we have lots of smaller local charities that all have them
If in doubt give your local shops a ring I can’t bear to think of good books being paper recycled damaged ones definitely yes but not decent ones in good condition

mumofmadboys Sun 03-Feb-19 12:50:24

Oxfam. They have specialist bookshops but if you drop books at any Oxfam they will transport them to their bookshops.

IreneAdler2 Sun 03-Feb-19 13:03:55

Thanks for tips.

Liz46 Sun 03-Feb-19 13:05:58

Our local Age UK charity shops seem to have too many books. One of them is not accepting books and the other is selling them at 3 for £1.

Nonnie Sun 03-Feb-19 13:12:10

Ask them. I've just put on another thread that our local hospice shop takes them and if they don't sell they get money from them being pulped.

Geryfelin Sun 03-Feb-19 13:34:03

The Red Cross and National Trust also accept books. There is a Red Cross bookshop near us, where people often buy, read and return them for resale.

Jalima1108 Sun 03-Feb-19 13:35:10

Yes, Oxfam, although the woman in our local Oxfam shop was very snippy about paperbacks. Ours has 'an arrangement' with a specialist bookshop and anything valuable is sold to them.

I have seen vanloads of books leaving our local Red Cross shop and I think they were going to be pulped sad

M0nica Sun 03-Feb-19 16:15:11

Oxfam actually have specialist bookshops, which have everything from rare and scholarly books to paperback novels, so if they are too many for your local Oxfam they can pass them on.

Oxfam sift through books and sell really good ones online through Abe Books or at book auctions. I use their Oxford book shop regularly and have searched for books on Abe Books and found the book I was looking for there, put up for sale by Oxfam.

Witzend Thu 07-Feb-19 12:11:21

Personally I wouldn't take anything tatty or non-fiction that's out of date.
I'm surprised at the Oxfam assistant being snippy about paperbacks - that is unless they were very old and tatty - I buy quite a few of mine in the local Ox. bookshop and frequently donate 'non keeper' PBs there too. I never buy hardback fiction, whether new or 2nd hand - too heavy to read in bed!

I used to work in a library, where we were often offered donations, but many of them had to be chucked for the above reasons, v tatty or out of date NF. Sometimes we'd put donations on the for sale shelf, if we already had enough copies, but we just didn't have room for things that weren't going to sell, and presumably charity shops are the same.

Charleygirl5 Thu 07-Feb-19 13:45:03

The sheer volume that you have to offer may put some charities off because storage space is limited. If you could give a few to many charities you would soon get rid of them.

I am fortunate because my nearest charity has a room for books and selling coffee set aside. They sell cheaply so have an excellent turnover.

I have also handed in books to my local library which were very gratefully received because my books were newish and in superb condition.

Lazigirl Thu 07-Feb-19 14:06:51

Our local National Trust House and park have a second hand book room.

Qwerty Fri 28-Jun-19 23:31:09

British Heart Foundation shops always take books. Round here, we are in Manchester, a lot of cafes have free, informal "borrow a book and return one" schemes too.

BlueBelle Sat 29-Jun-19 03:25:49

Have you tried Ziffit I have made about £100 by selling my books using the Ziffit app its very easy to scan them with your phone They might only want one book out of twenty scanned but it soon adds up they come and collect for free so it’s well worth it and what they accept is constantly changing so if they refuse a book once and you scan it in a months time they may want it

The surplus i give away, our local library now has charity status (I only found that out recently) so are very keen to take books to sell to make funds

SpringyChicken Sat 29-Jun-19 07:32:18

Be realistic about the books and donate only those having a chance of being sold on. Ditch the rest yourself. Books do date and don’t remain precious items forever.

cornergran Sat 29-Jun-19 07:49:37

I’ve found the National Trust are very happy to accept non fiction books. Our local hospice has one shop which is devoted to books. A few phone calls to charities in your area would I’m sure help you pass on your collection.

glammanana Sat 29-Jun-19 07:59:37

Oxfam in Liverpool has a massive second hand book shop which is busy every day it has a coffee area and very popular with students buying second hand text books.
Some of the shops that refuse to take books may not have the space when you enquire and they are governed now by Health & Safety regs to the amount they can store as they could become a fire hazard.

Beckett Sat 29-Jun-19 08:20:11

Most charity shops accept books, but they need to be in good condition - if they are not in a condition that you would buy them then no-one else will