Where to buy used books in Allentown

Updated 10/21/2026

Allentown, Pennsylvania sends book hunters out of town more than it keeps them: inside the city line you get Muhlenberg College's spring library sale, two comic shops and an antique center, while the bookshops and most library sales gather in the towns around it. Emmaus, about 5 miles south, is where Apport Used Books and Now and Then Books are practically neighbors on South Fourth Street, with the public library's Friends shelf half a mile away. Bethlehem, 4.7 to 5.2 miles east, pairs the Old Library Bookshop on Center Street with two branches of its public library that run sales. Whitehall Township, a little over 3 miles north-northwest, puts 2nd & Charles and the township library about half a mile apart, with ComicMasters in the Whitehall Mall, and the boroughs of Catasauqua and Coplay just beyond each hold library sales. Lower Macungie Township and Coopersburg, each around 7 miles out, round off the list.

Three counters publish what they pay or how they decide. The Old Library Bookshop prints flat rates for general stock and doubles the figure in trade, Apport answers emailed inquiries and names the subjects it is chasing, and 2nd & Charles makes a single offer per load; Encounter and ComicMasters say they take comic collections too. The library side runs on dates, not shelves, apart from the Emmaus Book Nook: Bethlehem's main library says it sells every other month, the Lower Macungie Friends normally hold one sale in early May and one in late November, Coplay's library puts its sales in April and October, and Whitehall's township library posts its sales on its events calendar.

Spot map

The best spots

Used bookstores

The Old Library Bookshop

1419 Center St, Bethlehem, PA 18018

In Bethlehem, two miles south of the Route 22 exit for Center Street and 5.2 miles from Allentown's City Hall, a mother-and-daughter team, Margaret and Mary, has owned the shop since 1996 and counts more than 26,000 books, plus drawers of old photographs, maps and ephemera. The Comenian, Moravian University's student paper, profiled it in April 2025, quoting co-owner Mary on how a first rented space in Hellertown's old library gave the shop its name, and a June 2025 Wayback Machine snapshot of the website matches the live page of October 21, 2026. Sellers get printed rates: 50 cents a hardcover and 25 cents a softcover for general stock bought as needed, roughly a tenth of the intended asking price for better copies, and double the total when taken in trade. Call or email before bringing a load, and leave most textbooks, condensed books, encyclopedias, ex-library copies, book club fiction and paperback fiction at home.

Hours: Wed–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 10am–3pm; closed Sun–TueWebsite

Used bookstores

Apport Used Books

12 S 4th St, Emmaus, PA 18049

In Emmaus, about five miles south of Allentown, Apport keeps its open shop in the borough's downtown Triangle and pitches itself at readers and collectors of vintage and unusual books, from UFOs, horror and mycology to classic literature, psychology and art, with a small run of new titles too. A Wayback Machine capture dated August 4, 2026 shows the site with the buying notes and opening days it still lists. It buys by email inquiry or across the counter; the wants posted on apportusedbooks.com when read in October 2026 covered vintage poetry, occult, UFO, philosophy, horror and science fiction, and it passes on most children's books and cookbooks, YA novels, recent popular fiction of the Patterson kind, ex-library copies, modern textbooks and badly damaged books. Higher-end pieces are listed on AbeBooks, and new arrivals go up daily on Instagram, where a direct message is one way to claim them.

Hours: Wed 12:30pm–6pm, Thu–Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–4pm; closed Mon–TueWebsite

Used bookstores

Now and Then Books

56 S 4th St, Emmaus, PA 18049

In Emmaus, a tenth of a mile down South Fourth Street from Apport, this shop's Facebook page bills it as the largest independently owned new and used bookstore in the Lehigh Valley. Its own posts track older stock coming through: fantasy art books and a first-edition Stephen King pop-up of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon on August 20, 2026, and a large Civil War collection marked half off on June 27. A yard sale took place on September 12, 2026, advertised with thousands of books, plus mass-market paperbacks priced two for $1, and on October 21 it posted new Little Golden Book arrivals alongside one-of-a-kind, locally handcrafted journals at $15 each. Closures are announced on the same page, as when it shut for the day on Wednesday, September 23, 2026; check there before a weekday drive.

