Where to buy used books in Birmingham, West Midlands

Updated 01/10/2026

Birmingham, England, is the West Midlands city covered here, not its namesake in Alabama, and by the Birmingham Dispatch's count in a January 2026 feature, the whole West Midlands conurbation of 2.59 million people had eight independent bookshops. Much of the used stock below sits with charities: four Oxfam book branches, hospice bookshops in Sutton Coldfield and Coleshill, and the Acorns superstore in Harborne. The closest grouping is in Birmingham's southern suburbs, where Harborne, Moseley and King's Heath sit less than three miles apart. Prices throughout are given in pounds sterling.

Outside Birmingham's own boundary, fewer stops make the list. Dudley has Saturday Books in Fountain Arcade, Wednesbury in Sandwell has Blue Sheep Books, and Walsall's Sunday market at the football ground brings a car boot with it. Wolverhampton has no permanent used bookshop listed below, only a pop-up that keeps returning to a Mander Centre unit, while Coleshill, just over the line in North Warwickshire, holds the Mary Ann Evans Hospice bookshop.

Spring 2027 is when the big dates fall. UK Bookfest's six-day secondhand sale takes over the National Conference Centre in late March, and the Birmingham Book Extravaganza, which counts secondhand and rare booksellers among its traders, is back in Moseley for the early May bank holiday weekend. Before that, the Wolverhampton pop-up comes back to the Mander Centre for a four-week autumn run.

Spot map

The best spots

Second-hand bookshops

The Book Tower

14 Poplar Rd, Birmingham B14 7AD

A purple-fronted shop on Poplar Road in King's Heath that, in an Instagram post on 8 March 2026, introduced itself as a secondhand bookshop founded by a mother and daughter in 2023: vintage fiction, Folio editions, poetry, plays and first editions, alongside literary cards and work by local makers. The Birmingham Dispatch counted it in January 2026 among the three independent bookshops in King's Heath. Its contact page promises to track down a title that isn't on the shelves, and lists a second address at the Red Brick Market on Floodgate Street in Deritend.

Hours: Wed 2pm–5pm, Thu–Fri 10am–5pm, Sat 9:30am–5pm, Sun 11am–3pmWebsite

Charity superstore bookshop (Acorns)

Acorns Harborne Superstore (Chapter & Verse)

88-94 High St, Harborne, Birmingham B17 9NJ

Acorns Children's Hospice opened this 13,000 sq ft superstore on Harborne High Street on 28 March 2025, and its book corner, Chapter & Verse, started out with 6,000 secondhand titles. The charity's launch announcement put hardback novels at £4.50 and paperbacks at £2.50, and the branch's web page lists romance, fantasy, history, horror, children's and non-fiction among the shelves. Another Chapter & Verse sits in the Acorns superstore that opened on Bescot Retail Park in Walsall in December 2025. The car park behind the Harborne shop is not free, according to the branch's own notice.

Hours: Mon–Thu 9am–6pm, Fri–Sat 9am–7pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

National Trust bookshop

Court 15 Books at Birmingham Back to Backs

61-63 Hurst St, Birmingham B5 4TE

The National Trust's secondhand bookshop at the Birmingham Back to Backs, on the corner of Hurst Street and Inge Street opposite the Dragon Inn, is free to walk into without booking the house tour. The Trust lists fiction, non-fiction, children's, young adult and local history, plus a share of new titles, and the shop's Instagram calls it the only secondhand bookshop in the city centre. It reopened on 6 February 2026 after conservation work, and its Instagram post that day named Monday as the one closed day of its week.

Hours: Tue–Wed 1pm–5pm, Thu–Sat 10am–5pm, Sun 10:30am–5pmWebsite

Pop-up used book sale

UK Bookfest Huge Used Book Sale

National Conference Centre, Coventry Rd, Solihull B92 0EJ

In the borough of Solihull, on the Coventry Road, UK Bookfest and Stephen White Books are bringing a used book sale billed at 100,000 books to the National Conference Centre from 25 to 30 March 2027. Adult books start at £3 and fall in price over the six days, children's books stay at £1, entry is free, and on the final day a bag can be filled for £10. Check the event name before you set off: the same organiser holds Brand New Book Weekends at this venue, where nothing secondhand is on sale.