Website

Used bookstores

2nd & Charles

MacArthur Towne Centre, 2590 MacArthur Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052

In Whitehall Township, 3.2 miles north-northwest of City Hall in the MacArthur Towne Centre, this branch of the trade-in chain resells books alongside records, movies, games and collectibles. Its store page, read on October 21, 2026, lists seven-day opening and warns that buybacks stop sixty minutes before closing. Trading works by the tote: load a maximum of three branded bags, get back one combined offer, then choose between cash and in-store credit, which the selling guide says can reach 150% above what cash would pay. The chain's published rules turn away textbooks, advance copies, PC games, VHS tapes, phones and damaged goods.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–8pm, Sun 11am–7pmWebsite

Library book sales

Bethlehem Area Public Library Book Sale

Main Library, 11 W Church St, Bethlehem, PA 18018

In downtown Bethlehem, on West Church Street, the main library says it holds a sale in its Book Sale Room every other month, and its calendar already lists 2027 rounds through December of that year. Each round pairs a Wednesday stretching into the evening with the following Saturday, and the library bars scanners and other electronic pricing devices on the Wednesday while welcoming them on Saturday. The Lehigh Valley Press reported on January 13, 2026 that coordinator Laurel Stone had set every adult hardcover at $2, with used books, DVDs, CDs and records on the tables and cards accepted. Donations go to this building or the South Side branch during opening hours, never to Coolidge or the bookmobile, and Reader's Digest books, magazines, VHS and cassette audiobooks are declined.

Hours: Next sale: Wed Dec 2, 2026, noon–8pm; Sat Dec 5, 2026, 10am–4pmWebsite

All spots by type

Used bookstores

Comic shop

Beachead Comics

1326 W Chew St, Allentown, PA 18102

On West Chew Street, roughly one mile west of downtown's City Hall, Beachead carries new releases alongside vintage comics and graphic novels from DC, Marvel, Image and others, plus figures and statues, and keeps a small seating area for talking comics. Its website ran a 10% Small Business Saturday offer in November 2025 and also points shoppers to its eBay listings, handy for checking stock before the trip.

Hours: Mon–Sat noon–8pm; closed SunWebsite

Comic shop with back issues

Encounter Comics & Games

811 Union Blvd, Allentown, PA 18109

On Union Boulevard, 1.8 miles northeast of City Hall, Encounter wrote on its Facebook page on February 17, 2026 that it had bought a ton of comic collections and filled a whole wall with back issues spanning Silver, Gold and Modern Age books, with a crazy amount of keys among them. That post ran a back-issue promotion until the end of February: buy one back issue and the next one, priced the same or lower, is half off. The same page gives (610) 774-9565 as the phone.

Website

Comic shop

ComicMasters

1978 Whitehall Mall, Whitehall, PA 18052

In Whitehall Township, inside the Whitehall Mall, 2.3 miles out, with 2nd & Charles 0.9 miles further north, this comic shop says it has been established since 1994 and names comics, trades, statues, T-shirts, toys and CCGs as its specialties. A Wayback Machine capture from February 2026 shows its WE BUY OLD COMICS page offering to buy comics and collectibles across Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and the Lehigh Valley, and the contact page invites sellers to bring a collection in or have the shop come out to take a look. It also points shoppers to a large eBay presence.

Hours: Mon–Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 11am–5pmWebsite

Used bookstores

Medina Books and Coffee

20 S Main St, Coopersburg, PA 18036

In Coopersburg, on South Main Street 7.6 miles south-southeast of Allentown, this bookstore and coffee bar sells a curated selection mixing new and secondhand books, and gives the secondhand side its own section online. Its events page listed a holiday wreath workshop for Saturday, November 14, 2026 at $40 a person, next to a writers' meetup and a paper flower session. Blind-date books, wrapped picks sold once or on three-, six- or twelve-month plans, are on offer too.

Hours: Wed 11am–7pm, Thu–Sat 11am–5pm; closed Sun–TueWebsite

Flea markets

Antique mall

Weil's Doghouse Antique Center

1471 Lehigh St, Allentown, PA 18103

On Lehigh Street, 1.9 miles from City Hall by straight line, this antique center sits at the back of a shopping plaza, reached by following the drive around its right side, and claims 30,000 square feet of dealer space. Its FAQ page, matching a Wayback Machine capture taken in June 2026, includes books in its rundown of stock, along with postcards, memorabilia, linens and clocks, and leaves prices and returns to each dealer, with reasonable offers sometimes passed along. On top of the antique floor, the operator advertises a weekly flea market that starts early each Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The center does not buy as a single entity, so selling means finding an individual dealer.

Hours: Mon–Sun 10am–5pm; flea market Fri–Sun 7am–3pmWebsite

Library book sales

South Side Branch Book Sale

BAPL South Side Branch, 400 Webster St, Bethlehem, PA 18015

On Bethlehem's South Side, 4.8 miles out and, as the crow flies, 0.6 miles across the Lehigh from the main building on Church Street, the Webster Street branch runs sales of its own, with books, DVDs and CDs from 50 cents and payment by cash or card. The library calendar set the autumn 2026 round for Wednesday, October 21 and Saturday, October 24. A year earlier the Lehigh Valley Press, writing on November 4, 2025, counted $380 from the October sale and quoted organizer Cassidy Mahony as wanting to hold three a year. The calendar showed nothing after October 24 when read on October 21, 2026, so check back there for the following round.

Hours: Next sale: Sat Oct 24, 2026, 10am–2pmWebsite

Friends of the Library bookstore

Friends' Book Nook at Emmaus Public Library

Emmaus Public Library, 11 E Main St, Emmaus, PA 18049

In Emmaus, on East Main Street within walking distance of the Fourth Street pair, the library's Friends keep a Book Nook open year-round in the adult lounge, stocked with gently used and nearly new books for adults, teens and kids plus puzzles, DVDs and audiobook CDs. By the Friends' own account, prices begin at a quarter, the shelves are restocked weekly and featured categories carry monthly specials. Their 2025 gift report puts the year's contribution to the library at $29,560, spread from the general operating fund to children's books and museum passes.

Hours: Library hours: Mon–Thu 10am–8pm, Fri–Sat 10am–5pm; closed SunWebsite

Library book sales

Whitehall Township Public Library Used Book Sale

3700 Mechanicsville Rd, Whitehall, PA 18052

In Whitehall Township, 3.7 miles from City Hall and close to 2nd & Charles, the township library has its next used book sale on the calendar for Friday, December 4 and Saturday, December 5, 2026, and from noon on the second afternoon books go by the $5 bag, as it did at the June 26–27 sale earlier that year. Prices are printed on its About page: $2 buys any hardcover or trade-size paperback, while adult paperbacks, kids' board books, paperback picture books and music CDs go for 50 cents and DVDs or audiobooks for $1. Donors may bring three bags or boxes per visit, though magazines, encyclopedias, textbooks, VHS and cassettes are declined.

Hours: Next sale: Fri Dec 4, 2026, 9am–3pm; Sat Dec 5, 2026, 9am–3pmWebsite

Library book sales

Friends of the Lower Macungie Library Fall Book Sale

Lower Macungie Library, 3450 Brookside Rd, Macungie, PA 18062

Out in Lower Macungie Township, about 7 miles from Allentown's City Hall, volunteers from the library's Friends take over the Brookside Road building for their autumn sale on Friday and Saturday, November 20–21, 2026, with a members' evening preview on the 19th. Their page says two sales normally happen each year, in early May and late November, and that most items cost 50 cents to $4; membership runs $10 per calendar year and is the ticket to the preview. The library's events listing adds a bag sale from 2pm on the Saturday, and the Friends report $160,000 given to the library to date.

Hours: Next sale: Thu Nov 19, 2026, 4pm–7pm (members' preview); Fri Nov 20 – Sat Nov 21, 2026, 9:30am–4pmWebsite

Library book sales

Coplay Public Library Book and Bake Sale

49 S 5th St, Coplay, PA 18037

In the borough of Coplay, 4.7 miles north-northwest of Allentown, the public library on South Fifth Street raises part of its annual budget with book sales that, by its own FAQ, are held in April and October. The autumn 2026 round paired books with a bake sale across Friday, October 2 and the next day, and the library's Support Us page has since thanked shoppers and told them to check back for the spring event. Gently used books, DVDs, music and audiobook CDs and jigsaw puzzles are taken year-round during opening hours, while almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, law and medical books, textbooks, condensed books, most magazines and VHS or audio cassettes are refused.

Hours: Last documented: Fri Oct 2 – Sat Oct 3, 2026, 11am–4pmWebsite

Library book sales

Public Library of Catasauqua Spring Book and Bake Sale

Public Library of Catasauqua, 3rd and Bridge Streets, Catasauqua, PA 18032

In the borough of Catasauqua, 3.6 miles up the Lehigh from City Hall, the library at Third and Bridge streets fills its auditorium for what its own column in the Lehigh Valley Press calls the annual spring book and bake sale. The March 18, 2026 column set that year's edition for the afternoon and evening of March 27 and a daytime session (10am–4pm) the following day, asked for more children's books, DVDs, classics, history, nonfiction and music CDs, and said a few records would be for sale too. Textbooks, magazines and VHS tapes were not wanted, and gifts were being taken right up to the sale.