Hours: 25–30 March 2027: 8am–8pm, Sun 28 March 1pm–4pmWebsite

Charity bookshop (Mary Ann Evans Hospice)

Books Revisited

110 High St, Coleshill, Birmingham B46 3BL

Over in Coleshill, a North Warwickshire market town east of Birmingham, Mary Ann Evans Hospice runs Books Revisited, which it calls a well-respected secondhand bookshop, on the High Street. Having asked customers what they wanted, the shop said on Facebook on 20 March 2026 that its volunteers had enlarged the science fiction section, added more comics, graphic novels, video games and jigsaws, and given Harry Potter its own shelves. The hospice's shop spotlight of 2 April 2026 adds DVDs, CDs and vinyl to the mix.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–4pmWebsite

All spots by type

Second-hand bookshops

New and used bookshop

Saturday Books

23-25 Fountain Arcade, Tower St, Dudley DY1 1PF

In Dudley town centre, Saturday Books sells new titles alongside a large secondhand range, though most out-of-print stock sits in an upstairs storeroom or on AbeBooks, so ask at the counter. Francis Sheppard, who runs the shop, wrote on its blog on 28 September 2026 that the room in Fountain Arcade is far smaller than the old premises on Tower Street, which keeps the shelves rotating. Used books in the children's corner start at £1, and the arcade's rules keep the doors shut on Sundays and bank holidays.

Hours: Mon–Tue 10am–4pm, Wed 10am–1pm, Thu–Sat 10am–4pmWebsite

New and used bookshop

Blue Sheep Books

39 Union St, Wednesbury WS10 7HB

Over in Wednesbury, in the borough of Sandwell, Blue Sheep Books on Union Street stocks new books alongside used and rare ones, next to Pokémon cards, tabletop gaming and a drinks counter with coffee, Romanian wine and local beer. Its website invites you to bring in books you no longer want and trade them for cash. A book club meets monthly and an open-mic night falls on the second Wednesday, according to its event listings, which also had a Pokémon pre-release booked for Saturday 24 October 2026.

Website

Pop-up bookshop

Pop-Up Bookshop Wolverhampton

Mander Centre, Wolverhampton WV1 3NH

In Wolverhampton city centre, a pop-up secondhand bookshop moves into a Mander Centre unit for weeks at a stretch, and its Facebook page says it will be back from 17 October to 15 November 2026. Its August 2026 posts listed history, military, mind-body-spirit, sport, natural history, maps, science fiction, comics, theology, true crime and a large UFO and conspiracy section, with the shelves restocked daily. The Express & Star, on 25 July 2026, put the summer run in the lower mall opposite Superbowl and reported that the shop had been returning to the area for 16 years.

Website

Charity shops

Oxfam Books & Music

Oxfam Books & Music Harborne

134 High St, Harborne, Birmingham B17 9NN

Along Harborne High Street at number 134, Oxfam's books and music shop says it has been selling secondhand books, music scores, comics, vinyl, CDs and DVDs since 1999, and part of its stock is listed on the charity's online shop. On 8 September 2026 the branch's Instagram featured a 1913 illustrated edition of The Fairy Book, dug out of the stockroom and listed online that day. Oxfam's page for the shop gives no opening times and tells shoppers to get in touch with the branch for them.

Website

Oxfam Books & Music

Oxfam Bookshop Kings Heath

110a High St, Kings Heath, Birmingham B14 7LG

Oxfam's King's Heath book branch, at 110a High Street a couple of minutes' walk from The Book Tower, covers popular fiction and children's storybooks through Folio Society, modern firsts, art and cookery to antiquarian and academic titles, plus vinyl, CDs and DVDs, going by its shop page. In a Facebook post on 11 July 2026 the shop said it was down to two shelves of paperback fiction in the back room and asked for donations. Oxfam lists no hours for this branch online.

Website

Oxfam Books & Music

Oxfam Bookshop Moseley

101 Alcester Rd, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8DD

On Alcester Road in Moseley, under a mile north of the King's Heath branch, this Oxfam bookshop describes its stock as classic and cult novels, art and photography, history and current affairs, with a large vinyl section running through jazz, world music, folk, classic rock and pop. Its Facebook page filled the window with Batman comics in August 2025 and was offering a working 1910s Underwood typewriter in January 2026. The newest timetable the shop itself has posted dates from September 2024, promising seven-day opening with a five o'clock close except on Sunday, when the doors open from 11 till 3, so ring 0121 449 3222 before a special trip.

Website

Oxfam Books & Music

Oxfam Books & Music Knowle

1659 High St, Knowle, Solihull B93 0LL

In Knowle, a village in the borough of Solihull, Oxfam keeps a dedicated books and music shop on the High Street, with LPs, Fairtrade food and greetings cards next to the books. A new window display went up on its Instagram on 15 May 2026. Unlike the other three Oxfam branches here, its Oxfam page publishes opening times, and Wednesday finishes at lunchtime.

Hours: Mon–Tue 10am–5pm, Wed 10am–1pm, Thu–Sat 10am–5pmWebsite

Charity bookshop (St Giles Hospice)

St Giles Hospice Bookshop, Mere Green

284a Lichfield Rd, Sutton Coldfield B74 2UG

In Mere Green, at the northern end of Sutton Coldfield, St Giles Hospice runs a bookshop among the shops on Lichfield Road. The hospice reopened it on 6 February 2025 after a refurbishment, describing it on Facebook as the second bookshop in a programme meant to raise more for the patients and families it supports. Its shop page asks for good-quality donations, books included, and lists opening on all seven days.

Hours: Mon–Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pmWebsite

Charity shop (Birmingham City Mission)

Birmingham City Mission Shop

229 Hawthorn Rd, Kingstanding, Birmingham B44 8PL

Birmingham City Mission's shop on Hawthorn Road in Kingstanding works as two shops: a general charity shop downstairs, where books share the floor with furniture, clothing and toys, and a Christian bookshop upstairs selling new and second-hand Bibles, music and DVDs. A Facebook post from the mission on 7 August 2025 sent shoppers there for Bibles, books and more, with the same weekly hours as its website. The doors stay closed from Saturday evening until Tuesday morning.

Hours: Tue–Thu 9:30am–4:30pm, Fri noon–4:30pm, Sat 10am–4:30pmWebsite

Car boot sales & markets

Sunday market and car boot sale

Bescot Market and Car Boot

Bescot Stadium, Bescot Cres, Walsall WS1 4SA

In Walsall, Bescot Market takes over the grounds of Walsall Football Club just off junction 9 of the M6 on Sundays, with a car boot area opening an hour before the market stalls. The organisers had Sunday 4 October 2026 down as the next date and advertise free entry and free parking. Their posts talk up new goods and bargains and say nothing about books, which makes any paperbacks in the boots a matter of luck.

Hours: Sun 8am–3pmWebsite

Book fairs

Book fair

Birmingham Book Extravaganza

Uffculme Centre, 52 Queensbridge Rd, Moseley, Birmingham B13 8QY

Rosie's Retro Bazaar brings its Birmingham Book Extravaganza to the Uffculme Centre in Moseley, and the next date on its calendar is Saturday 1 May 2027, on the bank holiday weekend. The organiser lists second-hand and rare book sellers alongside comics, authors, micropublishers and bookish merchandise; entry is £2, with under-16s and NHS workers admitted free, and parking costs nothing. The previous edition ran on 12 September 2026, and a September 2027 date is already on the organiser's list.