Hours: Last documented: Fri Mar 27, 2026, 3pm–7pm; Sat Mar 28, 2026, 10am–4pmWebsite

Library book sales

Trexler Library Book Sale, Muhlenberg College

Trexler Library, Muhlenberg College, 2400 W Chew St, Allentown, PA 18104

On the Muhlenberg College campus, 2.3 miles west of City Hall, Trexler Library hosts what Muhlenberg Magazine calls its annual book sale as each spring semester ends, open to shoppers from campus and beyond. The magazine's March 30, 2026 article put that year's sale on Friday, May 1, from 9am to 5pm, charged a dollar per hardcover and half that per paperback, and described end-of-day deals of $3 for a bag and $5 for a box once the tables have been picked over. Librarian Kelly Cannon collects donations from alumni, faculty, staff and neighbors all year, and the article traces the sale back to at least 1996.

Hours: Last documented: Fri May 1, 2026, 9am–5pmWebsite

Scan before you buy

At every one of these spots, snap the shelf with BiblioScan: the AI identifies each book and shows its real resale price. Walk out with profitable books, not random boxes.

Try BiblioScan for free

Local sourcing tips

If you are clearing shelves, the three buyers here want different things. The Old Library Bookshop pays a flat rate on everyday stock, prices the better books one by one and doubles everything for trade, but it skips paperback fiction and suggests calling or emailing first. Apport is after the odd and the vintage, from poetry to UFOs, and prefers an email before you arrive. 2nd & Charles takes nearly any genre in its totes and returns one number for everything in the bags, so it suits a mixed box better than a few strong titles.
Circle Saturday, December 5, 2026. Bethlehem's main library has the second day of its December round, the one where pricing scanners are allowed, and Whitehall's township library switches to $5 bags from noon on the same afternoon. The two buildings are about 6.8 miles apart, so start in Bethlehem and finish in Whitehall, where 2nd & Charles is a short hop away.
The Allentown Public Library on Hamilton Street ran its 2026 fall sale of books, CDs and DVDs on October 9 and 10, and its donation page says gifts may be added to the collection, sold at that sale or discarded; watch its website for the next one.
Two clusters work on foot. In Emmaus, Apport and Now and Then are about 500 feet from each other along South Fourth, and the library's Book Nook is a short walk up to East Main. In Bethlehem, the main library and the South Side branch are separated by 0.6 miles, and the Old Library Bookshop lies about a mile beyond the main building. Everything else here calls for the car.
The End, a new-book independent on West Tilghman Street, is worth knowing for Independent Bookstore Day. According to The Valley Ledger, its program for April 25, 2026 offered exclusive merchandise and a donation drive, and owner Kirsten Hess said the store had taken part in 12 of the 13 years in the Lehigh Valley.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Allentown?

The Emmaus library's Book Nook stays open year-round, with prices starting at 25 cents and stock turned over weekly by the Friends. For volume, wait for a sale: Whitehall's township library charges two dollars for the bigger formats and two quarters for adult paperbacks, then sells by the $5 bag on Saturday afternoon; the Lower Macungie Friends keep most prices below five dollars; and Bethlehem's main library charges $2 for adult hardcovers. The South Side branch in Bethlehem starts its prices at 50 cents.

Where do I sell used books in Allentown?

Three places buy books over the counter, and two comic shops take collections. In Bethlehem, the Old Library Bookshop pays under a dollar a book for general stock, quotes better titles separately and doubles the total for trade. Apport in Emmaus buys by email inquiry or at the counter and lists the subjects it wants. 2nd & Charles in Whitehall Township makes one offer for a whole load of totes, payable in cash or a bigger credit balance. Before hauling anything to Center Street or MacArthur Road, photograph the bookcase once with BiblioScan: the app works through the shelf spine by spine and puts a current resale price beside each title, so the strong ones stay home for an online listing while the rest ride along to the counter.

When is the big library book sale in Allentown?

Start with Bethlehem's main library, which describes its schedule as a sale every other month, each one a Wednesday plus the Saturday after, with dates posted on bapl.org. The Lower Macungie Friends normally sell twice a year, once in May and once in November, with a members' preview night first; Coplay's library says its sales fall in April and October; and Muhlenberg College's Trexler Library opens what its magazine calls an annual sale at the end of the spring semester.

Which day is best for book hunting in Allentown?

Saturday is the strongest day. All the shops with published hours open on it, though the Old Library Bookshop closes at 3pm, so start in Bethlehem and drift toward Emmaus, where Apport stays open until 6pm. Sunday narrows things to Apport, 2nd & Charles, ComicMasters and Weil's, which also runs its flea market that day. Avoid Mondays and Tuesdays, when the Old Library Bookshop, Apport and Medina Books and Coffee are all closed.

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