Hours: Sat 1 May 2027, 10:30am–4pmWebsite

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

The Birmingham & Midland Institute on Margaret Street keeps Second-hand Prose, a library bookshop stocked with donated books its collection doesn't need, strong on Dickens, local history, plays, biographies and religion. The institute calls it the most centrally located secondhand bookshop in the city, and sells further books through its own eBay shop.
The Birmingham Dispatch counted three independent bookshops within a square mile of King's Heath in January 2026: The Book Tower, the secondhand one in this list, plus The Heath Bookshop, which the same paper reports won Independent Bookshop of the Year at the British Book Awards in 2025, and the children's bookshop how brave is the wren on York Road.
Car Boot Kings, the eboot.co.uk organiser, announced its 2026 season on sites in North Warwickshire, east of the city: Haunch Lane at Lea Marston on Saturdays, the Belfry site on Sundays, and Birmingham Road near Coleshill, opposite Woodlands Crematorium, on Tuesdays and Fridays. Its list of what traders bring doesn't mention books, and it warns that sites can move at short notice, so check its Facebook page before driving out.
Lichfield, the cathedral city beyond Sutton Coldfield and outside the boroughs covered here, gets its own Book Extravaganza from Rosie's Retro Bazaar at the Guildhall on Bore Street on Saturday 17 October 2026, with second-hand and antiquarian dealers on the bill.
In Solihull town centre, Oxfam's book branch at 5 Station Road takes only books and music, CDs, vinyl and DVDs included, and Oxfam publishes a phone number, 0121 705 1855, for it in place of opening hours.
Older guides point to a first-floor charity bookshop above the Mary Stevens Hospice shop at 52-53 High Street in Stourbridge. On 1 October 2026 the hospice's own list of shops named only the shop and a first-floor Coffee Stop at that address, so ring 01384 918703 before travelling for books.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I find cheap used books in Birmingham?

Wait for spring if you can: UK Bookfest's March 2027 sale at the NCC keeps cutting adult prices as it runs and ends with a fill-a-bag offer. Week to week, the Acorns superstore in Harborne launched its Chapter & Verse section with paperbacks under three pounds, the Second-hand Prose shelves at the Birmingham & Midland Institute generally ask three pounds a book, and Saturday Books in Dudley keeps used children's books from a pound. Blue Sheep Books in Wednesbury, where used books share the shop with new ones, is worth a look too.

Where do I sell used books in Birmingham?

Blue Sheep Books in Wednesbury openly pays cash for books brought to its counter, and it is the only shop in this list to say so. The charities listed, from the Oxfam branches to Acorns, St Giles Hospice and the Back to Backs, accept donations instead of buying. Run a single BiblioScan photo over the bookcase before you drive anywhere: the app picks out every legible spine in that one picture and returns a likely resale figure per title. Anything that looks worth the effort can be listed on Vinted or eBay.co.uk, or sent to Amazon.co.uk, and the remainder makes a lighter donation bag.

Which day is best for book hunting in Birmingham?

Saturday, because every one of the eight shops here with a weekly timetable trades that day, including The Book Tower, Court 15, the Birmingham City Mission shop, Saturday Books and Books Revisited. On Sunday, of those eight, only Acorns in Harborne, St Giles Hospice in Mere Green, Court 15 and The Book Tower open, with the car boot at Bescot as an extra; Oxfam Knowle, the City Mission, Saturday Books and Books Revisited list no Sunday trading. The Book Tower, Court 15 and the Kingstanding mission shop all stay shut on Mondays, and Wednesday is a half day at Saturday Books and Oxfam Knowle, while The Book Tower and Court 15 open only in the afternoon.

Are there any used book fairs in Birmingham?

Two are on the calendar for 2027. UK Bookfest's used sale fills the National Conference Centre on the Coventry Road for six days at the end of March, and early in May the Moseley fair run by Rosie's Retro Bazaar comes back to the Uffculme Centre with second-hand and rare dealers among its stalls. Its September edition at the same venue has already passed for 2026.

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